ARCHBISHOP STEPHEN LANGTON
Chapter 4
THUNDERING TONGUE
As a Master at the University of Paris, Langton was expected not only to teach his students in the classroom but also to be an example to them of what a Godly clergyman should be. Part of that example was that he should preach, and Langton was a very significant preacher. He earned the nickname “Stephen of the Thundering Tongue” because of the power of his preaching and the way in which he preached. Pope Innocent III was very much interested in things that would strengthen the Church and cause the people of Europe to live a truly Christian life. Langton was a part of that same group of concerned clergy. They were known as the Evangelical Movement or the vita apostolica movement.
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As a member of the Evangelical Movement which taught that the Church was the vehicle for positive change in society he taught that the secular government must submit to divine lordship--lordship in the feudal obligation sense. The king must be under the authority of God and His representative on earth was the Pope. This was called natural law, the law of creation. Kings were anointed by a high Church official like a Pope. According to Langton the king was anointed to the service of the church, not to the ministry of God. Romans 13: 4 is often translated to read that the ruler is a “minister” of God, but it can also be rendered “servant” of God. The Church did not wish to elevate any king to the level of clergy in light of the fact that kings regularly conducted wars, and they did not take the vows a clergyman did. The inconsistency laid in the fact that while kings were not to be seen as clergy the Pope and many other clergymen were considered to be secular rulers over significant expanses of land and even contributed money and men for the conduct of war. If Langton recognized that inconsistency he never directly addressed it. He did often preach about justice which …show more content…
Judging the faith of another is usually a useless activity as one cannot see the heart but only the outward behavior of another. Undoubtedly Stephen was a man of shining character fully dedicated to serving God as boldly and clearly as he was able. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the Bible and he tried to act out its teachings to the very best of his abilities. We cannot fault him for not expressing his faith in the terms used by Protestant Christians in Martin Luther’s day three hundred years later, or even of John Wycliffe’s time over a hundred years later. Stephen was a man of his time, a loyal Roman Catholic who went to confession, venerated Mary as “Mother of God”, and believed in transubstantiation which is a doctrine that attributes a miracle during the mass where the bread and wine become the literal body and blood of Christ (Lk. 22:19-20). Transubstantiation and verbal confession to a priest were not official Catholic doctrines until 1215, the same year that Stephen was working on the Magna Carta. However Langton regarded these doctrines as issues of interpretation of Scripture within the responsibility of the Pope. He willingly submitted to Innocent’s decisions about them. Some historians have suggested that Langton was an “Anglican before his time”. This author recalls Heb. 11: 6 which assures us that “without faith it is impossible to please (God); for he that cometh to
In these Thesis’ Luther basically criticized the church’s wrongful practices and exposed the church’s corruption in order to bring about change in the church. Luther is quoted in Document 3 from his 95 thesis’ “Christian’s should be taught that he who gives to a poor man, or lends to a needy man, does better if he bought pardons.” Luther believed that actions, such as helping others did way more toward saving a person’s soul than buying a pardon did. He saw through the idea that one could by their way into heaven. He brought about new ideas such as God’s grace is the only way into heaven, not buying indulgences, or simply participating in church activities. His ideas eventually spread out all over Europe and his followers formed a group calling themselves Lutherans. This eventually became a protestant denomination, where Luther preached ideas, and his version of christianity. Also other reformist such as John Calvin had their own ideas, like predestination, and that everyone was full of sin until they were saved by christ. “We must resist the lust of the flesh, which, unless kept in order, overflows without measure.” (Document 6) Calvin believed that everyone was filled with this sinful “lust” that could not be kept in order without the power of christ. Calvin also started a sect of christianity nicknamed Calvinist after their leader. Both Luther and Calvin inspired others such as George Fox, who created quakerism, and Ulrich Zwingli who started anabaptism. Overall a huge force that drove the Protestant Reformation was reformers such as Martin Luther and John
Fulcher of Chartres' account of what happened at the Council of Clermont is a great piece, full of detail. Fulcher obviously held Pope Urban II in high regard. Throughout his chronicle, he douses him with compliments saying that he is " a man distinguished in life and character."5 Fulcher, 49. It might not seem like much now to put the Church's interests before all others; however, in the Middle Ages people were extremely religious. The better Christian one was, the better man he was.
