Martin Luther's Inaugural Address Summary

Martin Luther’s Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation The structure of the church was once well organized leaving little to no room for reform unless brought about by the Pope himself. Martin Luther was one of the first to publicly confront what he viewed as the Vatican’s corruption and promoted his belief that salvation is a gift from God and that all are equal (Judge and Langdon, 394). He did not believe in or support indulgences, nor the papal supremacy or papal primacy. Luther publicly claimed the church was disseminating false information to the masses, insisting the church abused their power. Christendom was politics at that point in time as papal supremacy was being used for personal and or financial gain. To combat the rampant corruption pervasive in the Catholic Church, Luther published an Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation in which he stated that the Pope was fallible and the

Luther establishes widespread rapport with his German brethren and religious reformers. He claimed church officials and their unethical practices had undermined the legitimacy of the church. Luther published and publicly displayed the afore mentioned Address, illuminating the clever structure the church had established which ensured the clergy was protected from scrutiny by the wall of ignorance imposed on the common people (Groetsch, lecture notes). The political structure of the church provided safeguards for the clergy, which gave spiritual leaders absolute power. The standards of the day ensured that the clergy’s decisions were considered absolute and only answered to the Pope, regardless of the legitimate interpretation of scripture. Luther made it clear that the scripture should bind them, holding each other accountable