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The Protestant Reformation began on October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther published 95 criticisms of the Catholic Church practice of selling Indulgences. He was a Catholic priest and his aim was to reform Catholicism to bring it back to its original teachings, not to break away and create any kind of splinter group.
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Commemorating the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation
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However, this act of courage would set him on a collision course with the Catholic hierarchy, inspire other like-minded individuals to step forward, and ultimately change the world. It is said that history often repeats itself, and we would do well to pause and consider what lessons we can learn from this history and possibly identify patterns of the same events in our day and time.
7 Short Videos about the Protestant Reformation
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In Martin Luther, we have a very important case study in which to consider possible extrapolation into our current day. Specifically speaking, what might we be looking for if we were to encounter a figure like Luther today? Could we be informed enough by history to recognize the scenario and predict the outcome? Let’s review the history.
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“Martin Luther’s 95 Thesis was intended to lead to a meaningful discussion among Catholics, in the hope it would cause a reform to the institution. The institution did not accept the invitation to meaningfully discuss the issues raised, and instead of reflecting on their own conduct, they condemned Martin Luther. Martin Luther was a devout Catholic. His questions were sincere. His loyalty to the institution was unaffected by the errors he saw in the scandalous selling of indulgences to finance projects in Rome. Rome believed itself above criticism. They assumed their historic control was a right conferred by God. Therefore, the sincerity of Martin Luther and the legitimacy of his questions and propositions meant nothing to the institution. They branded Luther a heretic and threatened his life. This was the worst possible approach for Catholicism, and the best possible result for Christianity. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York has recently acknowledged that, the Catholic Church was plagued with generalized corruption at the time of Luther “which we cannot deny.” He described the effect Luther had, “It was the striking of a match, creating a bonfire–the flames of which are still burning.” Luther’s flame burns still because it was grounded in Christian sincerity, founded on legitimate criticism of institutional corruption, and advocated by a man whose faith led him on a quest to find and acknowledge truth despite all opposition encountered. The result was a society divided into camps that vilified or praised, threatened or protected, believed or condemned him. The ideas he advocated have literally changed the world. Those he persuaded have grown in numbers over the past 500 years. Although a flawed man, he was nonetheless an instrument in God’s hand to change our world for the better.”
– Denver C. Snuffer, Jr. October 28, 2017 |
The flame that lit the Reformation “movement” was a series of hierarchical and institutional abuses by the Church which eventually became so explicit that many rational and intelligent people began to question why their current form of religious worship did not seem to match the original as it existed with Jesus Christ. Luther’s 95 Theses was the first of many such documents from “Reformation Fathers” who attempted to raise legitimate questions intended for meaningful consideration and dialog among believers. Instead, these writings were considered heretical, faithless, and damaging to the powerbase of Church leadership. Consequently, those who wrote or supported these documents were worthy of excommunication or death. However, history would later show that as much as the Church tried to snuff out the trouble makers and regain control over the message, its reaction effectively fanned the flames and served to spread the message of the Reformation more broadly. By 1569, the Bible had been translated into German, Danish, French, Polish, Spanish, Czech, and English, making the word of God accessible in the language of the people so that they would no longer need to rely on a Church hierarchy for interpretation. These first Reformers and their followers continued to experience abusive treatment by local Catholic leaders until they eventually broke from Rome in their sincerity to practice a more pure form of Christianity.
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From these events sprang the Protestant religions of the world which would later flourish in the fertile grounds of North America where religious freedom was sought for and attained. However, the colonizing pilgrims were ill-prepared for the realities of a harsh and hostile environment and the complexities of independent governance. Although they managed to unite under a new banner with a Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights, an original form of Christianity remained elusive and further division ensued.
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Why Christians Should Study Mormonism
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An English Puritan, Roger Williams (1629-1676), reached the conclusion that an understanding of original Christianity was so far gone that a “reformation” was not possible and would require a “restoration” which only Christ could do himself. In fact, this came to pass happened in the Spring of 1820 in upstate New York when Joseph Smith claimed Christ appeared to him and led him to restore Christianity with the establishment of a New Testament church. However, Smith’s life ended prematurely and the old familiar process of spiritual decay ensued as direct revelation from heaven through and authorized servant on earth was replaced with the wisdom and learning of men.
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In 1820 Joseph Smith claimed Christ appeared to him and led him to establish a restored New Testament Church. However, following Joseph Smith's martyrdom the course of Mormonism followed the course of Rome. Like the Catholics before, the institution became abusive, including a dark period while isolated in the Rocky Mountains when Mormon leaders intimidated, threatened, and eventually killed dissidents. The preaching of militant Mormonism led to the Mountain Meadows Massacre when over 120 people were killed. Fortunately, the American Army sent a force to the Utah Territory, displaced Brigham Young as Territorial Governor, and installed a secular government. Mormonism began as a revival of New Testament Christianity, but devolved in less than 150 years to the same sad state of institutional abuse as Rome practiced in the 1500s.
Since its beginning with Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox, to Roger Williams, John Wesley, and even Joseph Smith, devout men have sought in vain to recover the authentic Christianity once established by the Lord Jesus Christ. Christianity has become a fractured, incomplete, and conflicted body of Christians. This half-millennial milestone marks an opportunity to consider where we are, how we have arrived there, and what can be done. – Denver C. Snuffer, Jr. January 4, 2017 |
There is a pattern in history and scripture in which God appears to man on earth in order to reveal His truths and call mankind to repentance. These authorized servants are usually sent to proclaim the truth not to heathen nations, but rather to the self-proclaimed righteous who claim that they alone have the true church and that it cannot fall or be led astray. In almost every case, these authorized servants do not come from a recognized source or religious hierarchy, but rather go unnoticed and largely unheeded. From the moment they die, apostasy begins until a new servant is called in a new generation. We would do well to examine the conditions of the day in which we live and the circumstances of our own faith to determine where we are in this cycle. It is quite possible that the Lord has once again set his hand to recover his people and “gather them in as a hen gathers her chicks.”
