1517, a pivotal year in Martin Luther's life. As Luther approached his 34th birthday, in November of 1517, he had no idea that the actions he was about to undertake would transform him from obscure monk, preacher and professor of biblical studies at tiny Wittenberg University to church reformer. It was not a calling he sought.

Background Luther's Early Years Luther the Reformer Luther Church Leader Luther's Later Years

 1517-1525Indulgences: buying souls

1517 (age 33) - Dominican monk Johannes Tetzel began selling indulgences in Juterborg and Zerbst, small

towns beyond the borders of Saxony, not far from Wittenberg. Tetzel was a showman. He arrived with

trumpeters, an armed guard, bells, candles and flags. Staging his show in the nave of a church, Tetzel

displayed a brass-bound chest, a stack of printed indulgences, an enormous cross and a banner with the

papal crest. Tetzel banged a drum and launched into a chilling description of souls writhing in purgatory:

"Listen." he said, "to the voices of your dear dead relatives and friends, saying, 'Pity us. Pity us. We are in

dire torment from which you can redeem us for a pittance. Will you delay our promised glory?'" To further

entice his gullible listeners to make purchases he devised a catchy slogan, "As soon a coin in coffer rings, the

soul from purgatory springs."

Among his customers were some of Luther's parishioners. Luther, the parish priest, noticed fewer people

coming to confession. Upon learning about Tetzel's activities he preached against indulgences and

wrote Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences.

Printed indulgence certificate signed by Johannes Tietzel (Tetzel). The German text reads, "In the authority of

all the saints, and in compassion towards you, I absolve you from all sins and misdeeds, and remit all

punishment for ten days."

Spring 1517 - At Wittenberg University, Luther began a year-long lecture series on the letter to the Hebrews.

Hammer Blows

October 31, 1517 - Luther posted his Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of

Indulgences, which came to be known as The 95 Theses on the door of Wittenberg's Castle Church, which

functioned as a bulletin board for the university. His intent was to spur debate among the scholarly

community. Initially, there was little response.

The doors of Wittenberg's Castle Church today. The church was seriously damaged by fire in 1760 after a

French bombardment during the Seven Years War. The church was quickly rebuilt, and later (1885-1892)

further restored. In 1858, to commemorate the 375th anniversary of Luther's birth, the doors were replaced

with ones of bronze with the original Latin text of the 95 Theses.

Also on October 31, 1517 - With characteristic audacity Luther sent letters to Bishop Schulze of Brandenburg

and Albrecht, the new Archbishop of Mainz, responsible for the religious life in their territories. Luther

assumed they would want to know about abuses and included copies of his 95 Theses (propositions/points of

debate), asking that they by studied. Albrecht forwarded the theses to Rome suspecting them of heresy.

Luther wrote: "Under your most distinguished name, papal indulgences are offered over all the land for the construction of St. Peter ... I do not so much complain about the quacking of the preachers which I haven't heard, but I bewail the gross misunderstanding among the people which comes from these preachers ... Evidently the poor souls believe that when they have bought indulgence letters they are assured salvation. They are likewise convinced that souls escape purgatory as soon as they have placed a contribution in the chest ... The first and only duty of the bishops is to see that the people learn the gospel and the love of Christ ... for on no occasion has Christ ordered that indulgences should be preached ... what a horror, what a danger for a bishop to permit the loud noise of indulgences among his people, while the gospel is silenced.

Soon after they were posted the Theses were translated from Latin into German and given to a Wittenberg

printer. Luther's thoughts proved timely, striking a nerve with a ready audience. In an amazingly short time

� two weeks � they spread throughout Germany, within two months throughout Europe. It was one of the

first events in history profoundly affected by a revolutionary new technology: the printing press with

moveable metal type, invented by Johannes Gutenberg around 1439.

I only intended to submit [the Theses] to a few close friends for discussion ... I wanted to publish them, only if they met with approval. But now they are being printed and spread everywhere far beyond my expectation ... Still, the spread of my Theses shows what people everywhere really think of Indulgences.

December 1517 - With indulgence sales falling, Johannes Tetzel lost no time in hitting back. Helped by his

Dominican friends, he countered Luther with 106 theses of his own defending the papacy and classifying

Luther as an enemy of the church.

March 26, 1518 (age 34) - Disputation at Heidelberg began, a debate on Luther's ideas at a meeting of the

Augustinian chapter. Luther joined the debate in April. Several of the brothers accepted his way of thinking.

Summer 1518 - In response to Luther's ideas the Papal court in Rome began an inquisition and Luther was

tried in his absence on charges of heresy.

August 1518 - Wittenberg University was allowed to add seven chairs to its faculty. The chair in Greek was

awarded to then 21-year-old Philipp Melanchthon, who became Luther's close friend and collaborator.

August 5, 1518 - Emperor Maximilian I denounced Luther as a heretic

August 7, 1518 - Luther summoned to Rome within sixty days to answer charges against him.

Cardinal Cajetan vs. Luther

August 23, 1518 Pope Leo X denounced Luther as a heretic (one who no longer believed and taught as the

church did) and ordered his representative, Thomas Cardinal Cajetan, to meet with Luther at the governing

council (Diet) at Augsburg in southwestern German, and demand he retract his position on indulgences.

October 12-14, 1518 - The meeting began with Luther showing great respect toward the cardinal but it soon

turned contentious. It was made more difficult by the fact that neither had great respect for the other.

Cajetan observed that Luther had "ominous eyes and wondrous fantasies in his head," while Luther

remarked that Cajetan was "an evasive, obscure and unintelligible theologian." Luther wrote home that the

cardinal was no more fitted to handle the case than an ass to play on a harp.

The cardinal reminded Luther that the pope was the interpreter of Scripture and that he was above a council,

above everything in the Church.

Luther retorted, "His Holiness abuses Scripture. I deny that he is above Scripture."

The cardinal bellowed that Luther should leave and never come back unless he was ready to say, "Revoco" 

� "I recant."  Luther refused.

October 20, 1518 - Word reached Luther that Cajetan was planning to arrest him. The gates of the walled

city were guarded. With help from some his supporters Luther escaped. On the one-year anniversary of

posting his 95 Theses he arrived back in Wittenberg a hunted man and placed himself under the protection

of Elector Frederick III ("Frederick the Wise") of Saxony. Luther wrote a letter to Pope Leo stating that

Cajetan had not treated him fairly and that he would still retract his statements if he could be shown his

errors from the Bible.

Bulling

November 9, 1518 - Pope Leo X issued the Papal bull, Cum Postquam ("When After"),defining the church's

doctrine of indulgences. It directly contradicted Luther's position.

