The Influence Of Martin Luther And The Protestant Reformation

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Martin Luther and the protestant reformation made a lasting impact on our church today. He was the theological leader of the reformation and it had a huge impact on social, economic and political life. It shaped the church and the effects are still seen today. Martin Luther started protesting certain practices of the Roman Catholic Church around 1517.

There were many things going on before the protestant reformation. Popes were treated more like kings than spiritual leaders and with this power, they had claimed political and spiritual power as well. Popes could direct armies and made political alliances with others. In the late 1300’s, there were three Popes that were doing many different things to the church. This created struggles for church …show more content…

After Martin Luther wrote the 95 thesis, the Church did not like what Luther had said in his thesis and ordered him to take it back. Luther then replied with his most famous speech; “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience.” (Ozment, S 2016, ‘Reformation’, World Book Student, World Book, viewed 26 August 2016, …show more content…

The questioned what the church were saying and he stood up for what he believed was the way of god and for what he believed in, which changed the modern world. Martin Luther’s most significant influence on religious history was his insistence that the bible be translated. Luther took ten years to translate the bible to German, making it accessible to everyone in many different languages. Luther’s central theme, that the bible is the foundation of religious authority and redemption was through faith not deed, shaping the principles of protestant faith. “The Protestant Reformation set the stage for the modern world. This idea of not listening to a single authority, but listening to your own conscience. I think this is a key feature of the modern world.” (Hillerbrand, 1968, p.386, Luther and the

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