Martin Luther Reform Essay

961 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: the effect of the reformation

It was a fact that Martin Luther’s reform movements calling for religious and social reform gain many followers, but one thing he failed to realize, was the important impact his reformation would cause for the future of Christendom. Although Luther started the Reformation, he did not intend to split the church or create dissent, he really just wanted to correct a few things that he thought were wrong. However, little did Luther know, he would become the needed trigger that would ignite the Protestant Reformation that many Christens held within them. Luther was the only one brave enough to start the Protestant Reformation, and allowed for others like him to call for their own reformation on the Catholic Church. People like John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, and Johannes Bugenhagen, who took …show more content…

There was also a massive amount contention among the reformers, for example, Erasmus challenged Luther on the question of “free will” in 1524, Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt in Wittenberg abolished Mass, and took down images in 1522, and Zwickau Prophets demanded “direct action” base on inspiration from the Holy Spirit in 1522-23. One of the biggest disagreements between the reformers was the nature of Sacrament and the Covenants of God. In Zwingli’s Sixty-Seven Articles, he split from Luther’s doctrine of communion and emphasized reform of life as well as doctrine. He also differ in Luther on the role of secular government in ecclesiastical affairs. As Luther wanted a total separation of spiritual from secular, Zwlingli argued that secular law to embody the law of God. Similar to Luther as the lead reformer in Germany, Zwingli led the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland and with it, his own version of church reform which gain popularity amongst Swiss

Show More
Related

  • Similarities Between Luther And King Henry Viii

    636 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther is known to be a key initiator to the Protestant Reformation, although he had no intention of doing so. He was going to become a monk, so he read deeply into scriptures, but this only led him to discover inconsistencies between traditions and the Bible. These inconsistencies lead him to demand changes in the Catholic Church; however that did not include

    Read More

  • Comparing Martin Luther And King Henry VIII

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther desired to reform the Church because he believed that it was corrupt and wanted to be seen as the gateway to Heaven. In Luther’s eyes, the Roman Catholic Church was teaching the wrong things and showing bad behavior. Because of this, Martin Luther, being a conscientious friar and professor of theology, did not feel secure in the idea of salvation. The Church was teaching that salvation came through faith AND good works while Luther concluded

    Read More

  • Difference Between Martin Luther And Ethnocentrism

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    First we will talk about Martin Luther. Martin Luther was born on November 10th, 1438 and died February 18th, 1546, but his actions throughout his life leave a mark in the history world. Luther was a Catholic priest and professor of Theology from Germany. He attended the University of Wittenburg, and there, not only did he earn a doctorate, but he also gained "religious enlightenment". He is, to this day, a very influential person of the past and he changed history forever, but why? The answer is the Protestant Reformation.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Martin Luther And The Lholic Church Reform

    1794 Words  | 4 Pages

    His compositions changed the course of religious and social history in the West. The 95 Theses, which would later turn into the establishment of the Protestant Reformation, were composed in a strikingly unassuming and scholarly tone, addressing instead of blaming. The general push of the document was very challenging. The first two of the proposals contained Luther 's focal thought, that God expected adherents to look for atonement and that confidence alone, and not deeds, would prompt salvation. The other 93 theories, specifically condemning the act of indulgences, upheld the first two. Luther’s 95 theses were met with “106 counter theses, the aims of which were to assert the power of the Pope and his clergy, to brand Luther as a heretic and to prove the Pope’s superiority over councils, canons, and Scripture as a source of infallible wisdom and power.” Tetzel was the person that met Luther’s theses with help from Conrad

    Read More

  • Martin Luther And The Ninety-Five Theses

    2387 Words  | 5 Pages

    During the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation transformed Europe from a nation previously united by a singular Christian faith into one divided by conflicting religious beliefs and practices. Martin Luther, a German monk and theologian, played a significant role in the onset of this reform movement. In 1517, Luther wrote the Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences, more commonly referred to as the Ninety-Five Theses, which called for a scholarly debate on various church practices, particularly the sale of indulgences to absolve human sin. Contrary to the church’s teaching, Luther asserted that people obtained salvation by faith, not through works or deeds, such as purchasing indulgences. Although Luther did not intend his work to be a program for reform, its widespread publication created public upheaval about the corruption within the church and thus threatened the power of the Pope. Therefore, the Ninety-Five Theses served as the catalyst for the Protestant Reformation because it sparked a theological conflict between Martin Luther and the papal authority, which eventually resulted in Luther breaking away from the Roman Catholic church and forming a new sect of Christianity.

