Christian theology has studied and used the Bible to explain the reason of life and the message of God. The way in which this has been done has varied from time to time and from region to region. In the first section of this essay Western Europe is regarded as the central point of one of the most challenging division of the Christian faith. The Protestant Reformation would open the way to new types of Christian Faith known as Protestantism. The causes which precipitated this movement will be addressed in order to understand the social motivations of the Reformation. The figure of Martin Luther King will also be discussed as it is one of the most popular names of Protestantism which resulted into the Lutheran Church. The role of the Humanists in the Renaissance period is introduced as it influenced all the movement and Luther himself. Theology scholars used ideas of the humanist approach in order to decode many of the inconsistencies of the sacred texts which formed the Bible of the middle Ages. After the usage of all these new techniques; that worked towards achieving a clearer understanding of the sacred texts. The accomplishing of more faithful translations was a big step made from where not only the clergy but also, and mainly the laity would be able to benefit. Luther was concerned about the role and duties of the laity whose faith was completely dependent on the preaching’s of the Roman Church and he drew a completely new system where the structure of God-Clergy-Laity, switch to God-Laity.
On the second example of how the Bible offers different resources to the non-elite, I have drawn on examples from the 20th century, Latin American movement known as Liberation Theology. It was essential to mention the disturbing history t...
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Hastings, Adrian (1999). ‘Latin America’ in Hastings (1999) pp. 328-357.
Hebblethwaite, Peter (1999). ‘Liberation Theology and the Roman Catholic Church’ in Rowland (1999) pp. 179-199
MacCulloch, Diarmaid (2003). Reformation: Europe’s House Divided 1490-1700. London: Penguin Books.
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Kling, David W. (2004). The Bible in History. Oxford: University Press.
“Liberation theologians refer to this as praxis, not their focal points in teachings but also as their point of
In 1517, Martin Luther wrote what would lead to the Protestant Reformation, the 95 theses (Pavao). Luther's theses is composed of ninety- five statements about the Roman Catholic Church that he didn't agree with, by posting his theses on the doors of the cathedral at Wittenberg he was looking to engage in debate with fellow theologians (Pavao). In a matter of weeks Germans that agreed with him about Church practices were printing and spreading his theses. The following will be a discussion of the 95 theses and some of the ideas presented that give an idea of the problems in the Church of his time.
Whereas the term “Reformatio” signifies an ideal or something of perfect form, the Protestant Reformation was an attempt to purify the mid-16th century form of Christianity that had strayed from a past ideal. With this fall from the past, the church extended its realm of influence and became somewhat of a business rather than a sanctuary of virtue, faith and objectivity in the eyes of G-d. The church’s new spectrum of power also had the affect of suppressing peasants. Through dictating proper beliefs and a sort of uniform, elite culture that a good Christian should strive to fulfill, peasant culture was increasingly marginalized, deemed inferior to the ruling nobility and even subsequently disregarded in modern hindsight; this perceived inferiority contributed to the nobility’s exploitation of peasants. As the paramount representative of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther appealed to peasants through his repudiation of Church excess power, extension of influence beyond pure faith, and the nobility’s suppression of peasant culture. Although Luther wrote the Against the Robbing and Murdering Hordes of Peasants to German princes in 1525 to harshly condemn their rebellion, one could say the ideas promoted by the Reformation were in part responsible for the peasant’s desire to defend their own beliefs against oppressive nobility.
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”.
All of Europe used to be united under one religion, Catholicism. Europe started inching away from Catholicism during the 13th - 15th centuries. The church leaders started to only think about money and the power they held, instead of the real reason they were supposed to be there, God. This caused an uprising of people who no longer wanted to be a part of the Catholic church, nicknamed Protestants because they protested the ways of the catholic church. The Protestant Reformation was caused by corruption in the church, Martin Luther and John Calvin’s ideas, and the clergy and their preachings.
