What Really Happened To The Protestant Reformation?

The Roman Catholic Church dominated religion for many years in Europe and became an extremely powerful institution. Over the years, the Roman church became corrupt and immoral in many ways. The development of the Protestant Reformation, Lutheranism, was greatly influenced by political events in the years proceeding the 16th century. The declared aim of the original reformer, Martin Luther, was to restore the Christian faith as it had been at its formation, while salvaging what he considered valuable from the Roman Catholic tradition that had developed during the previous centuries. Luther broke the unity of the Catholic Church forever by exposing their faults and misguided notions. Lutheranism spread quickly due to

The Protestant Reformation was a pivotal time of European history that occurred during the 16th century. The Protestant Reformation was comprised of people called “reformers” that challenged papal authority and questioned the Catholic Church’s ability to define Christian practice (“The Reformation”). The Protestant Reformation was revolutionary due to the fact that the reformers preached against everything the Catholic Church had been teaching. Some famous reformers are John Calvin and Martin Luther. However, Martin Luther-- to some--- is named the most successful and influential reformer of the 16th century. Martin Luther was tremendously effective and influential due to how resourceful he was, and his teachings spread across Europe swiftly.

ii. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Roman Catholic Church launched the Protestant Reformation.

Martin Luther was one of the main people to cause the Protestant Reformation. Luther was a monk, lawyer, and professor who contributed and sparked interest in the reformation by putting his “95 Theses” on the church door. The “95 Theses” was a list of statements and judgements of the church and why Luther had concerns about it. Many people took interest in the theses for they showed valuable points on indulgences and other issues. Although Luther had many other contributions, other people helped along in the process of the reformation such as John Calvin who developed many reforms in the Protestant reformation. Those who followed many of the reforms made by Calvin were known as Calvinists and contributed a lot to the newly established Protestant religion. Therefore, an equally significant aspect of the cause of the Protestant Reformation were the crucial people that helped stand up for the

The protestant reformation happened at the moment that it did because the Catholic Church was very a powerful force in Europe. It controlled people lives both spiritually and temporally. The church had so much power that it maintained political control over a large portion of Italy. The fact that the church held so much control over countries and governments became a point of contention among European countries such as the Holy Roman Empire, Italian city-states outside of Rome, England, France and Spain. The power of the rulers of these areas had greatly increased in the 14th century and they were eager to take the chances offered by a Reformation to weaken the grip of the Catholic Church in Europe and also to develop their own powers across the European continent. For quite some time the Catholic Church had been an institution rampant with internal struggles. Such as the Avignon Papacy from 1309 to 1377 when seven popes opted to live in Avignon, France and not reside in Rome which was and is the traditional home of the Papacy. The Pope and other high ranking church officials often lived opulent lifestyles rather than a more austere lifestyle that should befit a spiritual leader. Many church leaders and Popes maintained political powers. They led armies, waged wars and made many political decisions. Church offices were sold, and many Popes and bishops practiced nepotism to fill church offices. With all of these worldly issues for the Pope

The Reformation or Protestant Reformation was a schism from the Roman Catholic Church with the aim of reforming the practices and beliefs of the Church, which occurred in Europe during the 16th century, specifically in 1517. The event was commenced by the prominent figure, Martin Luther, a German monk, priest and professor of Theology. Many attempts of reforming the Church was made prior to Luther’s theses such as John Calvin’s attempt, Luther had instigated the Reformation of the Catholic Church by creating a ninety-five theses which attacked and challenged doctrines and practices of the church, primarily the uses of the indulgences, as well as asserting Luther’s revolutionary Ideas, consequently developing new and reformed teachings and practices

Martin Luther, one of the most notable theologians in Christian history is responsible for initiating the protestant reformation. During the Middle Ages the Catholic Church united the Christians of western Europe in a single faith, but the Church was a political and economic institution as well as a religious one. By the 1300s, many Catholics felt that the Church had become far too worldly and corrupt.

There have been many religious schisms over the course of human history. Many of these have even taken place within the Christian faith, such as the Great Schism. However, the purpose of this essay will be analyzing the Protestant reformation and discussing its causes and effects. Specifically the causes that led to the separation of the Protestant church from the Catholic; language barriers, corruption in the church, simony, and lay investiture; and its current effects on the world, both in America and elsewhere.

