{"id":7370,"date":"2017-10-30T12:32:26","date_gmt":"2017-10-30T12:32:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/2017\/10\/30\/celebrating-500-years-of-reformation\/"},"modified":"2021-12-10T20:42:30","modified_gmt":"2021-12-10T20:42:30","slug":"celebrating-500-years-of-reformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/celebrating-500-years-of-reformation\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating 500 years of Reformation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>31 October 2017 | Wittenberg, Germany [David Marshall \/ Victor Hulbert]&nbsp; It supposedly happened 500 years ago today! Martin Luther, a professor at Wittenberg University nailed an academic discussion to the door of the Castle-church in Wittenberg, generating a discussion that led to the Protestant Reformation.<\/p>\n<p>There is no better place to visit in order to understand the roots of the reformation \u2013 although it may be a painting in the town church, more than the 95 theses in the castle church that will really shine a light on what Luther believed. That is at least what Dejan and Victor discovered when they visited this small town on their Reformation Journey.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Reformation Journey #5: Picture Perfect\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/T33q6Sd371s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Dr David Marshall, a historian and prolific author, gives more background to the story:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Wittenberg1.JPG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignright size-full wp-image-7362\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Wittenberg1.JPG\" alt=\"Picture perfect Wittenberg1\" width=\"250\" height=\"188\" style=\"margin: 5px; float: right;\" title=\"Wittenberg had only 2,000 inhabitants at the time of Luther. Pictured here, the two main churches, the town church in the foreground and castle church in the distance\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Wittenberg1.JPG 1500w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Wittenberg1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Wittenberg1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Wittenberg1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Wittenberg1-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Wittenberg1-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Wittenberg1-700x525.jpg 700w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Wittenberg1-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Wittenberg1-1100x825.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Wittenberg1-560x420.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a>Few men have provoked controversy more than Martin Luther (1483-1546). His work as an accidental revolutionary began in 1517, just five hundred years ago. It was then that he did something that brought about, according to a recent authority, \u2018the dangerous birth of the modern world\u2019<sup>1<\/sup> and launched, according to another, \u2018Christianity\u2019s Dangerous Idea\u2019 that was the core of \u2018The Protestant Revolution\u2019.<sup>2<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Who was Luther? An intellectual giant who, unusually, could express himself unforgettably in language ordinary people knew. A miner\u2019s son, he showed signs of genius from an early age, but, he was also a troubled, almost tortured soul.<\/p>\n<p>Acknowledging his son as gifted, Luther\u2019s father wanted him to train for the law. This was the way to get on in early 16th century society. Returning home from university in 1505 Martin was caught in a violent thunderstorm featuring a thunderbolt. His horse threw him, and he lay on the ground terrified; \u2018Help me, St Anne\u2019, he cried. \u2018I will become a monk.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Victor_Hulbert_together_with_Dr_Rolf_Pohler_admiring_a_portrait_of_Luther_in_the_City_of_Worms.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignright size-full wp-image-7363\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Victor_Hulbert_together_with_Dr_Rolf_Pohler_admiring_a_portrait_of_Luther_in_the_City_of_Worms.jpg\" alt=\"Picture perfect Victor Hulbert together with Dr Rolf Pohler admiring a portrait of Luther in the City of Worms\" height=\"250\" style=\"margin: 5px; float: right;\" title=\"Who was Luther, this giant of the reformation? His portrait in the Lutheran church, Worms, gives co-host Victor Hulbert an opportunity for discussion with historian and theologian Rolf P\u00f6hler\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Victor_Hulbert_together_with_Dr_Rolf_Pohler_admiring_a_portrait_of_Luther_in_the_City_of_Worms.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Victor_Hulbert_together_with_Dr_Rolf_Pohler_admiring_a_portrait_of_Luther_in_the_City_of_Worms-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Victor_Hulbert_together_with_Dr_Rolf_Pohler_admiring_a_portrait_of_Luther_in_the_City_of_Worms-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Victor_Hulbert_together_with_Dr_Rolf_Pohler_admiring_a_portrait_of_Luther_in_the_City_of_Worms-768x1151.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Victor_Hulbert_together_with_Dr_Rolf_Pohler_admiring_a_portrait_of_Luther_in_the_City_of_Worms-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Victor_Hulbert_together_with_Dr_Rolf_Pohler_admiring_a_portrait_of_Luther_in_the_City_of_Worms-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Victor_Hulbert_together_with_Dr_Rolf_Pohler_admiring_a_portrait_of_Luther_in_the_City_of_Worms-350x525.