Luther's Catechetical Resources

Luther the Reformer: The Story of the Man and His Career by James M. Kittelson is a biography of the famous German monk turned theologian and reformer, Martin Luther. This is one of the most influential men in history, and as a matter of fact, “In most big libraries, books by and about Martin Luther occupy more shelf room than those concerned with any other human being except Jesus of Nazareth” (Kittelson 9). This fame of Luther’s isn’t only postmortem, “This extraordinary interest in an extraordinary man reaches back almost half a millennium. Even in his own time Luther was a ‘media personality’ the first of such in three thousand years of human history” (Kittelson 9). Luther was a subject of great controversy in his own time, as well as in our, and it has only driven his name and message into the spotlight. No matter or what one aligns himself with, “People still find themselves taking sides on the question of Luther” (Kittelson 9). It is for this reason that James M. Kittelson wrote this survey. He tells us that “The primary purpose of this book is to tell the story of Martin Luther to readers who are not specialists in the field of Luther studies” (Kittelson 10). This book is a general overview of all aspects of Luther, not just a precise dissection of one aspect, which allows for “as faithful a picture as possible of the whole man” (Kittelson 11).

“One has to consult the sayings of the Fathers of the Church, as well as other ancient writers. This helps us understand the historical changes which have occurred over the years. Reading the Fathers can give meaning to many of the rubrics, many of which are not carried out properly because of lack of understanding of their meaning”.

In To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, the Church has surrounded themselves with three distinct rules. As a result, Luther believes the rules within the Church are merely defending the corruption from reform. Giving a brief summary of his purpose for writing the text, Luther depicts the beliefs of the Church as foolish and unwise. The Roman Catholic Church has put complete power into the leaders of the Church (9). In the final paragraph of his introduction, Luther directly quotes Joshua 6:20, asking for aid in helping individuals reform themselves and attain God’s good grace.

We have now come to the fourth and final book of Mere Christianity. In this book, the author takes us to the place in our Christian growth where we begin to rely more heavily on the power of God and less on ourselves to become the being that God originally intended for us to be — a son of God. He begins with an explanation of the difference between “making” and “begetting”.

To the extent of this class so far, we have had the opportunity to read the Gospel of Matthew, The Pardoner’s Tale, and Julian of Norwich. In these publications, the primary focus of each is to reach the Kingdom of God. In the Gospel of Matthew, written between A.D. 60-65, Jesus shares directions for living in his kingdom, especially during the Sermon on the Mount. By using Jesus’ words, we become capable of formulating what the Kingdom of God is and determining whether or not others uphold or undermine the ideal of the Kingdom. In The Pardoner’s Tale, the Pardoner undermines the ideal of the Kingdom of God and takes townspeople’s’ money out of greed. In Julian of Norwich, written A.D. 1413, Julian upholds the ideal of the Kingdom of God

In 1517, Luther wrote the “95 Theses” to express ninety-five things that he disliked about the Catholic Church. The first two theses tell that God wants believers to seek repentance and faith alone, and deeds will not lead to salvation. It also includes the practice of asking payments, called indulgences, for the forgiving of sins. Luther thought that indulgences were sold by the church to refurbish the church in Rome. Luther's writings were intended to divide the Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformation. The theses were not for the public to read, but yet Luther pinned his 95 theses to the Castle Church door for later discussion.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church was written to clearly present the deposit of Christian doctrine so that it may be easily accessible to all people. It includes the “teaching of Sacred Scripture, the living Tradition and the authentic Magisterium, as well as the heritage of the spiritual Fathers, Doctors and saints of the Church.”3 Within the four sections of the Catechism, the Profession of the Faith, the Celebration of the Christian Mystery, Life in Christ and Christian are addressed in depth and articulated in a way that can be understand by all. With great excitement, St. John Paul the Great declared it to be a sure norm for teaching the Catholic faith.

He goes on to show that ministers must come to the realization that presenting the Gospel to today’s culture is “when we arrive at the ‘proof’ that some [become a customized] to it, and others will reject it,” therefore we must not quit at the first indication of resistance. Much of the negative connotations of the gospel, he surmises, are the result of the consumerist culture in which we live. Societies at large have for all intent and purpose become a replacement for the church. The days are well past when the churches are considered a driving force of moral influence, therefore, what we experience today is an indifference exhibited by many in the church pews, and a general manipulation by the populist segments of society to the extent that the Ecclesia is viewed as impotent in the engagement of that society.