    Read More

  • Reformation and Music

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    While numerous theological issues had been brewing for some time, the Reformation was officially began in 1517 by a man named Martin Luther. Martin Luther was a professor of biblical theology who had several issues with the Catholic Church. His complaints or disputes with the Catholic Church are known as his 95 Theses. In his 95 Theses, Martin Luther argued that God offers salvation through faith alone and that religious authority comes from the Bible alone which posed a challenge to the authority of the Catholic Church. After sparking the Reformation, Martin Luther made it his goal to incorporate the church congregation in the praise and worship part of church service. A detrimental and vital aspect of Christianity, Martin Luther believed this needed to be done. Along with his followers, Martin Luther made continuous...

    Read More

  • Martin Luther Thesis Statement

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther was a representative during the 16th century of a desire widespread of the renewal and reform of the Catholic Church. He launched the Protestant reform a continuation of the medieval religious search.

    Read More

  • Protestant Reform and Martin Luther

    658 Words  | 2 Pages

    The practices of The Catholic Church during the sixteenth century caused a monk named Martin Luther to question The Church’s ways. Luther watched as families suffered physically, emotionally and economically by the hands of The Church. Luther saw no basis for The Church to charge people for their sins or prevent them from learning to read The Bible themselves. He watched as the money built up The Palace, yet tore apart the fundamental and spiritual reasons one goes to church in the first place. In an effort to change the practices of The Church, he wrote the 95 Thesis. In these, he stated his views on the abuses of The Church. This was the beginning of a large movement that would change religious practices over the world.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther And The Protestant Reformation

    1077 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Luther The Reformer

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kittelson effectively composed the book and created the biography to be an interesting look into the life of Martin Luther. His successful usage of primary source documents and information compounded with his personal literary explanation of Luther’s journey toward reformation and peace with God. Kittelson’s book is not without humor either, he includes direct quotes and dialogue between Luther and Zwingli debating the Lord’s Supper. The insults and demonstrative behavior show Luther as he was, a reformer, who wished to convince others of the power of the gospel. This engaging study is both informative and engaging. Luther the Reformer is a good biography for anyone interested in Martin Luther’s life and interested in learning more about why his journey impacted not only the Roman church then, but the entirety of the Christian Church to this

    Read More

  • Protestant reformation

    1405 Words  | 3 Pages

    The history of Christianity throughout the world encompasses a significant number of differing theological interpretations. These theological differences gave way to many movements that are a part of the transcending history of the Christian Faith. A sector of these theologically driven movements is the Protestant reform. As a movement, Protestant Reform represents the protest of the traditionally widely practiced religion of the time which was Catholicism. There are four different movements that are a part of the Protestant reform. Each harbors its own identity in that they all seek to establish the church according to the New Testament. Lead by Martin Luther, the Lutheran movement unintentionally began the reformation. “The Reformation of Martin Luther was primarily a movement of doctrinal and theological reform.” (Steinmetz 1979) The impact that Martin Luther had on movements the protestant ideals that followed is prevalent. Although each of these four movements do not agree in their entirety they are interconnected by their yearning to reform the practice of Christianity. In an attempt to express the relevance of the protestant movement to the ascension of the Christian faith, particularly the Protestant church, the explication of each movement is imperative.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther's Essay Concerning Governmental Authority

    1926 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the greatest debates of history has been regarding how much separation there should be between church and state. Prior to the Reformation, the church had a significant amount of power in regard to the government and society. There was a lot of corruption and greed, as the people of the church were able to find ways to abuse this power for their own profit. This corruption was a major reason for the rise of Martin Luther and it set the basis for the Protestant Reformation as a whole. He was able to completely change the trajectory of the Christian religion. Luther recognized the corruption and excessive power within the church, and he believed it was neither good for the Christians of the church or for the rest of the people of society

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Martin Luther's Letter To The Christian Nobility Of The German Government

    1319 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Events Leading Up To and Following Martin Luther and His Ninety-Five Thesis

    949 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1520-2 ‘Lutheranism’ became a sect. When he realized what was happening the reformer was appalled; he insisted

    Read More

  • Martin Luther Reformation

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    A reformation can be described as the action or process of making changes in the social, political, or economic institution to improve it, according to the Google dictionary. Martin Luther and the “95 Theses” started a chain of events throughout Europe that would be known as the Protestant Reformation. During the 16th century, the authority and power of the Church was challenged. This led to other denominations being created such as, Lutheranism. Martin Luther and the Reformation influenced the religion in the West and the culture.

    Read More

More about Martin Luther Reform Essay

Open Document