*bull (so-called because it was sealed with a red seal or bulla)

December 18, 1518 - Luther was ready to go into exile. But Elector Frederick chose not to banish him,

despite requests by the pope (via his representative Carl von Miltitz) to do so. 

January 4, 1519 (age 35) - Luther began interview with papal chamberlain Carl von Miltitz in Altenburg.

January 6, 1519 - Luther ended his interview with Miltitz. He made certain concessions: to send a letter of

apology to the pope, and to lay his case before Matthas Lang, the archbishop of Salzburg. 

March 3, 1519 - Luther wrote a letter to Pope Leo X stating that it was not his intention to undermine the

authority of the pope or the church.

June 27, 1519 - Luther and Andreas Karlstadt debated Johann Eck in Leipzig on the issue of indulgences and

the authority of the pope and the Roman church. The debate between two prominent universities, Ingolstadt

and Wittenberg, drew hundreds of students. Luther's boldest assertion was that Matthew 16:18 ("you are

Peter, and on this rock I will build my church ") does not confer on Popes the exclusive right to interpret

scripture, and that neither Popes nor church councils were infallible. Luther denied that membership in the

Roman Catholic Church was necessary for salvation.

June 28, 1519 With the help of the wealthy Fugger banking family Charles I, the 19-year-old king of Spain,

defeated the candidacy of Francis I of France and was elected Holy Roman Emperor, succeeding his

grandfather Maximilian I. He took the title Charles V.

July 14, 1519 - Luther finished his debate, convinced that Eck won. The Luther-Rome dispute began to grow.

Luther's ideas became difficult to ignore. During the Leipzig debate a scornful Eck applied a new name to

those who criticized Rome. He called them "Lutherans," and meant it as an insult. Luther was horrified that

any church would be named after him. He preferred "evangelical," from the Greek euangelion "belonging to

the Gospel."

August 10, 1519 - Five ships under the command of Ferdinand Magellan of Spain embarked on an attempt to

sail around the world.

Early October 1519 - Luther  declared himself to be in fundamental agreement with Jan Hus, who advocated

church reform a century earlier in Bohemia.  

1520 (age 36) - Luther began an intensive period of writing. He also completed A Brief Form of the Ten

Commandments; A Brief Form of the Creed; A Brief Form of the Lord's Prayer, which he believed

contained the essentials for salvation as revealed in the Bible. 

January 9, 1520 - Rome restarted the inquisition against Luther and his ideas.

March 15, 1520 - Rome sent a letter to Johann Staupitz, the vicar of Luther's monastic order, ordering him to

restrain Luther or be dismissed.  Two months later Staupitz resigned his position. He joined the Benedictines

in 1522, and became Abbot of St. Peter's, Salzburg.

May 1520 - Luther wrote his Treatise on Good Works.

The first and highest, the most precious of all good works is faith in ,we do that we may work the works of God?" He answered: "This is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent."

June 26, 1520 - Luther published On The Papacy in Rome, his first major treatise in the nature of the

church, in response to a treatise, in German, by Franciscan monk Augustine Aveld of Leipzig, who felt it was

his duty to refute Luther and defend the papacy. Aveld stated that it was foolish to argue against the

authority of Rome and its jurisdiction over the entire church. A furious Luther wrote:

This, then, is the matter in question: Whether the papacy in Rome, possessing the actual power over all of Christiandom, as they say, is derived from divine or from human order ... No one says "I believe in the Holy Spirit, one holy Roman church, the communion of Romans ... when [Christ] said to Peter three times, "Tend my sheep," he had previously asked him three times whether he really loved him; and Peter answered three times that he loved him. So it is clear that where there is no love there is no tending. The papacy must be love or it is not tending [the sheep] ... no one can tend the sheep unless he loves Christ ... I only ask that anyone who wants to get at me should be armed with Scripture...

In 1520 Luther wrote three major publications summarizing his views:

June 1520 - In the first of the three, The Open Letter to the Christian Nobility of the German

Nation, Luther attacked the three walls erected by the Roman church to protect itself from reform: Wall 1:

Secular authority has no jurisdiction over the church. Wall 2: Only the Pope is able to explain Scripture. Wall

3: Only the Pope can call a general church council.

June 11, 1520 - Luther received an offer of protection from 100 knights.

Sixty Days and Counting

June 15, 1520 - Pope Leo X issued bull against Luther: Exsurge Domine (Latin "Arise O Lord") condemning

41 statements in Luther's writings as "poisonous, offensive and misleading for godly and simple minds."

 

Cover of the Papal bull Exsurge Domine

Luther had 60 days to recant or face excommunication. In Catholic doctrine, in which salvation is only

available through the church, excommunication amounted to eternal damnation.

July 20, 1520 - Luther finished writing Appeal to the German Nobility.

September 1520 - Johann Eck posted the papal bull throughout Saxony.

October 6, 1520 - Luther wrote the second of his major 1520 publications, The Babylonian Captivity for

the Church. It compared the captivity of the church by Rome to the captivity of the Jews in Babylon in 597

BC. Luther attacked the denial of the cup to the people, the mass as a sacrifice and the seven (as opposed to

two) sacraments. Angry in tone, it was the first time Luther forthrightly accused the Pope of being the

Antichrist. It set Luther irrevocably against Rome.

October 10, 1520 - Luther received the papal bull, though he probably knew about it as early as late

September.

Mid-October 1520 - At the University of Erfurt, students ripped up a copy of the papal bull and threw it into

the Elbe River. But, university officials took no action against them.

November 12, 1520 - Luther's books were burned in Cologne. Burning of his books in other cities followed

shortly thereafter.

November 20, 1520 - Undaunted, Luther wrote the third of his major 1520 writings,Freedom of the

Christian Man. Unlike his other major books its style and language were uplifting, reassuring:

A Christian is a free lord, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant, subject to all ... We are justified (made right with God) by faith alone; salvation cannot be earned by good works. Good works follow from that faith. The tree bears fruit, the fruit does not bear the tree.

Luther attached a copy to an open letter of apology to Pope Leo X:

I understand that I am accused of great rashness, and that this rashness is said to be my great fault, in which, they say, I have not spared even your person. For my part, I will openly confess that I know I have only spoken good and honorable things of you whenever I have made mention of your name ... I have truly despised your see, which is called the court of Rome. Neither you nor anyone else can deny that it is more corrupt than any Babylon or Sodom ever was. As far as I can see, it is marked a completely depraved, hopeless, and notorious godlessness ... You would all perish by poison, before you could undertake to decide on a remedy. It is all over with the Court of Rome; the wrath of God has come upon her to the uttermost. She hates councils, she dreads to be reformed...