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Victor_Hulbert_together_with_Dr_Rolf_Pohler_admiring_a_portrait_of_Luther_in_the_City_of_Worms-700x1050.jpg 700w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Victor_Hulbert_together_with_Dr_Rolf_Pohler_admiring_a_portrait_of_Luther_in_the_City_of_Worms-900x1349.jpg 900w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Victor_Hulbert_together_with_Dr_Rolf_Pohler_admiring_a_portrait_of_Luther_in_the_City_of_Worms-1100x1649.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Victor_Hulbert_together_with_Dr_Rolf_Pohler_admiring_a_portrait_of_Luther_in_the_City_of_Worms-560x840.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/a>Luther entered an Augustinian monastery. From the first, what he was concerned about was not reforming the Church, but the salvation of Martin Luther. His soul was tortured because he believed that if he wanted to please God, he had to make himself into a good person. In line with Church teaching, Luther then believed that humanity had the capacity to make itself righteous. If an individual did so, God would endorse his transformation and, through the sacraments of the Church, save his soul.<\/p>\n<p>When Luther conducted his first mass in 1507, the transformation had not taken place. He had the strongest possible sense of his personal unworthiness. Who was he to approach God?<\/p>\n<p>His superiors acknowledged that he was outstandingly gifted, but thought, too, that he was given to morbid introspection. Luther struggled in vain to discover a gracious God and the sense that his sins were forgiven. He couldn\u2019t find them. They chose to send him to the University of Wittenburg in 1508. There, perhaps, through the discipline of study, he would find what he was searching for. He didn\u2019t. As part of his education he was sent to Rome in 1510. The visit made a deep impression on Luther but, despite the stories told by others, he had no conversion experience and found no peace there. On the contrary, much that he saw disturbed him.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect95thesis.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignleft size-full wp-image-7364\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect95thesis.jpg\" alt=\"Picture perfect95thesis\" width=\"167\" height=\"250\" style=\"margin: 5px; float: left;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect95thesis.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect95thesis-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect95thesis-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect95thesis-768x1151.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect95thesis-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect95thesis-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect95thesis-350x525.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect95thesis-700x1050.jpg 700w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect95thesis-900x1349.jpg 900w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect95thesis-1100x1649.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect95thesis-560x840.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 167px) 100vw, 167px\" \/><\/a>On Luther\u2019s return from Rome, he was appointed lecturer\/professor of theology at Wittenburg. In 1517, in that pastoral\/academic capacity, he took the action that would lead to the Protestant Reformation. Nothing revolutionary . . . or was it? Luther nailed ninety-five Theses to the door of the Castle-church at Wittenburg. He wrote his ninety-five propositions in Latin, the international language of scholars. He meant them to be the subject of scholarly debate. After all, church doors did double duty as notice boards. There they would attract attention.<\/p>\n<p>They did, and not just among the scholars! An enterprising printer translated the ninety-five propositions into German, and ran off thousands of copies. Martin Luther was addressing a scandal in the Church that was affecting the local community.<\/p>\n<p>The scandal was \u2018indulgences\u2019. These were certificates that offered forgiveness of sins in return for money. Those who visit Rome cannot fail to be impressed by St Peter\u2019s and the Vatican. But those impressive buildings, then being built, were extremely costly. Costly even for an institution as wealthy as the papacy.<\/p>\n<p>The Church argued that Jesus Christ and the saints had bequeathed to them a \u2018super abundance of righteousness\u2019. That enabled the Pope, in return for the purchase of an \u2018indulgence\u2019, to issue certificates of forgiveness for sinners willing to pay either for themselves or their relations who had already died (and were thought to be in \u2018Purgatory\u2019). The local salesman for indulgences, Tetzel, was saying, \u2018As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from Purgatory springs.\u2019 Some sales pitch! A local priest said that the prerequisites for an indulgence were three: \u2018Contrition, confession, and contribution.\u2019<sup>3<\/sup> But that was for personal indulgences. All that was necessary to buy a dead loved one from purgatory was contribution.<\/p>\n<p>Scandalous? Luther thought so, whether indulgences were for the living, or the dead.<\/p>\n<p>The reason he thought so was that, between 1512 and 1516, during which he had lectured at Wittenburg, Luther had reached the looked-for answer to his question, the resolution to his struggle. His tortured spirit had found peace.