Comparative Theology of the Protestant Reformation Lutheranism Lutheranism

Comparative Theology of the Protestant Reformation

Lutheranism • Lutheranism was the first of the Reformation movements • He became an Augustine monk in 1505 • In 1508, he became a teacher of theology at the University of Wittenberg

• Luther concluded that the only path to salvation was through faith in the goodness and mercy of Jesus • There was nothing a believer could do to earn salvation • Only Jesus could grant the gift of salvation • Theology based on “salvation by faith alone”

• In 1517, Johann Tetzel began to sell indulgences in the area around Wittenberg • By gaining indulgences, Christians could reduce the amount of time they or their deceased loved ones would remain in purgatory before entering into heaven • $ being raised was being used to build St. Peters in Rome

• Luther began to question the doctrine of indulgences • October 31, 1517, he posted the 95 Theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg • Intended to be a challenge to debate the issue of indulgences • Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X in 1520

• In 1521, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V ordered Luther to appear before the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire at its meeting in Worms • They called on him to recant, which he did not • Luther was declared an outlaw, but Frederick the Wise of Saxony provided him refuge

• In 1522, Luther returned to Wittenberg and began to reform the local church • Taught the only valid source of Christian doctrine was the Bible • Only 2 sacraments – baptism and communion • Priesthood for all believers

• Luther prepared German translation of the New Testament • Also abolished monasteries and ended the requirement for celibacy of the clergy • Services were less elaborate than Catholic worship

• In 1524, revolt against the landowners began among the peasants in southwestern Germany • The peasants sought to abolish serfdom and the manorial system • The peasants hoped for Luther’s support, but the he was a conservative on social and economic issues • He supported the princes suppressing the revolt

• In 1530, Luther appeared before Charles V at the Diet of Augsburg • He presented his statement of faith, which the Diet found unacceptable • A number of German Lutheran princes and cities established the Schmalkaldic League, an alliance against the Catholic Hapsburgs

• From 1546 to 1555, Germany was torn by a religious civil war • In 1555, the Peace of Augsburg was reached • German princes had the right to determine the religion of his state • Did not provide for recognition of other groups

• Lutheranism became the predominant religion in much of Germany • Spread to Scandinavia, becoming predominant in Denmark and Norway

Zwingli • Ulrich Zwingli began the Swiss Reformation • He was a humanist and Catholic priest, and had hoped that the Church would reform itself • Broke from the Church in 1519

• Believed in the supremacy of the Bible • Believed that baptism and communion were ceremonies were symbols, not true sacraments • Rejected the celibacy of the church • Emphasized simplicity in worship

John Calvin • Born in France • Studied theology and law • Began to develop his own views on the Christian religion • Was forced into exile and settled in Geneva, where he became the leader of that cities Reformation

• Set forth his theology in The Institutes of the Christian Religion • Bible was the only source of Christian doctrine • Only 2 sacraments, baptism and holy communion

• Emphasized the doctrine of predestination • At the beginning of creation, the all powerful and all knowing God had planned the whole universe to the end of time • God determined those individuals who would be saved

• Those destined for salvation were called the Elect • God had given the Elect a faith in Jesus Christ and a desire to live in accordance with Christian moral values

• Calvin ended both monasticism and the celibacy of the clergy • Worship emphasized simplicity • Worship consisted of prayers, the singing of psalms, scripture readings, and a sermon • Governed by laymen called elders, who were elected by the congregation

• Emphasized a puritanical approach to life • Required church attendance • Banned card playing, gambling, dancing, theatergoing, the consumption of alcohol and swearing • Calvin established a strict theocracy in Geneva

• The Calvinist Reformed Church became dominant in much of Switzerland • Those who practiced Calvinism in France were called Huguenots • John Knox spread Calvinism to Scotland (Presbyterianism) • English Calvinists are Puritans • Also won favor in the Dutch Netherlands

Anglicanism • Henry VIII wished to secure an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon • The king requested Pope Clement VIII to grant him the annulment on the claim that the marriage was invalid • Italy was being dominated at the time by Charles V, Catherine of Aragon’s nephew

• In 1529, Henry VIII dismissed his lord chancellor, Cardinal Wolsey and replaced him with Thomas More • The new archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, granted the annulment in 1533 • Henry married Anne Boleyn

• 1534, Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy • Declared the king, rather than the pope, to be the head of the English church • The English church under Henry VIII remained fundamentally Catholic

• In 1539, Parliament approved the Six Articles, defining the doctrine of the Catholic Church • On all major points, except papal supremacy, the Six Articles reaffirmed Catholic teaching and rejected Protestant beliefs

• Henry VIII acted against the English monasteries, which were regarded as strongholds of support for the papacy • The king needed money, sold most of the monastic lands to wealthy Englishmen

• Henry VIII encountered some opposition to his break with Rome • Thomas More refused to support the Act of Supremacy, and was executed • 1536 – Pilgrimage of Grace – conservative Northern part of England revolted against Henry

King Edward VI • Son of Henry VIII • During Edward’s reign, the English Church became more Protestant • Six Articles were replaced with Forty-two articles, which reflected more Calvinist ideas

Queen Mary • Followed Edward to the throne • Attempted to restore Roman Catholicism in England • Persecuted England’s Protestants

Queen Elizabeth I • Ruled after Mary • Tried to create a religious settlement that would satisfy the great majority of her subjects • 1559 – new Act of Supremacy • 1559 – Act of Uniformity • 1563 – Parliament defined the teachings of the Anglican Church with its Thirty-nine Articles

Anabaptism • Radicals of the Protestant Reformation • Rejected infant baptism • Insisted the only true Christians had undergone a conversion experience and had then been baptized

• Anabaptists opposed the taking of oaths and the bearing of arms • Believed that the church should be entirely separate from the state • Thomas Munzer – wanted religious reform but also wanted to overthrow the existing political and social order

• John of Leyden – headed a theocratic government in the city of Munster • Claimed to be directly inspired by God, he endorsed polygamy and took four wives

• Menno Simons was more moderate in his views • Became Anabaptist in 1536, preaching simplicity in religions practice and in life • Teaching resulted in the establishment of the Mennonite movement