December 10, 1520 - When Luther learned of the burning of his books in Cologne and other cities, he

gathered a group of students outside Wittenberg's Elster Gate and burned his copy of the bull Exsurge

Domine and other papal documents, including books of church law and books written by his enemies.

January 3, 1521 (age 37) - Luther was excommunicated by the bull Decet Romanum Pontificem ("It

Pleases the Roman Pontiff"):

... it gives us grievous sorrow and perplexity to say this: the slave of a depraved mind, has scorned to revoke his errors within the prescribed interval and to send us word of such revocation, or to come to us himself; nay, like a stone of stumbling, he has feared not to write and preach worse things than before against us and this Holy See and the Catholic faith, and to lead others on to do the same. He has now been declared a heretic.

A Diet at Worms

January 1521 - Diet (an official governing council) of Worms convened, the first real test of the recently

elected emperor Charles V. Five problems had to be dealt with: 1. Charles wanted the Pope's blessing for his

coronation and needed money from the German princes. 2. Frances I of France kept him in check and he

needed both money and troops to counter him. 3. The German princes wanted Charles to appoint a council

to rule whenever he was absent. 4. The princes presented him with a list of complaints against the pope and

wanted them to be dealt with. 5. Last, but not least, there was the Luther problem.

February 1521 - Elector Frederick III "the Wise" of Saxony, where Luther lived, believed Luther was being

treated unfairly. He reminded emperor Charles that the constitution empire, which he signed at his

coronation, said that no German would be taken out of Germany for trial. He also agreed that no German be

outlawed without first receiving a fair hearing.

March 6, 1521 - Emperor Charles V summoned Luther to appear before the Diet ("dee-it" from Latin dies,

meaning "day"), at the ancient city of Worms (pronounced "vorms") in southwest Germany. He promised

Luther safe conduct.

April 6, 1521 - Luther began the journey to Worms, stopping along the way to preach in Erfurt, Eisenach,

Gotha and Frankfurt. Traveling with him was fellow professor Nikolaus von Amsdorf. As Luther approached

Worms he was warned to hurry back to Wittenberg. He answered:

Though there was as many devils in Worms as there are tiles on the roofs, I will go there.

April 15, 1521 - Luther entered Worms in triumphal procession. A large crowd gathered to cheer him.

Gate on Nibelungen bridge, the symbol of Worms

April 17, 1521 - First hearing of the Diet of Worms began. An official of Trier, Johann Eck (not the same man

who debated Luther in Leipzig) asked if a collection of 25 writings displayed on a table was Luther's and if he

was ready to acknowledge their heresies. The documents probably included the 95 Theses, Resolutions

Concerning the 95 Theses, On the Papacy at Rome, Address to the Christian Nobility, The Babylonian

Captivity of the Church, and On the Freedom of a Christian. Luther requested more time for a proper answer,

and was given until the next day.

April 18, 1521 - During the second hearing of the Diet, Luther said,

Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason, I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other, my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. According to tradition, Luther then said the famous words: "Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen."

Painting depicting Luther speaking before emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms.

April 24, 1521 - Elector Frederick the Wise informed his brother John about his decision to support Luther.

April 25, 1521 - Diet of Worms was dismissed. Luther left the negotiations room and said, "I am finished."

Luther had been granted a safe conduct to travel to and from the hearing, but remembering how a similar

promise had been violated in the case of Jan Hus, Luther's friend George Spalatin, secretary to Elector

Frederick, advised him to escape before he too was seized and executed. The next day Luther left Worms for

Wittenberg.

"My Patmos"

May 4, 1521 - Luther's carriage was halted by armed horsemen. Elector Frederick, who left the Diet of

Worms early because of illness, anticipated the outcome and arranged Luther's "abduction." Luther was

seized and taken to the Wartburg, a fortress overlooking Eisenach.

The Wartburg, high on a hill outside Eisenach.

Only a few trusted men knew where he was kept. Not even Elector Frederick, who devised the plan, was

aware of Luther's location. The ruse allowed Frederick to escape charges of harboring a heretic. Luther hid

there for 11 months (May 1521 to March 1522) during which time he grew his hair and a beard and called

himself Junker Jorg (Knight George). He referred to the ancient castle, founded c.1067, as "my Patmos."

They have taken away my habit and dressed me in houseman's apparel. I am letting my hair and beard grow. You would be hard put to recognize me, for I no longer recognized myself. I live in Christian liberty, free from all the laws of that tyrant.

Luther disguised as Junker Jorg (knight George)

At the Wartburg Luther was provided a room to continue his studies and writing. He stayed in touch with

events in Wittenberg, writing over 40 letters to friends, colleagues and others. In May 1521 he wrote to his

friend George Spalatin: "I have nothing to do here and sit around all day as if in a daze. I am reading the

Greek and the Hebrew Bibles�"

Luther showed his gentler side when he wrote of enjoying the singing birds, "sweetly lauding God day and

night with all their strength." Exulting in the beauty of the nighttime sky he said: "He who has built such a

vault without pillars must be a master workman!" He also penned many sermons (more like sermon starters

to help preachers reflect on biblical texts), four major papers (On Monastic Vows, On the Abolition of Private

Masses, Address to the German Nobility and A Blast Against the Archbishop of Mainz), commentaries on the

psalms and the Magnificat, the song of Mary.

But life at the Wartburg was not as rosy as some letters implied. He was ill for months. To Nicholas von

Amsdorf at Wittenberg he wrote: �My constipation is bad!� Luther also suffered loneliness and depression.

Legend says that while working in his study at the Wartburg Luther threw an inkwell at the devil.

Luther room at Wartburg. Luther�s original ink stain has long since vanished. Many fingers have faded the

wall behind the heater in his room, and pilgrims have chipped away pieces as relics.

May 25, 1521 - Edict of Worms was issued. It called Luther a devil in monk's clothing and accused him of

destroying the sacraments and encouraging war, murder, robbery and other crimes.

Those who will help in his capture will be rewarded generously for their good work.

June 1521 - Meanwhile, back in Wittenberg, Andreas Karlstadt, supported by ex-Augustinian Gabriel Zwilling,

embarked on a more earnest program of reform. They attacked the rule that priests, monks and nuns could

not marry. To prove the point Karlstadt married a 15-year-old girl. Others left their monasteries to follow his

example. Karlstadt also reformed the mass or communion service. He dressed in a simple black robe instead

of the usual colorful vestments. Both wine and bread were distributed to the people. From now on, he

declared, that the people would not have to fast or attend confession before receiving the Lord's Supper.

But, on a more radical level, altars were overturned, images and pictures of saints were destroyed.

