Lutheranism
Lutherans: Origins, history, beliefs, rituals and worship, ethics and community
Chibunze Uzo
Table of Contents
Origins 2
Beginnings 2
Influences 2
History 3
Early Developments 3
Missions and Expansions 3
Beliefs 3
Sacred Narratives 3
Rituals and Worship 4
Sacred Time 4
Symbolism 5
Ethics and Community 5
Community Organization 5
Leadership 6
Works Cited 7
Origins
Beginnings
Lutheranism began as a reformation against the Catholic Church in the early 16th century with the efforts of a Roman Catholic monk, Martin Luther (1483 - 1546). Luther Started out at the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt, Germany generally because he was afraid for his own salvation, and he believed monasteries were the safest places to avoid sin and please God. He trained as a biblical scholar and theologian because he was so intellectually gifted as recorded by his leader at the monastery, Johan von Staupitz. In 1507 Luther was ordained to the priesthood. He went on to become a professor at the nearby University of Wittenberg teaching theology.
Luther began his reformation during a controversy that arose about indulgences in the Catholic Church. Indulgences were legitimate parts of the sacrament of confession, but were subject to abuse. Confession has three parts:
1) contrition (you have to be sorry for your sin);
2) absolution (the priest as mediator distributes Christ's forgiveness); and
3) works
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The message, then, that it was not up to him to earn righteousness, but that it came as a free gift from God, was a tremendous relief for him. This is the central Lutheran doctrine of justification by faith alone, and it lies at the heart of everything Luther said, wrote, and did. Faith for Luther was the confidence that God had graciously forgiven his sins. It had several important consequences that determined the Lutheran sacred narrative of
Luther believed that salvation was achieved by the grace of god and not by doing the work that the church demanded. The Reformation was so much more than a religious revolution even though it started out with a religious nature, it exceeded pass religion.
The influence of religion during the Reformation was a manifestation of the conflict of criticism toward the Catholic Church that shaped the events of the age. Although the peasants were primarily motivated towards economic and political justice, the Reformation introduced the German peasants to independent ideas and generated a movement against the nobility, as well as tying into the countermovement of the German peasant revolts of 1524 and 1525. Instead of seeking refuge in feudal authority, the peasants of Germany reflected religious ideas in their revolution by appealing to God’s authority. As the hold of the church's influence over society declined from the conflict of the Reformation, the leaders of the revolts optimized the growing animosity to generate support for the revolts. Correspondingly, religion expressed the
Martin Luther was a Catholic monk at the University of Wittenberg in Germany. Luther was unhappy with the practice of selling indulgences (a pardon releasing a sinner from performing a penalty in exchange for money), so, on October 31, 1517, he nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. These Theses were intended to encourage discussion about indulgences, but, with the help of the printing press, Luther’s 95 Theses gave rise to the Protestant Reformation (Document B).
Calista VaCirca Mr. Townsend World Civ. Period 3 September 30, 2016 The Reformation is often viewed as a religious movement, and it also significantly affected the political and social spheres of Europe. At the beginning of the sixteenth century the church was rapidly losing respect before the Reformation. Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the chapel door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.
As Luther is fighting the corrupt Papacy he writes this, “Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favor it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it.” Luther writes this to show what true religion is, to show what a truly faithful person should do, believe in their God and give him every bit of faith from someone's person. The Papacy hates Luther not because he is wrong, but because he is right, which means if Luther was right and the masses believed him all the power that was held by the church would crumble into nothing; most importantly though the Papacy members personal power would crumble into nothing. During the early phases of the Reformation, Luther wrote the 95 Theses, which described everything he found wrong with the church at this time. The Theses was the catalyst, which set off the ticking time bomb of corruption and irreverence.
Luther realized that despite one’s strict upkeep of established Catholic law or ceremony, God’s love cannot be gained based upon mere action. He suddenly understood and believed that God’s love is received through faith itself, not actions. Luther and his followers began to use the phrase “sola fide” (“by faith alone”) as their motto, taking to heart their new interpretation of the Bible.
The sixteenth century in Europe was a time of change for the Europe. People were starting to question the Church's authority, some people who questioned the Church were Martin Luther, John Calvin and Henry VIII. These people helped to start the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was a time when new religions were formed by people who protested the Catholic faith and what it was doing. Many people date the start of the Protestant Reformation with German Martin Luther's
On October 31, 1517, Luther posted Ninety-Five Theses on the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg Germany (Sayre 561-562). Luther believed that the Church had abused its power and position by manipulating the common people for their own gain. He believed that salvation is
During the Protestant Reformation, many different branches of Protestantism were established, most of them adapting Luther’s original teachings or interpreting Luther’s ideas for themselves. Luther’s teachings were based on the idea that salvation was achievable through faith alone, and that ‘higher’ religious powers, such as the Pope, were unnecessary. Lutheranism is often considered the ‘original’ branch of Protestantism, as it is entirely based upon the writings of Martin Luther, hence the name. Anabaptism is reputed to be the most radical branch of Protestantism. Anabaptists were the most persecuted Protestant group, as they were maltreated by the Catholic Church and other Protestant groups alike.
In document 7 Selections from Martin Luther’s 95 Thesis, it described how Martin Luther said that one cannot buy forgiveness or their way into heaven, and that God will give them salvation for free if they ask. He also said that the Church only wants money and does not care about god. The Church was being immoral by selling the indulgences which led to the corruption of the Church. The people realized the Church was wrong and started to question their
The Reformation was a time in Europe in the 1500s in which people questioned the beliefs of the Catholic Church. There were many changes made by the catholic church. The people that were responsible were Martin Luther, John Calvin and King Henry VIII. The Protestant Reformation of 16th century Europe was primarily the result of three men and their disagreements with the Catholic Church; Martin Luther, John Calvin, and King Henry VIII forever changed the religious landscape of Europe.
The Protestant Reformation began with a movement made by a monk simply to criticize and challenge the actions of the Church. From the disapproval of selling indulgence to the demand of equality, multiple forces have sparked the inception of the Protestant Revolution. Martin Luther’s decision to take public stand against the Church was revolutionary to the society. A movement for religious reforms, known as the Protestant Reformation, was born. Luther’s beliefs were soon adopted by and appealed to every levels of society.
Starting from the statement that Christians receive salvation through faith and the grace of God. Luther also stated, “The churches rituals did not have the ability to save souls. ”Also Luther talked about how the Church and the Pope make errors often. This had gone from a need for reforming indulgences to a whole
Reformation LEQ Throughout the sixteenth century, Protestant Reformations were a common theme among a vast majority of European countries. The Protestant Reformation that took place in Germany was led by Martin Luther, a former Catholic Monk. His reasons for Reformation were solely religious based, which was very different than the Reformation that took place in England. The English Reformation was led by King Henry VIII, but unlike Luther, his reasons for Reformation were personal.
On All Saints Day, October 10th, 1517, Martin Luther wrote a lengthy letter named as “The Ninety-Five Theses” to the Bishop Albert of Mainz (“Martin Luther”). This letter stated that the Bible is the central authority of the Protestant religion and one can attain salvation by their loyal faith to God. “The Ninety-Five Theses” letter became a huge impact for the Protestant Reformation, and it was one of the major reasons why this religion was spread around Europe; however, it also focused on practices from Catholic churches about baptism and absolution (“Martin Luther”). The Protestants used the letter to form their ideas about God and to start their own church denominations. In addition, Protestantism helped a lot during this movement because its belief is that God saved everyone by His faith to Jesus Christ, himself.