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Influence and Impact of Martin Luther on the Church
Martin luther influence of the reformation
Martin luther's impact
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The Life of Martin Luther Martin Luther is one of the most influential people in Christian history. He called into question the basic tenets of Catholicism and changed the course of the history of Christianity. Luther was born on November 10, 1483 in Eisleben, Germany. His parents, Hans and Margarette Luther, were peasants but were successful miners. Luther’s father worked hard for Luther’s education and at the age of seven was put into school. He compared his school experience to “purgatory and hell”. In 1501 it seemed Luther was on his way in becoming a lawyer until he cried out to the patron saints of miners during a storm and was saved. He then committed to becoming a monk. Historians say “this was not a spontaneous act, but an idea already formulated in Luther’s mind. The decision to become a monk was difficult and greatly disappointed his father, but he felt he must keep a promise” (“Martin Luther Biography”). In the beginning of Luther’s spiritual journey he did not have the spiritual awakening that he seeked. All he saw was …show more content…
He had gained a mass following and gained many enemies. Many priests wrote claims against Luther’s 95 Theses. Luther refused to go to Rome and answer to his charges of heresy. He met with Cardinal Cajetan where he refused to recant for his “sins” three times. On October 20 1518 he escaped Rome and returned to Wittenberg. For many months the pope ignored Luther because of the trouble in Spain with Charles I becoming emperor after Maximilian I died. In June, Luther had a debate against the pope’s representative Johann Eck, on the first day of the debate a procession of 200 people followed Luther to Leipzig and Charles I, now Charles V, became emperor. Luther became famous everywhere and his books sold by the thousands. The pope tried to oppress this movement by trying to convict Luther of heresy and decreed his books be burned in public, but Luther in response would burn the pope’s
In order to understand why he was troubled, it’s important to first look into who he was. Luther was a scholar that after an accident converted to being a monk. He was a very dedicated monk that quickly rose through the ranks and became a religious leader. Luther would pray, fast, read and perform many other good works in order to appease God. Even after all of his work Luther could never quite find peace with god. (“Martin Luther 1”) In the fall of 1515 Luther found his answer to why he couldn’t find god. While reading the letters and books of the new testament Luther found these lines: “"For it is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith."(“Martin Luther 1”) Luther then understood why he never felt he could appease god. The system that was in place had the church act as a gateway between man and god. He believed that anyone should be able to find god. This belief caused Luther to attack the Jews; although, Luther had a deep love for the Jewish people and believed that they should worship the same god as the christians. This love for the Jews and hatred for their customs caused Luther’s views to form an anti-Jewish bias. His ideas and attacks on ursery are partly responsible for the anti-semitic views of the Nazis. He sparked a new way of thinking for medieval
First we will talk about Martin Luther. Martin Luther was born on November 10th, 1438 and died February 18th, 1546, but his actions throughout his life leave a mark in the history world. Luther was a Catholic priest and professor of Theology from Germany. He attended the University of Wittenburg, and there, not only did he earn a doctorate, but he also gained "religious enlightenment". He is, to this day, a very influential person of the past and he changed history forever, but why? The answer is the Protestant Reformation.
James Kittelson’s biography on the life of Luther is thought provoking and informative. Kittelson does not have a concise thesis, but as it is a biography the central theme of Luther the Reformer is an insightful narrative of Martin Luther’s life from his birth in Eisleben until his death on February 18, 1546 in Eisleben. Kittelson thoroughly and with great detail and sources explains Luther’s mission to reform the catholic church. Luther the Reformer seeks to condense Luther’s life in a manner which is more easily read for those who do not know the reformer’s story well. Luther is portrayed not only as a theologian throughout the book, but as a person with struggles and connections throughout the Germanic region in which he lived. Luther’s theology is portrayed throughout the entirety of the book, and Kittelson approaches Luther’s theology by explaining Luther’s past. The inclusion of
Martin Luther, was “temperamental, peevish, egomaniacal, and argumentative” (Hooker, www.wsu.edu), but played a pivotal role in history. During Luther's time as a monk, the Catholic Church was selling indulgences. Luther took notice to the corruption and began to reason that men can only get their salvation through Jesus Christ, not the Pope or indulgences, let alone the Church itself. Luther began ...
Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483. He was a German monk, priest, professor, theologian and church reformer. His teaching helped to inspire the Reformation, and influenced the doctrines of the Lutheran and Protestant traditions, as well as the course of western civilization. Luther's works and writing helped bring the Middle Ages to a close, and brought about the Modern Era of western civilization. His translation of the Bible furthered the development of a standardized German language. Due to the development of the printing press, his teachings were widely read and influenced many reformers and thinkers. (Peterson 1)
Martin Luther King Day is a day to remember all of the things that King did in his life including his life story, his “I Have a Dream” speech, and his memorable holiday. People celebrate to salute Martin’s accomplishments and thank him. “A day on, not a day off” has been told to express that the holiday is used to also encourage community service (Schulke). This man changed the timeline of history and clearly left his mark on the world. Next time it’s the third Monday in January, remember that it is not just a regular day; it is a landmark in history.