September 1521 - Luther began translating the New Testament into German so that all his countrymen could

read the word of God for themselves. He worked steadily for three months, carefully translating from

Erasmus' second edition (1519) of the Greek New Testament. To aid his work Luther went into nearby towns

and markets to listen to people speak, so the butcher, baker and housewife could understand the gospel.

November 1521 - Luther published The Judgment of Martin Luther on Monastic Vows. He assured

monks and nuns that they could break their vows without sin, because vows were an illegitimate and vain

attempt to win salvation.

December 3, 1521 - Angered by the violence and destruction in the name of reform, Luther secretly returned

to Wittenberg, still disguised as Junker Jorg. Though pleased that the people were receiving both bread and

wine at communion, he didn't approve of the destructive acts. Back at the Wartburg he wrote A Sincere

Admonition by Martin Luther to All Christians to Guard Against Insurrection and Rebellion.

December 1, 1521 - Pope Leo X died of malaria, so suddenly that the last sacraments could not be

administered; contemporary suspicions of poison were unfounded. He was succeeded by Adrian VI.

December 1521 - Luther began translating the New Testament into German using Erasmus' recently

published Greek New Testament.

Reform Takes a Wrong Turn

December 1521 - After Christmas the situation in Wittenberg became even more volatile with the arrival of

three zealots from Zwickau (64 miles to the south), the so-called Zwichau Prophets. Philipp Melanchthon was

alarmed by their ideas, especially on baptism. Like the Anabaptists (literally "baptize again") the "prophets"

taught that people should only be baptized as adults, when they fully understood the meaning of the

sacrament. Anyone baptized as an infant must be baptized again. They also preached revolutionary

doctrines such as direct command by the Holy Spirit and Christ's imminent return. Many in Wittenberg were

swayed by their teachings.

March 6, 1522 - At grave risk to himself because of the Edict of Worms, Luther left Wartburg accompanied by

several knights. Upon his arrival in Wittenberg he entered the pulpit and on successive days preached eight

sermons that called for calm and patience.

Do you know what the Devil thinks when he sees men use violence to propagate the gospel? He sits with folded arms behind the fire of hell, and says with malignant looks and frightful grin: Ah, how wise these madmen are to play my game! Let them go on; I shall reap the benefit.

Luther agreed that teachings and traditions that were against Scripture should be changed. But things that

helped people worship God, liturgy, art and music, should be kept. He also banished the Zwickau Prophets.

The Gospel Speaks German

Luther brought the draft of his New Testament translation with him from the Wartburg. He reworked it with

the help of Philipp Melanchthon, Wittenberg University's resident Greek scholar. By late spring of 1522 it was

readied for publication.

May 1522 - Using three presses, 3000 copies of Luther's New Testament, "Das Newe Testament Deutzsch,"

were printed in secret.

Title page and opening chapter of Matthew of the first printing of Luther�s German New Testament

translation, published in December 1522

August 4, 1522 - Martin Luther wrote Contra Henricum Regem Anglicum in response to King Henry VIII of

England's Defense of the Seven Sacraments. Neither subtle nor tactful, it cost him most of his support in

England.

�But when knowingly and designedly this damnable and offensive worm forges lies against the Majesty of my King in Heaven, it is right for me, on behalf of my King, to spatter his Anglican royal highness with his own mud and filth, and cast down and trample under foot the crown that blasphemes Christ�

September 1522 - Luther's German New Testament was distributed for sale. Known simply as the September

Testament, it contained 222 pages. It promoted the understanding of the gospel and standardized the

German language. Luther's translation was not literal in the truest sense of the word, because he wanted this

Bible to be spoken. Before any word or phrase could be put on paper, it had to sound right to the average

German.

1523 (age 39) - 1523 Luther wrote the essay That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew. It was in two parts: In

part 1 he demonstrated that Jesus was a Jew, born of a seed of Abraham but conceived by a miracle. Part 2

began with an appeal to deal more kindly with the Jews in hope of converting them, and concluded with an

argument from the Bible and history to convince Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.

They have dealt with the Jews as if they were dogs rather than human beings; they have done little else than deride them and seize their property. When they baptize them they show them nothing of Christian doctrine or life, but subject them to popishness and monkery ... I hope that if one deals in a kindly way with the Jews, and instructs them carefully with Holy Scripture, many of them will become genuine Christians and turn again to the faith of their fathers, the prophets and patriarchs.

1523 - Johannes Bugenhagen became Wittenberg's town priest and a theology lecturer at Wittenberg

University. Throughout the years he served as Luther's personal spiritual adviser.

1523 - Wittenberg set up a community money box to deal with social services.

March 6, 1523 - Diet of Nurnberg ordered Luther and his followers to stop publishing and outlawed the

preaching of anything other than established Roman Catholic doctrine.

Nuns Renounce Their Vows

April (Easter Eve) 1523 - Luther helped nine nuns � Magdalena von Staupitz, Elsa von Canitz, Ave Gross, Ave

and Margaret von Schonfeld, Laneta von Goltz, Margaret and Catherine Zeschau and Katharina von

Bora � who decided to leave the Cistercian Convent of Nimbschen, near Grimma. They agreed with Luther's

earlier publication, The Judgment of Martin Luther on Monastic Vows, in which he assured monks and

nuns that they could break their vows without sin, because vows were an illegitimate and vain attempt to

win salvation.

Ruins of the Convent of Nimbschen, near Grimma

April 18, 1523 - The General Council of the Diet of Nurnberg instructed the German princes to enforce the

Edict of Worms.

June 1, 1523 - Luther published his Forma Missae et Communionis, a description of the Mass as it was

celebrated in Wittenberg. It was in Latin, and was largely the traditional Mass with Evangelical touches.

Congregational singing and the sermon were in German, but everything else was Latin. Luther expressed the

hope that the Mass would soon be celebrated solely in German. He called on poets and musicians to develop

appropriate settings.

July 1, 1523 - In Brussels, Belgium two fellow Augustinian monks, Hendrik Vos and Jan van der Eschen, were

burned at the stake. Luther was severely shaken, but did not lose heart. To commemorate their martyrdom

he wrote the hymn Flung to the Heedless Winds.

September 14, 1523 - Pope Adrian VI died after 18 months in office. He was best know for initiating the

Catholic Reformation (or Counter-Reformation). He was succeeded by Clement VII.

1524 (age 40) - The Third Imperial Diet of Nuremberg renewed the banishment of Luther. By this time,

however, he was so popular it was unlikely he would be arrested. He continued his life and work in Germany.

1524 - Luther urged councilmen in all German cities to establish and maintain schools:

A town does not thrive in that it accumulates immense treasures, builds sturdy walls, nice houses, many muskets and suits of armor alone. On the contrary, a town's best and most prosperous progress, welfare and strength, comes from having many excellent, educated, decent, honest and well brought-up citizens.