During 1517, Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five protests against Catholicism on the Wittenberg Cathedral. He believed that the bible was God’s words, so he began the Protestant Reformation. John Calvin was a great influence in England. John created a doctrine in 1536 about the ideas that formed Calvinism. Also, King Henry VIII formed the Protestant Church with Puritans wanting to see Catholicism leave England. Separatists left the Protestant, and King James I threatened to banish Separatists because he feared they would defy him.

Calvin were two of the most significant figures in the history of The Reformation. They both

The Catholic Reformation began with the reaction to the Protestant Reformation and the two men who were leaders of the reform. Luther and Calvin spoke against the church about their abuses. The church tried to respond to them, but the spread of the Protestant Reformation was strong. The revolt against the church started by Martin Luther in 1517; due to his belief that the Catholics were abusing their power and creating the act of forgiveness for indulgences. Martin Luther wrote what is called the “Ninety-five Theses,” which is a list of questions and propositions for debate. Luther pinned these on the door of the Wittenberg Castle church on October 31st . John Calvin born July 10, 1509 and died May 27th, 1564 was the leading French Protestant reformer and a very important figure who also interpreted the church needing to be reformed. Calvin wrote several books to establish Protestantism. One man, who was not even a member of the clergy, started the Catholic Reformation to gain faithful members back. Ignatius Loyola born 1491-1556 was a Spanish soldier who sought to renew a religious order of Catholicism. He hoped to combine the tradition of the Renaissance with a reformed Catholicism that would appeal to all groups, political and economic.

Previously in the time of the Renaissance, there was a spark of intellectual curious out and self-reliance, therefore less of a focus on religion. Also, the Age of Exploration sparked skepticism towards existing institutions; specifically, the church. These two eras coupled together led to the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation, taking place in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, was a time of major religious changes in Europe. Protestantism was born, defined as a Christian religion that is not Catholic. The Protestant Reformation in England and in Germany were completely different in accords to motives and actions. First, in Germany, the Reformation was led by Martin Luther, focusing on the people and the church’s problems. Next, Henry VIII led the Reformation in England, motivated by his own personal reasons.

The Protestant Reformation was a European movement in the 16th century which initially attempted to reform the beliefs and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. Changing attitudes towards the Bible influenced the Reformation Movement. Martin Luther and other reformers considered the bible to be the only reliable source of instructions, as opposed to the teachings of the church. Similar to Humanists, Reformers wished to return to the source to analyze and examine the truth. Upon evaluation of the Bible, reformers found that many of the teachings of the church in regards to achieving Salvation did not match the teachings in the Bible. The accessibility of the Bible to the general population due to the vernacular Bible and printing press allowed for different interpretations between reformers. This eventually led to Protestantism to have different branches. The change in viewpoint and the emergence of Protestant religions undermined the Roman Catholic Church. In response, the Catholic Church incorporated new ideas and reforms in order to address the contentious issues that were put forth by Protestants.

Martin Luther was the main influencer of the protestant church. All of the ideas of the protestant church were influenced by the reformer, Martin Luther. The Catholic Church was in complete corruption before Martin Luther started to question the ideas of the pope. Martin Luther reformed the Catholic Church and created principles that are the basis for all protestant churches. Martin Luther once said: “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” Martin Luther saw a need for reformation within the Catholic Church, and he took action. Throughout his life, he demonstrated many examples of the five solas: scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, and for the glory of God alone.

To begin with, Martin Luther, who is known as the first reformer, was deeply influenced by Desiderius Erasmus, a priest that attacked the Catholic Church by his use of humor and exaggeration to criticize the members of the Catholic Church. Luther began noticing Catholic ideas and beliefs that he did not agree which left him with one big conclusion. Although Luther was looking to work alongside members to reform the church, things worked out a bit differently. Luther was led to the “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” also known as the Ninety-Five Thesis, a document that was the foundation of the Protestant Reformation. Luther believed that God accepted all Christians, God forgave all of our sins when he was crucified on the cross, and that one’s faith was not determine on the amount of good deeds someone does. The Catholic Church, of course, was not fond of him. He went through hearings,