Protestant Reformation

Reformation500: Reformers After Luther

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / 1 Comment

When we started this month’s theme, I wrote about a couple of “reformers” before Martin Luther and before 1517. Today’s post looks beyond Luther and briefly introduces some other reformers. In Luther’s biography, we noted that he didn’t always get along with other reformers very well, but each of these historical figures influenced the arrival or strengthening of Protestant faith in his own region or country – whether or not Luther knew about, liked, or even fully agreed with them.

Martin Luther had an important impact on religious and world history, but in my opinion he’s not the only reformer we should remember. Zwingli, Tyndale Calvin, and Knox, along with many others, all made significant contributions to beliefs and history.  Continue reading →

13 Things To Know About Martin Luther

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / 3 Comments

This week we’ve rounded up thirteen things to know about Martin Luther from the biographies we’ve been reading. This post is not a comprehensive biography but hopefully will give you some conversation points or historical facts to share with family and friends as we remember Reformation500 – five hundred years since the Protestant Reformation began.

Martin Luther wasn’t perfect. No one is. Rather, his life is an example of how men of faith can change the world and how imperfect humans can be used in a divine plan. Continue reading →

Reformation500: A Primary Source

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / 3 Comments

We hear about Martin Luther and the 95 Theses that launched the Reformation. And I always wondered what that document actually said.

Today’s blog post is a primary source. It’s a translation of Luther’s statements, and you can study, scan, or just reference as you like. After-all, it’s important to read primary sources, and this is one of those primary sources that altered the course of history.

Keep in mind that the sale of indulgences (a sort of “free pass” to heaven or around punishment for sin) was one of the main triggers that prompted Luther to pen these words. Continue reading →

Reformation500: An Introduction

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / 3 Comments

It’s Reformation500 this month. That’s right. Five hundred years since the Protestant Reformation officially began in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five statements to the door of the Catholic Church, forever changing religious and world history.

Since it’s the anniversary of such a historic moment, Gazette665’s historical theme of the month is Reformation: Changed Hearts, Changed World. In the next couple weeks, we’ll take a historical perspective to discuss the events and people leading to influencing the Reformation movement.

Today’s post introduces the reformation, the historical setting, and some men who called for religious reformer prior to 1517. We’ll also reveal a technological advancement which literally changed the world one word at a time. Continue reading →