1524 - Luther began two years of argument with Desiderius Erasmus. It caused bad feelings and a minor split

with the humanists, who previously welcomed Luther's ideas. 

1524 - Luther, with Johann Walther's assistance, published the Wittenberg Gesangbuch, a hymn book for

church use. Luther wrote some of the words and tunes, adapted others from popular music. The settings

were simple enough that the young could learn them as well.

1524 - Luther published the Erfurter Enchiridion which contained 26 hymns. Between 1524 and 1545,

Luther composed and compiled nine hymnals. He wanted hymn books to be used at home and at church. He

also advocated the teaching of hymns in schools.

I truly desire that all Christians would love and regard as worthy the lovely gift of music, which is a precious, worthy and costly treasure given to mankind by God.

Peasants Revolt

Peasants rose up in southwest Germany, citing Luther's teachings as authority and demand more just

economic conditions. They are ready to overthrow the authorities if necessary. Among their leaders was

Thomas Muntzer, a Wittenberg-trained theologian, who urged the peasants to show no pity.

May 2, 1525 - Frederick the Wise died. His brother, John the Steadfast, became Elector of Saxony.

May 5, 1525 - Luther wrote Against the Rioting Peasants, a title changed by printers toAgainst the

Murderous and Thieving Hordes of Peasants. He explained the gospel teaching on wealth, condemned

the violence as the devil's work, and called for the nobles to put down the rebels:

Let everyone who can smite, slay, and stab [the peasants] secretly and openly. Remember that nothing can be more poisonous, hurtful or devilish than a rebel.

Luther justified his opposition to the rebels on three grounds:

All authorities are appointed by God and should not be resisted.

Rebellion, robbery and plundering placed the peasants "outside the law of God and empire," so they

deserved "death in body and soul, if only as highwaymen and murderers."

Luther charged the rebels with blasphemy for calling themselves "Christian brethren" and

committing sinful acts under the banner of the gospel.

A Wedding and a Disaster

May 13, 1525 - Luther was engaged to Katherine von Bora. Artist Lucas Cranach the Elder presented Luther's

marriage proposal.

Previously Katharina had a number of suitors, but none of the proposed matches resulted in marriage.

Finally, she told Luther's friend and fellow reformer, Nikolaus von Amsdorf, that she would be willing to marry

only him or Dr. Luther. Luther struggled with the idea of marriage because of his oath of celibacy, but he

soon realized it was not scriptural and relented.

May 1, 1525 - At the Battle of Frankenhausen, 50,000 peasants died. Before the uprising was quelled, most

of that year's crops, hundreds of villages, 1000 castles and monasteries were destroyed. Overall nearly

100,000 died. Protestant ministers were hanged by Catholic princes. The peasants believed they were

betrayed by Luther.

June 13, 1525 - Luther married Katharina von Bora. The couple took up residence in the now abandoned

Augustinian Black Cloister, given them as a wedding gift by the reform-minded John Frederick, Elector of

Saxony.

Portraits of Martin Luther and Katharina Von Bora in 1526, by Lucas Cranach the Elder

July 1525 - The scandal caused by the earlier Against the Murderous and Thieving Hordes of Peasants forced

Luther to write An Open Letter on the Harsh Book Against the Peasants in an attempt to reconcile his

earlier writings. He remained convinced that the peasants needed to be suppressed, but the princes were

too severe and would be punished by God for their behavior.

At one point Luther expressed his thoughts on the unforeseen chain of events that transpired after he posted

his 95 Theses:

No good work comes about by our own wisdom; it begins in dire necessity. I was forced into mine. But if I had known then what I know now, ten wild horses would not have drawn me into it.

I would never have thought that such a storm would rise from Rome over one simple scrap of paper.

Engraving of Martin Luther as an Augustinian monk by Lucas Cranach, a friend and staunch supporter. Dates

to 1520 when Cranach supervised the printing of Luther's pamphlets.

Engraving of Dominican monk and super indulgence salesman Johannes Tetzel.

Sampling of Luther's 95 Theses:The Pope (cannot) remit any penalties except those imposed by his own authority or that of the canons (of church law). (Theses 5)The dying are feed by death from all penalties ... and have a right to be released from them. (Theses 13)Indulgence preachers are in error who say that a man is absolved from every penalty and saved by papal indulgences. (Theses 21)There is no divine authority for preaching that the soul flies out of the purgatory immediately after the money clinks in the bottom of the chest. (Theses 27)

Those who believe that they can be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters will be eternally damned, together with their teachers. (Theses 32)Any true Christian, whether living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the church; this is granted by God, even without indulgence letters. (Theses 37)Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better deed than he who buys indulgences. (Theses  43)Why does not the pope empty purgatory for the sake of holy love and the dire need of the souls that are there if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a church? The former reason would be most just; the latter is most trivial. (Theses 82)

Why did Luther post his 95 Theses on October 31st? Was there a significance to the date or was

it a random choice?

There was a symbolic reason for posting the 95 Theses on that date. October 31 is the day before All Saints

Day (November 1). The proper name for the Castle Church (below) at Wittenberg was "All Saints Church."

It was there that Elector Frederick the Wise collected and displayed thousands of relics, including

(supposedly) a piece of Moses' burning bush, parts of Jesus' cradle and swaddling clothes, thirty-five

fragments of the true cross, a stone used to kill Stephen, bits of manna, jugs from the marriage feast at Cana

and the Virgin Mary's milk. Those who viewed the collection on All Saints Day (November 1)and made the

proper contributions were granted indulgences reducing time in purgatory for themselves and others by

"127,799 years and 116 days."

Frederick III, Elector of Saxony

Elector Frederick "the Wise," watercolor on canvas by Albrecht Durer in 1496

Frederick was born January 17, 1463 in Torgau. He succeeded his father Ernest as Elector of Saxony (from

the House of Wettin) in 1486. Known for his skill in political diplomacy and his sense of justice and fairness,

he was called "the Wise" by his subjects.

He promoted reforms that would increase the power of the nobles at the expense of the Holy Roman

emperor. In 1502, he founded the University of Wittenberg. He refused the pope's demand to extradite

Luther to Rome for a heresy trial in 1518. Following the death of Holy Roman emperor Maximilian I in 1519,

Frederick was the only elector who refused to be bribed by rival candidates for the throne. He declined to be

a candidate for this high dignity himself, and assisted to secure the election of Charles V. Frederick

appointed Luther and his colleague Philipp Melanchthon to the University of Wittenberg, and he ensured

Luther would be heard before the Diet of Worms in 1521. Subsequently he secured an exemption for Saxony

from the Edict of Worms, which declared Luther an outlaw and banned his writings.

