Have you ever wondered how difficult it is to stay strong in your beliefs? “Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther” is a biography written by Roland H. Bainton. It tells the story of a German boy named Martin Luther who was born in the Holy Roman Empire during the late 1400s. Martin’s father, Hans Luther, was determined to see his son become a lawyer however, that plan went away when Martin was almost struck by a bolt of lightning around twenty-one years of age. Drowning in his own fears of impending death, Martin Luther promised to God that if He spared Martin’s life, Martin would become a monk. Although Martin Luther was expected to become a lawyer by his professors and parents, he became a monk and transformed the ways Christians thought about salvation. …show more content…
He had much difficulty understanding how Jesus could be the Savior of the World, when he easily regarded Jesus as the “Vengeful One”. This sent Martin Luther into a state of distress, something not even prayer could heal. After consulting many religious men, a close friend told Martin to teach students theology at a university in Worms; after all, the best way to be healed is by healing others in the process. Before traveling to Worms, Martin Luther went on a pilgrimage to Rome, something he had never done before. Needless to say, Martin found the Church and the Monks of Rome strange, in a way. The Church’s leaders made claims that had no Biblical text to back up their answers to the unknown, and the Monks of Rome were committing acts no monk in Germany, or Luther in his case, would ever do. Luther’s curiosity and thirst for knowledge is what sparked the beginning of the new Protestant
Martin Luther is known to be a key initiator to the Protestant Reformation, although he had no intention of doing so. He was going to become a monk, so he read deeply into scriptures, but this only led him to discover inconsistencies between traditions and the Bible. These inconsistencies lead him to demand changes in the Catholic Church; however that did not include
Kittelson effectively composed the book and created the biography to be an interesting look into the life of Martin Luther. His successful usage of primary source documents and information compounded with his personal literary explanation of Luther’s journey toward reformation and peace with God. Kittelson’s book is not without humor either, he includes direct quotes and dialogue between Luther and Zwingli debating the Lord’s Supper. The insults and demonstrative behavior show Luther as he was, a reformer, who wished to convince others of the power of the gospel. This engaging study is both informative and engaging. Luther the Reformer is a good biography for anyone interested in Martin Luther’s life and interested in learning more about why his journey impacted not only the Roman church then, but the entirety of the Christian Church to this
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 ...
Roland H. Bainton opens the door to the life of Martin Luther one the greatest theologians of all time. Dr. Bainton, who was a minister along with serving as a faculty member for forty-two years at Yale’s school of Divinity. Mr. Bainton celebrates the life of this great Christian leader, by bringing to life one of the greatest events in the history of the Christian church and society which was the Great Reformation of the fifteen hundreds. The church-history changing act of nailing his 95 theses to the church door of Wittenberg on October 31, 1517 set Luther on course to become a man worthy of study by those who follow him and seek biblical truth. In Dr. Bainton’s work “Here I Stand” we will investigate Martin Luther’s stand
Born in Germany, in 1483, Martin Luther went on to become one of western history’s most significant figure. Luther spent his early life as a priest and a lawyer. He was also the professor of theology. Considering his background it was a total surprise that Luther protested and criticized the catholic church. Even more surprising since he was a priest. However, Martin Luther didn’t want to destroy the church after all he was a priest. He just wanted to reform some of the church’s perceived abuses. There are different reasons that sparked Martin Luther’s protestant reformation, namely. 1) salvation or getting to heaven, was won by faith alone, 2) the selling of indulgences, 3) the bible
In this essay Martin Luther comments upon the role of good works in a Christian's life and the overall goal of a Christian in his or her walk. He writes seventeen different sections answering the critics of his teachings. I will summarize and address each one of these sections in the following essay.
Garraty, John A., and Mark C. Carnes. "Martin, Luther." American National Biography. Vol. 14. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. 605-08. Print.
* David Calhoun. “A Mighty Fortress is Our God: The Life of Martin Luther“ in his lecture series Reformation and Modern Church History, Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, MO, Spring 2006.
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...
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
Martin Luther, reformer and founder of the Lutheran Church, was born on November 10 1483 at Eisleben, Germany, and died there on February 18 1546. Martin was a very well accomplished person. He attended the University of Erfurt where he planned to become a lawyer according to his father wishes. July 2, 1505 a strike of lightning shocks Luther while he was still a student at the University of Erfurt and Luther translated this as a signal from God that he should be a monk. After Two weeks, he takes his monastic pledges at an Augustinian cloister. A trip to Rome in 1510 triggered Luther to begin to really question certain Catholic practices. Luther's understanding of Paul's theology led him to view doubtfully the Catholic Church's trust on the practice of selling indulgences as its major source of income. Matters began to come to a head the next year when Pope Leo X launched an indulgence-driven campaign to raise capitals for construction of a grand basilica of St. Peter's in Rome. Those who classify with these, and all of Luther's broader teachings, are called Lutherans however Luther asserted on Christian as the only suitable name for individuals who acknowledged Christ. He strongly opposed absolute power corruption , and position abuse of the popes. He disputed the claim that freedom from God's penalty for sin could be purchased with financial values, or granted solely by a pope, because forgiveness comes only from God. He did all he could to cease the violence and revolutionary uprising that he thought it could have been connected directly to him through misinterpretations of his writings.
Martin Luther’s (1483-1546) actions and teachings have had a profound influence on Christian faith. His crucial decision to go on a pilgrimage to Rome (1510) enabled him to witness and act against the objectionable corruption of the Catholic Church. Luther’s teachings developed through his work at Wittenburg University where his revolutionary theology evolved from the examination of the New Testament. On 31 October 1517 Martin Luther posted the controversial 95 Thesis, condemning the corruption of the Church and sharing his beliefs and ideas such as the 5 solas. Luther started a religious revolution that resulted in the formation of a new variant of Christianity that had changes to the expression of faith and key beliefs. This Protestant Church
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”.
Martin Luther a German theologian and religious reformer was the founding figure of the protestant reformation, the break from the Catholic Church, which in many ways marks the beginning of modern Europe. A well-expressed preacher and huge writer, Luther attacked many abuses of the Catholic Church, especially the papacy. The source of his spiritual revelation was not political or institutional but came from his inner fight of conscience. Like other people of his day, Luther was horrified that god would in the end reject him for his sins. He found a word in the bible called “Law” which increased his terror, but he also discovered a word god called “Gospel,” the good news and promise of mercy in Christ, which shed all of his worries. By his words and actions, Luther caused an action that reformulated certain rudimentary Christian belief and the division of Western Church between Roman Catholics and the Protestant traditions. He is one of the most influential person in the history of Christianity.
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...