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A brief history of Martin Luther as a reformer
The effect of Martin Luther on Christianity
A brief history of Martin Luther as a reformer
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Arguably one of the most recognizable names in Church history, Martin Luther rattled the cages of the legalistic, heretical Roman Catholic authorities, and enabled the masses to encounter God in a more direct way from that point on. The New Westminster Dictionary of Spirituality describes him as, ““An Augustinian Eremite friar and theology professor at Wittenberg, who emerged as the principal guide and spokesman of the Protestant Reformation, giving his name to the strongest wing of that movement… predominantly regarded as church leader, reformer and innovator.” Martin Luther’s life and theology have forever changed and shaped the way Christian’s view and value faith and works through his writing and hand in the reformation.
On November 10, 1483, Hans Luder’s wife, Margarethe, gave birth to their second-born son, Martin, In Eisleben, Saxony, and on the next day, which happened to be the feast of St. Martin of Tours, Martin Luther was baptized. A year later, Martin’s family moved to Mansfield, near modern day Berlin, where his father worked in the copper mine. Hans wanted a better life for his eldest son (two of his brothers had been succumbed to the plague), and desired for Martin to become a lawyer, so Hans worked diligently to Martin an education to equip him to do well in Law school. Hans sent his son to Latin schools in Mansfeld that established I Martin Luther the fundamentals of rhetoric, logic, and grammar. These Lessons were further elaborated upon when Luther attended Madgeburg in 1497 and Eisenach in 1498. Luther entered the University of Erfurt in 1501, where he took part in a curriculum of rigorous spiritual exercises and rote memorization to graduate four years later with a master’s degree. Following his earthly...
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...le claim that the Reformation was “a great blessing to the world” and that it had “proved so even to the Church of Rome,” which had to admit that because of its “love for the word of God” Luther’s Reformation was immortal.
It goes without saying that the Church would not be where it is today in terms of theological soundness and focus on God if it weren’t for the life and work of Martin Luther.
Bibliography
Ford, David. The Modern Theologians: An Introduction to Christian Theology in the Twentieth Century. New York, NY, USA: B. Blackwell, 1989.
Luther, Martin. "On Christian Liberty." (2003).
Pelikan, Jaroslav. The Christian Tradition; a History of the Development of Doctrine. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1971.
Sheldrake, Philip. The New Westminster Dictionary of Christian Spirituality. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005.