Although he never renounced Roman Catholicism, Frederick seems to have sympathized with the

Reformation, probably through his connection with the University of Wittenberg. Indeed, if not for Frederick,

there might not have been a Lutheran Reformation.  On his deathbed, he received both the bread and wine

of the Lord's Supper -- a clear indication of his beliefs and sympathies. He died unmarried in 1525 and was

buried in the Schlosskirche at Wittenberg. 

Frederick's life illustrates the rapid changes sweeping across Europe during the Renaissance and

Reformation. He went from being a collector and venerator of relics -- and a believer in earning salvation

through good works, to one who trusted in God's salvation by grace through faith in Christ. He was

succeeded by his brother John as Elector of Saxony. His nickname "The Steadfast (or "Constant") indicates

that he continued his brother's policy of protecting the progress of the Protestant Reformation. Elector John

was a leader of the Schmalkaldic League of Protestant states formed in 1530 to protect the Reformation.

IndulgencesThe church taught that Christ and the saints had done more good works than necessary. God kept these

good works in a treasury. 

Any Christian could earn extra credit from the treasury by giving money to a charity or other good deeds. He

or she would then be granted an indulgence reducing time in purgatory.

The doctrine of earning one's way into heaven by charitable works, devotions and pilgrimages had been

taught so long that few questioned it. During the Crusades (11th through 13th centuries), the church

promised salvation to anyone who went off to fight.

As the crusading fervor diminished, indulgences promising reduction of time in purgatory were granted for

visits to shrines at Rome (as Luther had done) or veneration of relics (holy objects).

In 1393 Pope Boniface IX appointed indulgence sellers and church leaders wrote "indulgence letters" proving

that each person who bought an indulgence had been granted forgiveness reducing time in purgatory.

In 1476 Pope Sixtus IV decreed that indulgences could be purchased for the dead, and this practice

continued into the 16th century.

PurgatoryIn Luther's day, the church taught that the souls of sinners were sent to purgatory (from Latin, "purgare," to

make clean, to purify), a place between heaven and hell, to be cleansed of sins. Most people saw it as

thousands of years of misery.

But, a word check in any concordance will show that "purgatory" is not in the Bible, and there are no direct

references to a place between heaven and hell where souls go to hang in limbo, until they are cleansed

enough to enter heaven.

The Catholic Church cited several Bible passages to prove the existence purgatory:

2 Maccabees 12:46: "It is a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their

sins." (From the Apocrypha, recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as part of the official canon of

Scripture.)

Revelation 21:27: "Nothing impure will ever enter it (the new Jerusalem, i.e. heaven), nor will anyone who

does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."

1 Peter 3:18-20: "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to

God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached

to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark

was being built." ("the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago" is seen as a reference to purgatory.)

Purgatory remains a doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, as stated by Pope John Paul II

(1920-2005): "Before we enter into God's Kingdom, every trace of sin within us must be eliminated, every

imperfection in our soul must be corrected. This is exactly what takes place in purgatory."

The Catholic teaching on purgatory:

"All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal

salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy

of heaven. The church gives the name purgatory to this final purification..." (Catechism p. 268, para. #1030,

1031).

Martin Luther initially accepted the belief in purgatory. In 1521, he stated,

The existence of a purgatory I have never denied. I still hold that it exists, as I have written and

admitted many times, though I have found no way of proving it incontrovertibly from Scripture or

reason ... There is only one thing that I have criticized, namely, the way in which my opponents refer to

purgatory passages in Scripture which are so inapplicable that it is shameful ... But their use of the

passage in II Macc. 12:43, which tells how Judas Maceabeus sent money to Jerusalem for prayers to be

offered for those who fell in battle, proves nothing, for that book is not among the books of Holy

Scripture. In other respects, too, this book deserves little authority, for it contradicts the first Book of

Maccabees in its description of King Antiochus, and contains many other fables which destroy its

credibility ... It must give rise to suspicion that in order to substantiate this doctrine no more than one

passage could be discovered in the entire Bible; moreover this passage is in the least important and

most despised book. Especially since so much depends on this doctrine which is so important that,

indeed, the papacy and the whole hierarchy are all but built upon it, and derive all their wealth and

honor from it."

(From: An Argument in Defense of All the Articles of Dr. Martin Luther Wrongly Condemned in the

Roman Bull)

However, by 1530 Luther said,

As for purgatory, no place in Scripture makes mention thereof, neither must we any way allow it; for it

darkens and undervalues the grace, benefits and merits of our blessed, sweet Savoir Christ Jesus.

Holy Roman Emperor Charles V

After the death of his paternal grandfather, Maximilian I, in 1519, Charles, then king of Spain, was his natural

successor. However Francis I of France and King Henry VIII also wanted to be emperor. With the help of the

wealthy Fugger banking family, Charles defeated the candidacy of Francis I of France and was elected on

June 28, 1519. He was 19 years old.

Archbishop Albrecht of Mainz

In 1513 Albrecht was elected Archbishop of Magdeburg and administrator of the Bishopric of Halberstadt. In

1514 he was made Archbishop of Mainz and in 1518, at the age of 28, he was made cardinal (in violation of

church law which forbade one person from holding multiple bishoprics; furthermore he was too young. He

needed a papal dispensation to circumvent the regulations but it came at a high cost, a huge loan from the

Fugger banking family in Augsburg. The credit had to be paid off, partially through the sale of indulgences.

This process was yet another abuse that plagued the medieval church, calledsimony (named for Simon

Magus who attempted to purchase the the miracle-working power of Peter and Paul).

Whenever a church office became vacant it was put up for bids. Often the clergy didn't have the necessary

funds. So the bidding was opened to laymen, especially the wealthy, who could bid in confidence knowing

they could recoup their costs from their salary once they took office.

Thomas Cardinal CajetanBorn in Italy, Cardinal Cajetan (real name Tommaso de Vio) was a member of the Dominican Order and a

prominent theologian.

Cajetan was well thought of in the Roman Catholic Church. When Luther was invited to meet with him it was

the first time since the conflict began that he believed that he had the opportunity to meet with someone

who could understand the biblical basis for his provocative theses. But the cardinal was a steadfast opponent

of the Reformation. He composed several works directed against Luther and in 1519, he helped draft the bull

of excommunication against Luther.

Philipp MelanchthonHe was born Philipp Schwartzerd (of which Melanchthon is a Greek translation) February 16, 1497. Both

Schwartzerd (German) and Melanchthon (Greek) mean "black earth." Not yet thirteen years old, in 1509 he

entered the University of Heidelberg where he studied philosophy, rhetoric and astronomy/astrology, and

was known as a good Greek scholar. In 1516 was awarded his masters degree and he began to study

theology.