James Kittelson’s biography on the life of Luther is thought provoking and informative. Kittelson does not have a concise thesis, but as it is a biography the central theme of Luther the Reformer is an insightful narrative of Martin Luther’s life from his birth in Eisleben until his death on February 18, 1546 in Eisleben. Kittelson thoroughly and with great detail and sources explains Luther’s mission to reform the catholic church. Luther the Reformer seeks to condense Luther’s life in a manner which is more easily read for those who do not know the reformer’s story well. Luther is portrayed not only as a theologian throughout the book, but as a person with struggles and connections throughout the Germanic region in which he lived. Luther’s theology is portrayed throughout the entirety of the book, and Kittelson approaches Luther’s theology by explaining Luther’s past. The inclusion of
with his 95 Theses. A strict father who most likely did not accept “no” as an
The political organization and religion aspects during the 16th century influenced Protestant Reformation to occur in Germany. Martin Luther’s writings reflect on his views and perspectives of German politics and religion at the time. Martin Luther’s ideas in the Letter to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation and The Statement of Grievances mentions Martin Luther’s thoughts about how corrupt the church is, why the corruption in the church needs to end, and what Martin Luther’s ideas are to change the way of the church.
The protestant reformation of 16th century had both: immediate and long term effects. Thus, we can see that it was a revolution of understanding the essence of religion, and of what God is. The protestant reformation is said to a religious movement. However, it also influenced the economical, political and social life of people. The most global, short term effect of the reformation was the reevaluation of beliefs, and, as a result, the loss of authority of the Holy Roman Empire. The long term effects were: the emergence of new heretical movements, the declining of papacy, thus the reevaluation of people’s view on the church and life values.
Humanists had been calling for reform in the Catholic Church long before Martin Luther penned his Ninety-Five Theses. Humanism was an intellectual and cultural movement of the Renaissance that emphasized the expansion of mans’ capacities. “[Humanism] was an attempt to discover humankind’s own earthly fulfillment. . . [it] developed an increasing distaste for dogma, and embraced a figurative interpretation of the scriptures and an attitude of tolerance toward all viewpoints” (Sporre 310). This perspective could not differ more from the Church’s strict reliance on tradition. People’s outlook on the world changed, but the Church continued on with what had previously worked. It soon became clear that reform in the Church was not in the foreseeable future, so people decided to take matters into their own hands. As humanism spread throughout Italy and northern Europe, more and more people agr...
The ideal behind the idea of Liberation Theology maintains a liberation from a socially, politically, or economically oppressed position through their infallible faith. In that way it maintains an aspect of malleability by means that Liberation Theology can be founded in a number of different social communities in various locations ...
The Story of Christianity is a very informative summation; a continuation of Volume 1 which covered the beginning of the church up to the Protestant Reformation, while Vol. 2 dealt with the Protestant Reformation up to more modern time period. This author delivers a more comprehensive and deeper look into the development of Christianity, which includes particular events which had transpired throughout the world; particularly how Christianity has expanded into Central and South America. Gonzalez opens up this book with the “Call for Reformation,” where he shares with his readers the need for reform; the papacy had started to decline and was corrupt, in addition to the Great Schism, which had further weakened the papacy (p.8). The author explains how the church was not the only issue but that the church’s teachings were off track as well, seeing that the people had deviated from...
The renaissance and the reformation were two of the most significant changes in history that has shaped our world today. Both of these great time periods are strikingly similar in some ways and totally different in others. This is because the renaissance was a change from religion to humanism whether it is in art or literature; it is where the individual began to matter. However, the reformation was,” in a nutshell,” a way to reform the church and even more so to form the way our society is today. The first half of this paper will view the drop in faith, the economic powers, and the artistic and literary changes during the renaissance, while the second half will view the progresses and changes the church makes during the reformation.
The Reformation in Germany, which made a major impact on world history, was started by Martin Luther when, on a quest for his own personal salvation, became disillusioned with the Roman Catholic Church and began to speak out about his beliefs. This essay will describe and account for the progress of the Reformation in Germany to c. AD 1535 by outlining Luther’s life to 1517, the conflict that followed his Ninety-Five Theses, and the disputes of 1518 – 1520. Luther’s trial before the Diet of Worms and the support of the Protestant Princes will also be accounted for. Furthermore, Luther’s Bible, which helped greatly in the spread of the German Reformation, will be described. This essay will help give an understanding of the importance and lasting effect of the Reformation in Germany.
Westphal, M. (2009). Whose Community? Which Interpretation?: Philosophical Hermeneutics for the Church. Baker Academic. 107