Protestant Reformation – Martin Luther
Political Climate that Led up to the Luther’s Reformation
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Martin Luther was a German monk who had beliefs that contrasted some of those of the
Catholic Church.
Some of which includes the ideas that:
o The bible is the only authority.
o Everyone who puts their faith in Christ is considered equal.
o People can interpret the bible themselves, rather than with the help of a member of
the church.
Martin Luther had two main beliefs that helped him reach the decision to carry out the
reformation:
o The Bible is the central religious authority.
o Humans may reach salvation only by their faith, not by their deeds.
Grievances against the Catholic Church
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Luther listed 95 grievances against the Catholic Church in the year 1517. The following
are 4 of the 95 grievances:
o “When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said ‘Repent’, He called for the entire
life of believers to be one of repentance.”
o “As long as hatred of self-abides (i.e. true inward repentance) the penalty of sin
abides until we enter the kingdom of heaven.”
o “The pope has neither the will nor the power to remit any penalties beyond those
imposed either at his own discretion or by canon law.”
o “God never remits guilt to anyone without, at the same time, making him humbly
submissive to the priest, His representative.”
In addition, Martin Luther was troubled at the thought of church officials selling
indulgences, which is a pardon given to a person to avoid performing the actual penalty.
Also, having heard that people were being offered the opportunity to buy their way into
heaven was another reason for Martin Luther’s reformation.
Luther’s response to the Catholic Church’s position
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Martin Luther was condemned and was given 60 days to respond. Instead of responding,
he gathered a large group of public supporters of his revolt and threw the papal dull into a
bonfire.
His response to the Catholic Church was that he wanted believers to seek repentance and
that faith alone would lead to salvation.
And his response to the Catholic Church was to fractionalize (divide) the Catholic Church.
By: Christa and Abi
Works Cited
Brown, Lorri. "Martin Luther and the Reformation." West European History. 29 March 2007.
Glam Entertainment. 10 February 2012. <http://lorribrown.suite101.com/martinluther-and-the-reformation-a17603>.
Johnson, Phillip R. "The 95 Theses." The Spurgeon Archive. 2001. 10 February 2012.
<http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/history/95theses.htm>.
Wheeler, Heather. "The Reformation." History On The Net. November 2000. History on the
Net Group. 10 February 2012.