 

Portrait of Philip Melanchthon, by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Melanchthon had a speech impediment and a

hitch in his shoulder when he walked. When Luther was asked what the apostle Paul looked like, he

answered with affection, "I think he was a scrawny shrimp like Melanchthon."

Melanchthon's academic reputation began to grow, and in 1518, at the age of 21, he was appointed

professor of Greek at the University of Wittenberg, against the early objections of Martin Luther and Georg

Spalatin, court chaplain to elector Frederick the Wise. Melanchthon's inaugural address on the ideal program

of education for young people won over Luther completely, thus commencing a friendship which was to last

until Luther's death. Because of his lectures on the Gospel of Matthew and the Epistle to the Romans,

together with his investigations into the doctrines of Paul, he was granted the degree of bachelor of theology

at Wittenberg University and was transferred to the theological faculty.

As much as Luther, Melanchthon was the primary founder of Lutheranism. Both denounced what they saw as

the exaggerated cult of saints, the idolatrous adoration of the host at communion, and the coercion of the

conscience in the sacrament of penance that did not offer certainty of salvation. He was married to Katharina

Krapp, the mayor's daughter, November 25, 1520.

His domestic life was happy. He called his home "a little church of God," always found peace there, and

showed a tender solicitude for his wife and children. To his great astonishment a French scholar found him

rocking the cradle with one hand, and holding a book in the other.

His noble soul showed itself also in his friendship for many of his contemporaries; "there is nothing sweeter

nor lovelier than mutual intercourse with friends."

During Luther's seclusion in the Wartburg in 1521-1522, Melanchthon defended his friend against the

condemnations of the University of Paris and attempted to preserve Luther's moderate reforms in Wittenberg

against the enthusiastic but radical take-over by Andreas Karlstadt.

When Melanchthon hesitated to publish his lectures on Corinthians, Luther had them published. He did the

same with Melanchthon's notes on John. However, their friendship went through some difficult trials.

Melanchthon was again and again offended by his friend's violent manner, severe judgment, and rough

treatment of opponents; and Luther suffered under Melanchthon's timidity, hesitation, scruples and fear.

In 1530 Melanchthon answered the growing Catholic criticism of the increasingly fragmented Protestant

sects. In an attempt to reconcile all Christians, he presented the Augsburg Confession to emperor Charles V.

In 1529, he mediated between Luther and Huldreich Zwingli at the Marburg Colloquy and, in 1536, between

Luther and Martin Bucer in formulating the Wittenberg Concord. "If I could purchase union by my own

death," Melanchthon said, "I would gladly sacrifice my life."

The death of Luther in 1546 and his own daughter Anna in 1547 weakened the theologian, who then turned

to composing prayers, some of the most moving in all Christian liturgy. Melanchthon died April 19, 1560. To

this day his hopes of reconciling all Christian Churches have not been realized.

Katharina von Bora LutherKatharina von Bora was born January 29, 1499 to Anna and Hans der Jongere von Bora, an impoverished

Saxon noble. She probably had three brothers and a sister.

When she was five her mother died and her father quickly remarried. He promptly sent Katharina to the

Benedictine cloister in Brehna (near Halle). In 1508, her father transferred her to the Cistercian convent of

Nimbschen,near Grimma. A paternal aunt, Magadalene ("Lena") von Bora, was a nun at the convent and a

maternal aunt, Margarete von Haugwitz, was Mother Superior. On October 8, 1515, at the age of sixteen, she

took her vows as a nun. She learned reading, writing and some Latin. After several years of religious life,

Katharina became interested in the growing reform movement and grew dissatisfied with her life at the

convent. Conspiring with several other nuns to flee in secrecy, she contacted Luther and begged his

assistance.

Luther sent Leonhard Koppe, a merchant who regularly delivered herring to the convent. The nuns escaped

to Wittenberg by hiding in Koppe's wagon among the fish barrels. Within two years, Luther was able to

arrange homes, marriages or employment for all the escaped nuns, except for Katharina von Bora.

Katharina had a number of suitors, but none of the proposed matches worked out. Finally she told Luther's

friend, Nikolaus von Amsdorf, that she would only  marry him or Dr. Luther. Luther struggled with the idea of

marriage because of his oath of celibacy, but he soon realized it was not scriptural and relented. On June 13,

1525 Luther, age 41, married former nun Katharina von Bora, age 26. The couple took up residence in the

former Augustinian monastery, gave to them as a wedding gift by Elector John Frederick of Saxony.

Katharina immediately took on the task of administering and managing the vast monastery holdings,

breeding and selling cattle, and running a brewery to provide for their family and the steady stream of

students who boarded with them and visitors seeking audiences with Luther. In times of widespread illness,

Katharina operated a hospital on site, ministering to the sick alongside other nurses. Luther called her the

"boss of Zulsdorf," after the location of the farm they owned, and the "morning star of Wittenberg" for her

habit of rising at 4 a.m. to care for her various responsibilities.

Katharina bore six children: Johannes (Hans) (1526-1575), Elizabeth (1527-28, died before her first birthday),

Magdalena (1529-42, died at thirteen years), Martin Jr. (1531-1565), Paul (1533-1593), and Margarete (1534-

70); in addition she suffered a miscarriage in 1539. The Luthers also raised four orphan children, including

Katharina's nephew, Fabian.

Katharina Luther, 1526

When Martin Luther died in 1546, the loss of his salary left Katharina in difficult financial straits. She left

Wittenberg twice because of he Schmalkaldic War. Then plague and a crop failure forced her to flee to

Torgau where she was seriously injured in a cart accident near the city gates. About three months later, on

December 20, 1552, she died at the age of fifty-three and was buried in Torgau's Saint Mary's Church, far

from her husband's grave in Wittenberg. She is reported to have said on her deathbed, "I will stick to Christ

as a burr [sticks] to cloth."

The surviving Luther children were adults when their the mother died. Hans was 26, Martin 21, Paul 19 and

Margarete 18. Hans studied law and became a court advisor. Martin studied theology but never had a regular

call.

Paul became a well-known physician. He fathered six children. The male line of the Luther family continued

through John Ernest until 1759.

Margarete married into a noble and wealthy Prussian family. Her untimely death came in 1570 at the age of

36, but her descendants have continued to the present time.

Did you know?...that the formal title of Luther's 95 Theses is "The Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther on the Power and

Efficacy of Indulgences?"

...that the Luthers had a bowling lane of sorts in their garden and that many bowling historians credit Luther

with standardizing the rules of bowling and fixing the number of pins at nine (now 10). Bowling became an

important part of German culture, and children were often taught that thunderstorms were caused by St.

