The Reformation

A reformation is often defined as the action of change for improvement. The Protestant Reformation is a movement that began in 1517, which split the unity of the Western Church; and later established Protestantism. The three main factors that impacted the reformation were political, sociological and theological. Martin Luther and John Calvin, two protestant Reformers who reformed Catholicism, strived to define salvation and impact the church as a whole. How do Martin Luther’s reforms compare to John Calvin’s through their struggle to define salvation, how people viewed them, and how the church was affected as a whole? Martin Luther and John Calvin both had a huge impact on the reformation and were both regarded with great respect; however, Martin Luther’s strive for salvation and the reformation of the church was more successful than Calvin’s.
Martin Luther, a figure well known for his impact on the reformation, was born in 1483 in Eisleben; as a young man, Luther was caught in a deadly thunderstorm, which is when he made his first vow to St. Anne. He vowed to enter a monastery if his life was saved. In 1505, Luther entered the order of the Augustinians and their monastery at Erfurt. Luther decided to act upon the reformation due to his theological issue with the church; the church was not selling indulgences. During his time with the reformation, Luther created Lutheranism; a practice based on his own beliefs. Luther’s reformation was a great success and many reformers were to follow his footsteps. Many years later, a reformer known as John Calvin, born in 1509 in France, intended to be a priest until he heard of Luther’s ideas while in France. Calvin agreed with some of Luther’s ideas and disagreed with others, which is why he...

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...ess and the church would not have evolved because Calvin referred to Luther’s work very often as well as previous German theologians. Therefore, with Calvin’s continuing effort to reform the church he still referred back to Luther for more guidance because Luther was able to reform the Church more.
Martin Luther’s reforms and struggle to define salvation were more successful than Calvin’s reforms and struggle of defining salvation. Both protestant reformers were men of virtue and knowledge; yet Luther’s abilities to evolve the church were beyond extraordinary. Both reformers put tremendous effort to evolve the church and make it a powerful base; yet Luther was able to capture the attention of more people as well as make bigger changes. Thus, both protestant reformers were regarded with great respect; however, Martin Luther was more successful than John Calvin.