Martin Luther and the Lutheran Reformation
LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
MARTIN LUTHER AND THE LUTHERAN REFORMATION
HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY II—525_B01_201320
DR. MARTIN KLUBER
INSTRUCTOR
GEORGIA R. BOSS
CLARKSDALE, MS
MARCH 3, 2013
Introduction
The Lutheran Reformation was a movement in the 16th century to reform the Catholic
Church in Western Europe. The Reformation was started by Martin Luther with his 95 Theses on the practice of indulgences. Luther’s action inadvertently precipitated a religious controversy which gave rise to the Protestant Reformation. The Lutheran Reformation not only shattered the tradition of the Catholic Church but it changed the secular aspects of society as well. The Lutheran tradition or denomination evolved out of the reformation. The comprehensive authority of the Church was coming under scrutiny and many factors contributed to the religious turmoil. Proponents of reform fell generally into three categories. There were spiritual reformers, who deplored worldly pursuits and advocated program of piety and austerity. There were advocated of conciliar theory, who wished to see an ecumenical council reform the Church institutionally. Finally, there were humanists, who believed that knowledge of the Bible would restore the purity that had characterized the early Church.1
The concerns for reform were further broken down as follows: the sale of indulgences—these indulgences supposedly remitted the punishment due for sins, and in exchange the penitent made a cash contribution to the church;2 immorality of the clergy; ecclesiastical politics and unethical dealings; problems with authority in the church; leadership in Rome; deviations in Christian’s teachings; questionable practices for penance; failure of conciliarism; loss of monastic discipline; declining economic conditions for the poor with no defense from the church; the fall of Constantinople; the end of ancient feudal system and the development of powerful monarchies; the rise of
MARTIN LUTHER AND THE LUTHERAN REFORMATION
HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY II—525_B01_201320
DR. MARTIN KLUBER
INSTRUCTOR
GEORGIA R. BOSS
CLARKSDALE, MS
MARCH 3, 2013
Introduction
The Lutheran Reformation was a movement in the 16th century to reform the Catholic
Church in Western Europe. The Reformation was started by Martin Luther with his 95 Theses on the practice of indulgences. Luther’s action inadvertently precipitated a religious controversy which gave rise to the Protestant Reformation. The Lutheran Reformation not only shattered the tradition of the Catholic Church but it changed the secular aspects of society as well. The Lutheran tradition or denomination evolved out of the reformation. The comprehensive authority of the Church was coming under scrutiny and many factors contributed to the religious turmoil. Proponents of reform fell generally into three categories. There were spiritual reformers, who deplored worldly pursuits and advocated program of piety and austerity. There were advocated of conciliar theory, who wished to see an ecumenical council reform the Church institutionally. Finally, there were humanists, who believed that knowledge of the Bible would restore the purity that had characterized the early Church.1
The concerns for reform were further broken down as follows: the sale of indulgences—these indulgences supposedly remitted the punishment due for sins, and in exchange the penitent made a cash contribution to the church;2 immorality of the clergy; ecclesiastical politics and unethical dealings; problems with authority in the church; leadership in Rome; deviations in Christian’s teachings; questionable practices for penance; failure of conciliarism; loss of monastic discipline; declining economic conditions for the poor with no defense from the church; the fall of Constantinople; the end of ancient feudal system and the development of powerful monarchies; the rise of