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Altar_Cranach_painting_town_church.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignleft size-full wp-image-7365\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Altar_Cranach_painting_town_church.jpg\" alt=\"Picture perfect Altar Cranach painting town church\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" style=\"margin: 5px; float: left;\" title=\"Lucas Cranach's famous altar-piece in the town church, Wittenberg does much to explain Luther's theology and is the main theme of the video, Reformation Journey #5, Picture Perfect\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Altar_Cranach_painting_town_church.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Altar_Cranach_painting_town_church-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Altar_Cranach_painting_town_church-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Altar_Cranach_painting_town_church-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Altar_Cranach_painting_town_church-350x234.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Altar_Cranach_painting_town_church-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Altar_Cranach_painting_town_church-900x601.jpg 900w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Altar_Cranach_painting_town_church-1100x734.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Altar_Cranach_painting_town_church-560x374.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a>Specifically, in 1515 and 1516, he had been lecturing on Paul\u2019s Letter to the Romans. His research had been clarified by the publication of an accurate Greek New Testament by Erasmus of Rotterdam. His study had also been assisted by recourse to the works of Augustine of Hippo (354-430) which had appeared in print.<\/p>\n<p>The focus of the struggle for Luther had become Romans 1:16, 17: \u2018I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes . . . . For in it the righteousness of God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written \u201cThe righteous will live by faith\u201d.\u2019 (NIV.)<\/p>\n<p>The focus of Luther\u2019s puzzlement at first was the phrase \u2018the righteousness of God\u2019. It seemed to mean the righteousness that God required of him. He knew from experience that such an absolute righteousness was beyond his ability to achieve. He couldn\u2019t do it. \u2018Once, when I was meditating in the tower of the monastery\u2019, he wrote, \u2018I saw that the Law was one thing, and the Gospel was another.\u2019 When he realised the \u2018righteousness of God\u2019 meant God\u2019s gifted righteousness to the repentant believer \u2013 the door to God\u2019s grace was flung wide open. In his words, \u2018It became to me a gate to paradise.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Dejan_and_Johannes_Hartlapp.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignright size-full wp-image-7366\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Dejan_and_Johannes_Hartlapp.jpg\" alt=\"Picture perfect Dejan and Johannes Hartlapp\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" style=\"margin: 5px; float: right;\" title=\"Co-host Dejan Stojkovic chatting with Johannes Hartlapp outside the house of Melanchthon, author of the Augsburg Confession of the Lutheran Church (1530) \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Dejan_and_Johannes_Hartlapp.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Dejan_and_Johannes_Hartlapp-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Dejan_and_Johannes_Hartlapp-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Dejan_and_Johannes_Hartlapp-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Dejan_and_Johannes_Hartlapp-350x234.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Dejan_and_Johannes_Hartlapp-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Dejan_and_Johannes_Hartlapp-900x601.jpg 900w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Dejan_and_Johannes_Hartlapp-1100x734.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Dejan_and_Johannes_Hartlapp-560x374.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a>When Tetzel came to town \u2018selling\u2019 righteousness, Luther was especially affronted; \u2018The righteousness of God is not a righteousness we achieve by our performance; or buy through indulgences. It is a righteousness that God gives us when we repent. It is the free gift of God through faith.\u2019 Luther\u2019s favourite verse became, \u2018The just [righteous] shall live by faith.\u2019 Later this would become the core Protestant teaching of Justification by Faith.<\/p>\n<p> In 1517 this teaching began to emerge in the 95 propositions.<\/p>\n<p> In his first proposition he challenged the assertion that the Church could forgive the sins of those who bought indulgences. When Christ said, \u2018Repent\u2019, asserted Luther, He meant that the entire life of the believer should be one of repentance. By proposition 37 he was stating that any Christian could be forgiven by God without papal indulgence letters. In propositions 45 and 46 he said that Christians who used their money to buy indulgences instead of caring for their families or for the needy would incur God\u2019s wrath. In proposition 62 he said that the Church\u2019s message, the Gospel, was about the astonishing grace of God.