Celebrate Reformation as an Ongoing Process If you investigate what the word deconstructionism means, you may encounter a disconnected understanding, which seems to vary depending on the context. At a basic level, to deconstruct means looking at what is and asking, “Why?” This question opens the door to dismantle status quo conventions and practices to […]
Have You Ever Wondered What Martin Luther’s 95 Theses Actually Said? If so, you’re not alone. Finally, there’s an accessible guide to Luther’s most revolutionary words. Martin Luther changed the course of church history. His 95 Theses are considered a groundbreaking document that sparked the Reformation and altered countless lives. But most people today have […]
But Luther Believed the Pope Had No Power Over Purgatory Martin Luther’s second group of ninety-five theses addressed the pope’s authority over purgatory, or to be more correct, the pope’s lack of authority. Martin asserted that the pope had no power when it came to remitting sins and their penalty in purgatory. Though some accounts […]
Martin Luther Worried That Buying Full Indulgences Served to Hinder Salvation What most raised the ire of the Church against Martin Luther and his ninety-five theses, however, was not his claim of salvation through Jesus alone or the pope having no power over purgatory, but his bold statement that full indulgences served to hinder salvation. […]
Martin Luther Wanted to Work Within the Church to Bring About Change but They Kicked Him Out Martin Luther intended to work out his ninety-five theses within the Church leadership. However, once the masses read and heard them in their own language—through no fault of Martin’s—an internal Church discussion became impossible. A revolution brewed. The […]
Luther Saw Marriage, Not Celibacy Vows, as the Preferred Option for Most Clergy As Martin Luther’s ordeal wore on, he eventually left the castle where he was hiding. He returned to Wittenberg, some five years after he posted his ninety-five theses. Though still a wanted man, some powerful people offered him a degree of protection, […]
95 Theses Reveals Our Past So We Can Reform Our Present Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther’s supporters printed copies of his 95 theses and distributed them widely. The document essentially went viral. Had Martin Luther lived today, his supporters might have taken to social media to get the word out. In doing so, 95 […]