Martin Luther's Contribution To Christianity

Martin Luther (born Luder) was a German born, Christian theologian. His works, ideas and actions heavily contributed to the development and expression of Christianity, shaping the religion that it is today. Luther’s contribution to belief and practice directly resulted in the transformation of religious expression, categorizing itself in the Protestant reformation, a pinnacle in Christian development.

Luther’s writings, mainly his 95 theses, argued against the practice of the Catholic church at the time, questioning their theology. His response to this was to develop a series of principals of faith, each directly contradicting doctrinal teaching of the Church at the time. His first, and perhaps most prominent idea was the principal of Sola Scriptura, the concept that “Scripture is the sole, final and infallible norm of faith and practice.” (Mathison, 2001). Luther, after studying the bible in detail himself, came to the conclusion that many of the Churches current practices were not derived from scripture, such as the practice of all seven Catholic sacraments. Luther suggested that the bible, not the church, was the highest source of authority for a Christian adherent, and that all theology must be supported by scriptural evidence. This theological standpoint led to his other key principles, and remains at the forefront of Protestant Christianity. Sola Scriptura also came to be a crucial element of the five Solae, a group of theological statements used heavily by reformers