Martin Luther King, Jr. has stood the test of time and proved to be one of the most influential humanitarians in history. As a leading Civil Rights activist of the twentieth century, King has seen man's inhumanity to man with his own eyes; in fact, he himself has been subjected to it. King lived during a time where people were sent to jail for not giving up their seat on the bus, and little boys were physically tortured and mutilated for flirting with another person. In all of this, Martin Luther King was conscious. He lived during a time where oppression was so alive that it was not only expected, it was enforced. In all of this, King did not senselessly fight fire with fire. With a spiritual grounding and a fiery heart, King reached the root of the problem in the most astounding, peaceful manner. He did not allow anger to rise within him, which was an amazing strength given the social turmoil he witnessed with his own eyes. He was a trailblazer, leading the civil rights movement towards victory.
I, Martin Luther believe that I am eligible for Time Magazine’s Person of the Ages for having an extraordinary influence worldwide. I was born on November 10, 1483 in the time of the Renaissance and baptized on November 11, 1483. (Wilson, Derek. Out of the Storm: The Life and Legacy of Martin Luther. New York: St. Martins, 2008. Print.) My family was beset by poverty and we often struggled. (Luther, Martin. New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol.8. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web.) My Father was very strict and owned a copper mine to try to get our suffering family out of poverty. (Luther, Martin. New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol.8. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web.) My family was forced to move from Eisleben, Germany to Mansfeld, Germany so that my Father’s copper mining business could succeed. Despite the hardships we encountered early on in my life, my parents were very strong fellows and we eventually became the most respected family in Mansfeld, Germany. (Marius, Richard. Martin Luther The Christian Between God and Death. Cambridge MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University, 1999. Print.) In 1488 I studied Latin grammar and was taught Christianity at a very young age of 4. In 1496 I went to Magdeburg University, then eventually transferred to Eisenach University to be closer to my relatives. I received my baccalaureate degree in 1502 and then studied law in 1505 at Erfurt University because my Father wanted the best education for me. (Marius, Richard. Martin Luther The Christian Between God and Death. Cambridge MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University, 1999. Print.) In 1505 when I went to go visit Mansfeld there was a massive thunderstorm that I got stuck in which c...
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is unarguably the most famous civil rights activist in American history. His story and legacy is taught in classrooms across the country. From birth to death, Dr. King impacted the lives of many people and changed the roles of society forever. Dr. King had one big dream and what shaped his dream begins in Atlanta,, Georgia, and ends in Memphis, Tennessee.
For additional help in understanding his reasoning and thought processes, The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr., edited by Clayborne Carson, can give one a sense of exactly why King had such a strong religious background. In fact, the first words of the writing state “Of course I was religious. I grew up in the church. My father was a preacher, my grandfather was a preacher, my great-grandfather was a preacher, my only brother is a preacher, my daddy’s brother is a preacher. So of course I didn’t have much choice” (Carson 1). Furthermore, this work is special because it combines hundreds of King’s writings in order to make a first person narrative of his life. The book skips no part of his life and includes his thoughts and feelings
During Luther’s early life he faced a severe inner crisis. When he sinned he looked for comfort in confession and followed the penance, the fasting, prayer and observances that the church directed him. But, he found no peace of mind and worried about his salvation. But reading St. Paul’s letters he came to believe that salvation came though faith in Christ. Faith is a free gift, he discovered, it cannot be earned. His studies led him to a conclusion that, “Christ was the only mediator between God and a man and that forgiveness of sin and salvation are given by god’s grace alone” (Martin Luther, 01). Historians agree that, “this approach to theology led to a clash between Luther and the Church officials, precipitating the dramatic events of Reformation”.
On July 2, 1505, as Luther was traveling back to the university from a visit home, he claimed to have been shaken by lightening. During the event, he prayed out of fear and at that moment he vowed to become a monk. That same July he left the university and entered the local Black Cloister. He admitted that life in the monastery wasn’t easy and he was constantly being confronted with temptation. Marty writes, “He said he prayed, fasted, kept vigils, and almost froze to death in the unheated ch...
Martin Luther, also known as the “Reformator,” was a superior asset in the Protestant Reformation. He was born on November 10, 1483 in the town of Eisleben, which was located in East Germany. Luther’s parents were Hans Luder and Margaretha nee Lindemann. His father was a farmer and later became a copper miner in Mansfeld. Martin Luther’s parents brought him up in the strict environment of the Roman Catholic Church. With his new job in Mansfeld, Hans made the decision to move his family there in 1484. Hans expected Martin to become a lawyer, so Luther went to Erfurt in 1501 to study law. Luther received his master’s degree in 1505. Shortly after this, he felt like law was not the right place for him. This act upset his father, not only because he dropped out of the university, but he decided that he wanted to become an Augustinian monk in Erfurt. Luther believed that if he was serious about his religion, he could please and do good works for God. However, once again, he was still unhappy. Luther decided to make another life-changing decision by studying theology. He went to Wittenberg to study this subject. Martin...
Luther had been hunted by fears that God's wrath was being stored up against him. Luther didn't look to the Bible for an answer to his burning question.
Martin Luther was well depicted in Luther, in the movie Luther’s character cared about what God wanted him to do. He wanted to follow the plan God had for him, and spent all of his time in confession. In the movie, they show Luther confessing in a cellar more than once a day as he was asking for forgiveness from God. After a while at the monastery, Martin was sent to teach theology at the University of Wittenberg. During Luther’s