<\/p>\n<p>The enthusiastic reception of the 95 Theses by the wider community in Luther\u2019s part of Germany caused concern among some. Albert of Hohenzollern had borrowed a vast sum to buy his archbishopric in Mainz, and was receiving a 50% cut of the proceeds of the papal indulgence. He was uncomfortable. The local German ruler, the Elector Frederick the Wise, was proud of Luther\u2019s stand and backed him.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Town_square_with_church_wittenberg.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignright size-full wp-image-7367\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Town_square_with_church_wittenberg.jpg\" alt=\"Picture perfect Town square with church wittenberg\" width=\"250\" style=\"float: right;\" title=\"Wittenberg town square with, in the background, the church where Luther preached 3 to 4 times a week\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Town_square_with_church_wittenberg.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Town_square_with_church_wittenberg-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Town_square_with_church_wittenberg-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Town_square_with_church_wittenberg-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Town_square_with_church_wittenberg-350x234.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Town_square_with_church_wittenberg-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Town_square_with_church_wittenberg-900x601.jpg 900w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Town_square_with_church_wittenberg-1100x734.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Town_square_with_church_wittenberg-560x374.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/a>As the implications of Luther\u2019s Justification by Faith became apparent, there were political consequences. He became an active, indeed outspoken revolutionary. Luther had wrecked the medieval system of papal control. When the Pope bestirred himself into issuing a bull excommunicating Luther, Luther burned it. When, in 1521, Luther was asked by the Emperor Charles V to recant his beliefs in front of the imperial diet (parliament), Luther refused.<\/p>\n<p>Luther was at the heart of a Europe-wide controversy. There were political and social consequences. There was an outbreak of Bible translations. For a thousand years the Bible had appeared in Latin only. Within a decade or two it was translated into local languages. Luther translated it into vigorous, readable German.<\/p>\n<p>Luther went into print with his beliefs. He influenced men and women in many parts of Germany, in France, in the Netherlands, in Sweden, and in Switzerland. Luther had his sympathisers in England. William Tyndale, Thomas Cranmer, Thomas Cromwell, Ann Askew . . . even Anne Boleyn was found in possession of Luther\u2019s publications. For entirely cynical reasons England\u2019s tyrannical King Henry VIII, who had earned the title Defender of the Faith for attacking Luther, took advantage of the new movement to split with Rome and privatise monastic property.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect-Wittenberg_team.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignright size-full wp-image-7368\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect-Wittenberg_team.jpg\" alt=\"Picture perfect Wittenberg team\" width=\"250\" style=\"margin: 5px; float: right;\" title=\"The Reformation Journey film crew pose by the famous \u201995 thesis\u2019 door with their expert witness, Johannes Hartlapp (2nd left), professor of history at Friedensau University. Also pictured, left to right, Hosts Victor Hulbert and Dejan Stojkovi\u0107; videographer Dragana Selakovi\u0107, and audio engineer, Karl da Silva.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect-Wittenberg_team.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect-Wittenberg_team-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect-Wittenberg_team-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect-Wittenberg_team-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect-Wittenberg_team-500x280.jpg 500w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect-Wittenberg_team-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect-Wittenberg_team-1100x619.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect-Wittenberg_team-350x197.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect-Wittenberg_team-700x394.jpg 700w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect-Wittenberg_team-900x506.jpg 900w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect-Wittenberg_team-560x315.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/a>Europe divided along religious lines. Wars were fought. Men and women were burned for their beliefs. There were massacres. But these political consequences were not the Reformation. The Reformation was the revival of Christianity not seen since apostolic times. That was what made men and women prepared to suffer and die for their beliefs.<\/p>\n<p>But as we look back on it from a 500-year distance, what do we remember? If we celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation what, specifically, are we celebrating?<\/p>\n<p>We celebrate Luther\u2019s emphasis on the primacy of the individual conscience over controlling and corrupt ecclesiastic power structures.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Castle_church_Wittenberg.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignleft size-full wp-image-7369\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Castle_church_Wittenberg.jpg\" alt=\"Picture perfect Castle church Wittenberg\" height=\"250\" style=\"margin: 5px; float: left;\" title=\"The castle church, Wittenberg, a memorial to the great names of the reformation. Luther is buried here\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Castle_church_Wittenberg.