Peter and the angels bowling!

In Germany, bowling pins were called kegels, hence the nickname keglers for bowlers.

Bits and Pieces...

Worms, pronounced "vorms," is derived from the Celtic Borbetomagus, meaning "settlement in a watery

area." Eventually this was transformed into the Latin Vormatia that had been in use since the 6th century

AD. It vies with Trier and Cologne for the title "Oldest City in Germany."

Reformation Party

Looking for something to do on Halloween besides dress up in costumes and bob for apples? Sick of "Trick or

treat?" Looking for an evangelism tool to reach out to your community? Have you thought of showing a

Luther film?

"Luther" (2003), starring Joseph Fiennes, Alfred Molina, Jonathan Firth, Claire Cox and Peter Ustinov. Link to

online video stream

"Martin Luther" (1953), starring Annette Carell and Alexander Gauge (black and white) Link to online video

stream

ReflectionsIf Martin Luther were alive today, would he see practices in the church that need reform? Need changing?

Are you on a "Patmos" of your own (suffering, alone) now? Why?

Read the first chapter of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. Describe the spiritual condition of your church

using the analogy of a light bulb (200 watt, 10 watt, or something between). What is your spiritual condition

using the same analogy?

In light of your wattage rating, does your church need reform? Do you need reform?

 

 

The Prosperity “Gospel” v. the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Have you ever prayed with someone who “claimed” or declared that God would heal you or work some miracle or provide some material benefit?

Have you ever expressed discouragement or sadness only to be shushed up by a well-meaning believer worried that your negative words might interfere with God’s blessing?

Have you ever been told that sickness, poverty, or pain is “never” of God?

Has someone ever suggested that your negative circumstances are the result of your “lack of faith”?

If so - and I’m guessing you’ve answered “yes” to at least one or two of the of the above questions - you’ve had a taste of the “prosperity gospel”.

The prosperity gospel is a serious distortion of the real gospel but it can be difficult to spot because many prosperity gospel claims and propositions are subtly couched in biblical language and supported with biblical texts.

Because the prosperity message has so much in common with “positive-thinking” spirituality and self-motivational techniques which appeal to basic human longings for success and happiness, promoters of the prosperity gospel like Joel Osteen, TD Jakes, Benny Hinn, and the Trinity Broadcasting Network enjoy great prominence and popularity in Christian circles and beyond. And because of its pervasive contemporary influence many Christians - including no doubt many Anglicans - have innocently and unknowingly adopted some prosperity gospel thought patterns and prayer habits.

I’ve done my best to lay out the major distinctions between between the real gospel and the counterfeit prosperity gospel below. The first section outlines the prosperity gospel in 7 points. The second section contrasts the prosperity gospel with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Prosperity Gospel:

1. God wants you to be physically healthy, materially wealthy, and emotionally happy all the time and he has empowered you to be so.

2. You can have health, wealth, and happiness by using the power by which God himself calls all things into being and that power is “faith”.

3. “Belief” or “faith” is a positive energy force that you can direct by the sheer power of your will in order to claim and receive what God wants you to have (see #1).

4. Through “faith-filled prayer” you lay claim to your faith dreams. Pray for health, wealth and/or happiness and then “believe” (see #3) you’ve already received what you’ve prayed for.

5. If you have enough “faith”, then “prayer” (see # 4) will be successful and you will get whatever you asked for because “the prayer of the faithful man availeth much” (James 5:16) and Jesus promised that “whatever you ask for” in his name he will give to you (John 14:13).

6. An essential characteristic of true “belief” is “living victoriously”. The one who lives victoriously will give far more money to the church than he can afford because he has “faith” that God will return his investment tenfold. For the same reason, he will purchase things he cannot afford “on faith” that God

will “provide the increase”. And he will promise to do things he physically cannot do because, of course, God will heal all his infirmities.

7. If you’re not healthy, wealthy, and emotionally happy it’s because your “faith” is too weak. You have not laid claim to your inheritance. You must work harder at #‘s 3,4, and, especially, 6.

Here are some of the many conflicts between the prosperity gospel and the Gospel of Jesus Christ

1. The prosperity gospel presents Jesus as merely the means to the greater ends of material health, wealth, and happiness. Jesus claims that he is our health, wealth and happiness. He is the ultimate end and satisfaction for all our desires and longings (Matt 6:19-21; 13:44-46; John 6:35; 14:6). True health, wealth, and happiness cannot be found in this world.

2. The prosperity gospel claims that suffering is never God’s will. But Jesus himself suffered and calls his disciples to take up the cross, forsake the world, and be prepared to suffer as he suffered (Matt 16:24-28; John 15:18-20). Moreover, the Apostolic writers tell us that God often ordains suffering as the means by which he sanctifies his people (2 Cor 1:3-10; 1 Peter 4:12).

3. The prosperity gospel teaches that faith is a positive force. The New Testament teaches that faith is trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. It is his power and promise upon which we lean not the power of our faith (Romans 3:26-28, Ephesians 2:1-8).

4. The prosperity gospel teaches that praying in “the name of Jesus” assures that you will get what you ask for - as if using the literal name of Jesus mechanistically forces God’s hand. But the New Testament teaches that praying in “Jesus’ name” means praying for things that accord with his revealed will and purposes (1 John 5:14). Since the prosperity gospel replaces God’s revealed will with worldly prosperity the prosperity system does not produce prayer in Jesus’ name.

5. The prosperity gospel encourages adherents to give in order to get. The New Testament presents generosity as a gift in and of itself - an outpouring of the love of Christ. Disciples do not give to get they give because they have already “gotten” the greatest treasure of all (2 Cor 8:1-7).

6. The prosperity gospel teaches that God’s miraculous work is necessarily tied to the strength of human belief. The Gospels show this to be a lie. While Jesus at times requires that people trust in his power to heal before healing, at other times he simply decides to heal regardless. Dead people, for example, do not have the power to name nor claim anything, and yet Jesus raises them (Luke 7:11-17). And he decides to heal people who neither ask for it nor believe it can happen (John 5:1-9). God’s power to heal and deliver does not depend on human faith.

The comparison above is not and cannot be exhaustive. Nailing down the prosperity gospel is notoriously difficult, like nailing jello to the wall, because there are so many flavors and strands and there’s no comprehensive confessional or doctrinal material. But the thrust of the prosperity message - God wants you to have your best life now - is easy to spot once you understand it’s basic outline. It’s important to spot since prosperity thinking trades on false hope, luring people toward the

mirage of material health and happiness and obscuring the pathway toward the only One in whom true life and hope is found.