Windswept – October 2015
Posted on October 13, 2015 by jaredrendell No comments
500 years ago, the world was a different place in many ways than it is today. There was no separation of Church and State; there was great fear of plagues and death, there were relics and rituals, fire and brimstone. It was an era of striving—to be clean of sin by confessing enough and doing all the right things.
Along comes Martin Luther, monk, husband and father, the great reformer, an intelligent and prolific writer and preacher, a man who certainly appreciated good food, good drink (yes, beer!) and who also appreciated art and music, even writing many hymns, such as the well-known “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” .
At the young age of 24, Martin Luther began work as a priest in Wittenberg, Germany. It was there that he changed the course of history by the act of nailing his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg’s Castle Church.
These Theses encouraged people to question the teaching of the Church, which in turn led to the movement known as the Protestant Reformation (Protestant coming from the word ‘protest’ as in, ‘I am protesting the teachings of the church as we know it!’).
After this, Martin found himself in many a dangerous situation—his biography reading like the finest of any action adventure film of today!
Certainly there is no one who could dispute Martin Luther’s role as the “Father of the Reformation”, but do you know about the many others that supported him along the way? Did you know that there were even some who protested the Church before Luther came along?
Luther’s wife and true love, Katharina von Bora, was certainly a leading female in the Reformation and a constant support to her husband. In addition to Katharina, Luther had several life-long friends who supported him (for the most part) and made his life easier. Theologian Philipp Melanchthon, influential Georg Spalatin, and Prince Frederick III, just to name a few.
This October marks the 498th anniversary of the Reformation, which we will celebrate on Sunday, October 25th. As we approach 500 years, we who are so far removed from that age continue to ask questions and wonder about the significance of it. Who exactly was Martin Luther? Why were the things he did and said so important? I invite you to come and explore the Reformation in our new forum series “Reformation Roots” which begins this month. Grab a cup of coffee and join in the conversation! LP