THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION!

The Protestant Reformation of sixteenth century was a culmination of many years of struggle, that the Church and Europe had gone through. It was a culmination of social, economic, political and religious reasons. It was so, since politics of that day, and the religion, were closely intertwined, since Roman empire took over the “religion” in 312 AD. Let us see some of these…
– Political Reasons – rise of rulers of that day wanted more power; rulers resented the authority and the control of the pope. They were subservient to the religious power.
– Economic Reasons – Wealth generated in the kingdom belonged primarily to the Church, and the clergy wielded great power over the commerce of the day. Rulers and merchants resented paying taxes to the church.
– Social Reasons – People questioned the Church’s power over their everyday life; printing presses spread the ideas critical of church.
– Spiritual Reasons – The church held total control over the lives and the living of the people. Many theological positing were more on a whim, than any serious and sound biblical basis.

Some of the important Christian torch-bearing forerunners for the Reformation are…
– Pierre Valdo (1140-1217) and the Waldenses
– John Wycliffe (c. 1328-1384) and the Lollards
– Jan Hus (1369-1415) and the Hussites
– Jerome of Prague (about 1379-1416)
– Erasmus (1469-1536)
– Jacques Lefèvre d’Etaples (1450-1537)

Reformation has come about because of God’s unfolding grace, seen in and through the stirring of hearts of men and women, who truly wanted to follow the LORD. The Reformation efforts of the forerunners, had taken a decisive and irreversible step on, 31 October, 1517, when Martin Luther (1483–1546), a German monk and university professor, nailed his ninety-five theses, on the door of the castle church, in Wittenberg. Luther firmly believed, and was convinced that, the church had to be reformed.

The religious reasons played, the most critical and crucial role in enabling the Protestant Reformation, which then was ably supported by the kings, dukes and the princes of Europe. The thrust of Reformation can be summed up in the Five Solas of the Reformation.
– SOLA GRATIA – Grace Alone
– SOLA FIDE – Faith Alone
– SOLUS CHRISTUS – Christ Alone
– SOLA SCRIPTURA – Scripture Alone
– SOLI DEO GLORIA – Glory to God Alone
Which, if put in a sentence form, it would read thus…
– Saved by GRACE ALONE, through FAITH ALONE, in CHRIST ALONE, according to SCRIPTURE ALONE, for the GLORY of GOD ALONE.

Sadly, the Protestant Reformation has a dark and painful side. Micah Colbert, writing in his article “Reflections on the Reformation” has these pungent remarks about the reformers…
– “Under the leadership of Calvin in Geneva, Michael Servetus was burned at the stake for holding heretical beliefs. Luther was not exactly sympathetic towards Jews. Zwingli and Luther severely persecuted the Anabaptists. Through their influence, many of these dear brothers and sisters in Christ [Anabaptists and other such groups] were executed, drowned, or died in prison simply for holding a Biblical view of baptism.”
Andrew Dragos writing in his article “10 Great Consequences of the Protestant Reformation” says this about the ills of the reformers.
– “Not all events during the Reformation are praiseworthy, nor were its leaders always models of Christian character…The Thirty Years’ War was a bloody display of political conflict and exploitation under the guise of religion. Even antisemitism saw a renewed vibrancy during the Reformation. These matters must not be glossed over.”*
It pains to see, as a student of Christian history, and a reader of history, that one does not find an honest and unbiased reporting of facts, as they happened. *There were intentional omission and commission of uncomfortable and troubling incidents from the reformation history.

The Bible, that the LORD God Almighty had written down for us, records the facts of history, as they happened, both the good, and the bad, of some of the greatest biblical heroes – Abraham, Noah, Jacob, Saul, David, Solomon, Peter, and Saul of Tarsus. This is SOLA SCRIPTURA – being honest and true. This is being men of integrity. This is being Christian, and the disciple of the LORD.

May the spirit, that led the Protestant Reformation, and the godly reformers, lead us too, in these, the dark and dangerous days. The Church is going through dark times, and we don’t seem to be aware of it. May the LORD help us to be torchbearers and forerunners for the “Glory of God, and God Alone!” – *SOLI DEO GLORIA!* Even so the LORD help us.