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Castle_church_Wittenberg-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Castle_church_Wittenberg-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Castle_church_Wittenberg-768x1151.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Castle_church_Wittenberg-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Castle_church_Wittenberg-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Castle_church_Wittenberg-350x525.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Castle_church_Wittenberg-700x1050.jpg 700w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Castle_church_Wittenberg-900x1349.jpg 900w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Castle_church_Wittenberg-1100x1649.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/images_news-2017_Picture-perfect_Castle_church_Wittenberg-560x840.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/a>Luther used the German word Gemeinde (community) to refer to the Church. He democratised faith. The Church was a gathering of believers, not a power structure with sacred powers and authority vested exclusively in its clergy. All believers by virtue of their baptism are priests. We celebrate that.<\/p>\n<p>We celebrate the availability of Scripture in language all can understand. We celebrate the right to read and interpret the Bible as the birthright of all Christians.<\/p>\n<p>Above all, we celebrate salvation as the free, unmerited gift of God, received by faith. That is the Christian Gospel. It brought peace and assurance to Luther\u2019s life as it can to yours and mine. [<em>ted<\/em>NEWS]<\/p>\n<p><em><sup>1<\/sup> Harry Reid, Reformation: The Dangerous Birth of the Modern World (St Andrew Press, 2009); <sup>2<\/sup> Alister McGrath, Christianity\u2019s Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution (SPCK, 2007): <sup>3<\/sup> Roland Bainton, Here I stand: A biography of Martin Luther (Lion Publishing, 1978), pages 76-78.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The historical information in this article was provided by Dr David Marshall and used with the kind permission of The Stanborough Press.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Watch<\/strong> the entire Reformation Journey series (new episodes released weekly through October and November)<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLHlTyU7ArSTIVxJn2XmiDsMN136k8jqLO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YouTube playlist<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TransEuropeanDivision\/videos\/1533440173388027\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook playlist<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Read more Reformation Journey articles here:<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/2017\/10\/25\/dying-to-ask-the-questions\/\">Dying to ask the Questions<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/2017\/10\/19\/tricky-situations-the-reformation-and-politics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tricky Situations<\/a> &#8211; The Reformation and Politics<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/2017\/10\/11\/a-rebel-restored\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A Rebel Restored<\/a> &#8211; Luther in Rome<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/2017\/10\/04\/new-video-series-helps-explain-reformation-themes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New video series helps explain Reformation themes<\/a> &#8211; Massacre in Paradise<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>ted<\/em>NEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, editor; Deana Stojkovic, associate editor<br \/>119 St Peter&#8217;s Street, St Albans, Herts, AL1 3EY, England<br \/>E-mail:&nbsp;<span id=\"cloak1c6082dd5c87472bbc711a29faff2a9b\"><span id=\"cloak9104de432f8c33bf066dc06fdea34021\"><span id=\"cloak358cf9f50b7de1531be507ca8b1b4fb0\"><span id=\"cloak26dd4548b6fcc49a1a6b1d2840d8842d\"><span id=\"cloak910cff3318e3d5166bd1017ff235a582\"><span id=\"cloak58a0c9b1c1b6efee4cc2d7157a0e2e41\"><span id=\"cloak1965358d49e07cab6b463aa13885d06b\"><span id=\"cloak073afad4d0b2cc4ffaabbdc2a1abde1b\"><span id=\"cloak7ed8756e68a4262b312371b20f06eb04\"><a href=\"mailto:tedNEWS@ted.adventist.org?subject=tedNEWS\">tednews@ted.adventist.org<\/a><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>&nbsp;<\/span><br \/>Website: www.ted.adventist.org<br \/><em>ted<\/em>NEWS is an information bulletin issued by the communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European Division.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>31 October 2017 | Wittenberg, Germany [David Marshall \/ Victor Hulbert]&nbsp; It supposedly happened 500 years ago today! Martin Luther, a professor at Wittenberg University nailed an academic discussion to the door of the Castle-church in Wittenberg, generating a discussion that led to the Protestant Reformation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7361,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,1577],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-organisational-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7370"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8647,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7370\/revisions\/8647"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}