Evangelicalism by its very nature is hard to define. In fact, Douglas Sweeney, Chair of the Church History and the History of Christian Thought Department at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School states, “precious little consensus exists among those who have tried to describe the evangelical movement.” Nevertheless, Sweeney does an excellent attempt by briefly explicating the diverse history of the evangelical movement in his book, The American Evangelical Story: A History of the Movement. Sweeney, a Lutheran and expert in American religion and culture not only introduces
Roland H. Bainton opens the door to the life of Martin Luther one the greatest theologians of all time. Dr. Bainton, who was a minister along with serving as a faculty member for forty-two years at Yale’s school of Divinity. Mr. Bainton celebrates the life of this great Christian leader, by bringing to life one of the greatest events in the history of the Christian church and society which was the Great Reformation of the fifteen hundreds. The church-history changing act of nailing his 95 theses to the church door of Wittenberg on October 31, 1517 set Luther on course to become a man worthy of study by those who follow him and seek biblical truth. In Dr. Bainton’s work “Here I Stand” we will investigate Martin Luther’s stand
preached against abuses in the church and attempted to shift the focus of religious faith
clergyman to interpret it for them. The Counter-Reformation did not bring social change to Europe or
Martin Luther King guilts the clergymen for the first time when he brings up their moral wrongness. King says that he has a “moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws” (4). He summarizes why laws are just or unjust by stating, “A just law is a man-made code that
through Him was sought, also in faith alone rather than doing good deeds in life.
In Martin Luther’s letter to Pope Leo X, Luther expresses his deepest concerns for the doctrine and well-being of the Roman Catholic Church to the most powerful figure in Europe, being very careful not to insult the Pope himself. He addresses several issues that have arisen within the church, such as corrupt men who are in positions of leadership, people who are treating the Pope as though he is a God, and people convincing the Pope that he alone has the right to interpret scripture. Luther also proposes several solutions to the Church’s dilemma, beseeching the Pope to remain humble and not comply with those who attempt to worship Him, as well as asking that he not be convinced he is the only one capable of interpreting scripture. Above all else, Luther’s main purpose in writing to the Pope himself is to both clarify his misunderstood intentions to the Holy Catholic Church and to also earn the favor of Pope Leo in spite of his condemnation of the Church, both
This corruption took the forms of actions by the Catholic Church such as: the selling of Indulgences for money as a means of attaining salvation, the buying/selling of Church relics (Simony), and the placement of poorly trained people in positions because they knew employers (Nepotism). Luther had also come to believe that the Catholic Church was wrong in their ideas and beliefs. In 1517, Luther posted his 95 theses which expressed his beliefs and thoughts on the corruption of the church, demanding the Catholic Church to reform. He wrote about “sola gratia” as the justification of sinful humankind “by grace… (as) the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). He expressed his thoughts on “salvation through faith in Christ” (2 Timothy 3:14-4:2) as “sola fide”, opposed to the catholic belief of salvation through faith and good
is prevented from this drastic step only by a faith which teaches him that God
During Luther’s early life he faced a severe inner crisis. When he sinned he looked for comfort in confession and followed the penance, the fasting, prayer and observances that the church directed him. But, he found no peace of mind and worried about his salvation. But reading St. Paul’s letters he came to believe that salvation came though faith in Christ. Faith is a free gift, he discovered, it cannot be earned. His studies led him to a conclusion that, “Christ was the only mediator between God and a man and that forgiveness of sin and salvation are given by god’s grace alone” (Martin Luther, 01). Historians agree that, “this approach to theology led to a clash between Luther and the Church officials, precipitating the dramatic events of Reformation”.
Calvin had a high view of preaching, but he also encouraged Christians to have a high regard for those called to preach. Calvin alluded the preachers to be “the very mouth of God.” “He said: Those who think the authority of the Word is dragged down by the baseness of the men called to teach it disclose their own ungratefulness. For, among the many excellent gifts with which God has adored the human race, it is a singular privilege that he deigns to consecrate to himself the mouths and tongues of men in order that his voice may resound in them”
... (Martin, p.30) Martin goes on to say, “For him (James) works are not a substitute for faith, but are the evidence of faith.” (Martin, p.31)
Faith and imagination is all about truth and the belief in a higher power beyond man himself. Faith and imagination binds the power of God’s existence. However, in lack of evidence and that which is unforeseen; consequently, if we know the value of life and understand that which is right and wrong; it truly acknowledges God’s presence among us. when people reference a “miracle” has happened; most people that hold faith as a powerful source don’t just assume the miracle came out of nowhere without some concept of a divine attribute connected to faith. A miracle is not an act based purely on a violation of natural law, but an act of God’s law and his true existence. And if man is to find his true purpose of his existence and fulfilling his life, he must adopt faith and reason.