His loss of hopes during the war led him to return to Scripture for his theological work (pg. 460). From this, he wrote the Commentary on Romans published in 1919 (pg. 460). Despite his own views of this work, the ideas that he wrote about in this writing gained the praise of many people. His most influential work titled Church Dogmatics became known as one of the most talented masterpieces of theological work in the 20th century (pg. 462). In this work, he states that in the bible, God supplied his people with both the questions and answers that they needed (pg. 461). His approach to theology as he was writing gave him the ability to stay consistent throughout all of his writings and never disconnected him with God’s Word and teachings (pg. 462). From these three people, one can see the dramatic changes that have taken place within the Roman Catholic Church during the 20th century. From each persons’ views in theology to their work in the issues surrounding Catholicism, one can see the breathtaking changes and influences they had within the Roman Catholic Church. These changes are some that gave Catholicism the ability to further expand into places beyond Europe during the 20th

Known and sometimes refers to as the father of reformation, Martin Luther was one of the most influential figures in the history of Christianity. Born in Germany in 1483, his father’s dream for him was to become a lawyer. But, that dream fades away in 1505 when Luther undergo a life changing experience with thunderstorm and vowed to become a monk instead. Luther wanted to become a monk because he fears the idea of hell and God’s wrath to the extent where it made sense for him that life in the monastery would help him find salvation. Finding salvation then became his goal. A goal he was pursuing with all efforts from submitting to some of the church’s practices to criticizing some. One of the practices of the church that Luther took issue with and criticized was the church’s understanding of the doctrine of justification. This paper will focus on Luther’s understanding of the holy scriptures. The doctrine of justification was misinterpreted and misunderstood by the Catholics from the early centuries to 1517 when Martin Luther redefined and explained the term using scripture references and as the result changed Christianity.

Individual Post: Insights from the readings and video – I think that Catechist must be a Gospel alive expression of righteousness. Our instruction have a duty to speak and communicate how to accept and love each other like Jesus did. Our mission as, instructor is to teach people to live their live according to the Gospel every day in their life, but we have to the role model for them in everything; where they can learn from us.

Article IV of the Confession of Faith tells us that we must “receive” scripture “through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and guide for faith and practice (¶104). In describing “Our Theological Task,” the Book of Discipline speaks to our need to interpret scripture (through the Holy Spirit) and offers “tools” for use in doing so. “While we acknowledge the primacy of Scripture in theological reflection, our attempts to grasp its meaning always involve tradition, experience, and reason. Like Scripture, these may become creative vehicles of the Holy Spirit as they function within the church” (¶105). As we seek to live faithful lives, we look to scripture. Our understanding of scripture and its meaningful impact (how it changes us) is influenced by tradition – “that which was taught by the church at all times and places before we got here” (Willimon 63), experience – “the wisdom acquired through living, not immediate spiritual sensations (Maddox 46), and reason – critical thought for “organizing and drawing inferences from revelation” (Maddox

Theological thinking is a discipline that I have incorporated into my teaching, preaching, and pastoral care. As Lutheran Christians, theological thinking informs us in our approach to how we live our faith in daily life. It helps us to make connections between what we teach and believe, and what we say and do. For example, I have used Luther’s Small Catechism in theological thinking in the Sunday bulletin. For each Sunday of the church year I have written a “Catechism Connection” based on the gospel reading or the theme of the day with one of the five parts of the Small Catechism. Theological thinking makes a connection between Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions (Small Catechism for example), and Creeds lived out in our daily life. Thinking

The significance of the success of the 95 theses might only be that they showed Luther that the desire for change existed; perhaps more critical than his theses, Luther’s vernacular translation of the New Testament gave the people of Germany the ability to interpret the faith for themselves and form a more personal relationship with God. What followed was an unprecedented historical event.

"I think our Baptismal Covenant has something to say about 'the dignity of every human being,' as does the Outline of Faith (commonly called the Catechism). Who will take responsibility for the damage that is done while a deficient standard is upheld and promulgated in the church? Knowing what we know about the irrationality of prejudice, who could claim innocence? Knowing what we know about LGBT people and social sciences and lived experience, why isn't the church's 'standard of teaching' being challenged – if not absolutely rejected? And, what price are we willing to pay for the damage done to the Sacred Body of Christ while we wait?" "If nothing else, these questions underscore what I see as the need for a Season of Discernment, Study and Prayer so that we are very, very clear what it is we are being asked to do." 4