Reformation
John Wycliffe
• England
• Felt everyone should have access to the Word of God
• Produced first Bible in English language
• Taught that once a part of the Body of Christ, no one could take that away.
John Huss
• Bohemia
• Spoke out against the papacy and corruption of the Roman Church
Martin Luther
• Germany
• Became angry when indulgences were being sold in his church
• Wrote the Ninety Five Theses to argue the indulgences
• Realized that salvation is a gift from God that cannot be earned
Katharina Bora
• Roman Church threatened to excommunicate him (dismiss him from the church)
• Translated the Bible into German
Ulrich Zwingli
• Switzerland
• Wrote Sixty-Seven Conclusions that rejected the Roman Catholic doctrines
Anabaptists
• Rejected infant baptism.
• Anabaptist (those who baptize again)
• Among the first to support separation of church and state
John Calvin
• France
• Wrote Institutes of the Christian Religion
– A defense of the Protestant movement to the King of France
• He is associated with predestination – God’s deciding one’s destiny before birth
Common Doctrines between all the above men
1. Scripture Alone – Scripture is the only authority on anything it speaks of
2. Faith Alone – salvation cannot be earned, but is a gift received by faith
3. Priesthood of the Believer – Each believer has direct access to the saving benefits of Christ without the need of priests or sacraments
Results of the Reformation
1. Religious Freedom – people sought the right to worship according to one’s own conscience no matter where one lived.
2. Citizenship – encouraged Christians to work hard at their occupation
3. Family Life – Knew families were a gift from God
4. Education – placed a high priority on teaching everyone to read and to diligently study
What did the Roman Church do in Reaction?
• It was called the Counter Reformation and consisted of 4 parts:
1. Society of Jesus – called Jesuits
– Founded to stop the spread of the Reformation
– Used any means necessary to gain converts for Rome
2. Inquisition – assumed anyone accused of heresy was guilty
3. Index of Prohibited Books – most versions of the Bible and Protestant literature
4. Council of Trent – meeting of high officials to make changes in the Roman Church
– Wrote a statement of Roman Catholic beliefs and practices
– First written statement that contained all Catholic doctrines
Religious Wars
• France
– French Protestants (called Huguenots)
– 20,000 Huguenots were massacred in their homes in 1572
• Europe
– Thirty Years’ War
– Between Catholic and Protestant forces
– Protestants won
Top Related