The Reformation

How did Luther, Calvin, and the Anabaptists central beliefs challenge the practices and

authority of Roman Catholicism? What were the consequences? Were these men really

“revolutionaries?”

Martin Luther

• Justification by faith: Luther believed that faith in God’s mercy and love, a person could be made just, or good.

• This idea directly challenged Pope Leo X and the practice of selling indulgences to raise money to rebuild St. Peter’s Bascilica in Rome.

Indulgences

• Certificates issued by the Church that were said to reduce or even cancel punishment for a person’s sins as long as one also truly repented.

Event that changed the religious world

• October 31, 1517, Luther nailed the 95 Theses (criticized indulgences and other church policies) on the door of the Wittenberg Church.

•

The Diet of Worms 1521

Cont.

• Pope Leo X condemned and excommunicated Luther. As a result, a council (or diet) of German princes met in Worms (The Diet of Worms): decided that Luther should take back his criticism of the papacy.

Lutheranism

• Emphasized salvation by faith alone and the Bible’s role as the only source of religious truth.

John Calvin

• Geneva: Swiss city where Calvin set up a theocracy: church-run state.

• In 1541, Calvin established a theocracy in Geneva. *All citizens were required to attend church at least several times a week.

Predestination

• Calvin’s theology was the belief that God possessed all-encompassing power and knowledge; God alone directed everything that has happened in the past, that happens in the present, and that will happen in the future.

Spread of Calvinism

• Calvinism spread to Scotland and Netherlands; John Knox, a leader of the Reformation in Scotland and other reformers preached: “We must obey princes and others who are in authority, but only insofar as they do not deny to God, the supreme King, Father, and Lord, what is due Him.”

The Anabaptists

Beliefs and Practices/Refusals and challenges of government

• Initiated the practice of baptizing, or admitting into their groups, only adult members.

• Many denied the authority of local governments to direct their lives.

• Refused to hold office, bear arms, or swear oaths.

Persecution

• Fanatical Anabaptists (zealots) brought about the downfall for all of them. *1534 radical Anabaptists seized power in Munster (Germany)—they burned books, seized private property, and practiced polygamy.

• As a result, Lutherans and Catholics united to kill the Anabaptist leaders and persecuted all surviving believers.

Religions that claim ancestry to the Anabaptist

• Anabaptist groups left Europe for North America: Baptists, Mennonites, and Amish trace their ancestry to the Anabaptists.

Assignment

• Using either Microsoft Power Point or Publisher, create a storyboard that shows the events of the reformation. You must include Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the Anabaptist.

• Your storyboard must be at least 8 pictures.