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Reformation

John Wycliffe

• England

• Felt everyone should have access to the Word of God

• Produced first Bible in English language

• Taught that once a part of the Body of Christ, no one could take that away.

John Huss

• Bohemia

• Spoke out against the papacy and corruption of the Roman Church

Martin Luther

• Germany

• Became angry when indulgences were being sold in his church

• Wrote the Ninety Five Theses to argue the indulgences

• Realized that salvation is a gift from God that cannot be earned

Katharina Bora

• Roman Church threatened to excommunicate him (dismiss him from the church)

• Translated the Bible into German

Ulrich Zwingli

• Switzerland

• Wrote Sixty-Seven Conclusions that rejected the Roman Catholic doctrines

Anabaptists

• Rejected infant baptism.

• Anabaptist (those who baptize again)

• Among the first to support separation of church and state

John Calvin

• France

• Wrote Institutes of the Christian Religion

– A defense of the Protestant movement to the King of France

• He is associated with predestination – God’s deciding one’s destiny before birth

Common Doctrines between all the above men

1. Scripture Alone – Scripture is the only authority on anything it speaks of

2. Faith Alone – salvation cannot be earned, but is a gift received by faith

3. Priesthood of the Believer – Each believer has direct access to the saving benefits of Christ without the need of priests or sacraments

Results of the Reformation

1. Religious Freedom – people sought the right to worship according to one’s own conscience no matter where one lived.

2. Citizenship – encouraged Christians to work hard at their occupation

3. Family Life – Knew families were a gift from God

4. Education – placed a high priority on teaching everyone to read and to diligently study

What did the Roman Church do in Reaction?

• It was called the Counter Reformation and consisted of 4 parts:

1. Society of Jesus – called Jesuits

– Founded to stop the spread of the Reformation

– Used any means necessary to gain converts for Rome

2. Inquisition – assumed anyone accused of heresy was guilty

3. Index of Prohibited Books – most versions of the Bible and Protestant literature

4. Council of Trent – meeting of high officials to make changes in the Roman Church

– Wrote a statement of Roman Catholic beliefs and practices

– First written statement that contained all Catholic doctrines

Religious Wars

• France

– French Protestants (called Huguenots)

– 20,000 Huguenots were massacred in their homes in 1572

• Europe

– Thirty Years’ War

– Between Catholic and Protestant forces

– Protestants won