Is it possible to earn college credit for time spent at church? If so, I’m pretty sure I’d have multiple PhDs by now.
Not only did my mom take me to church regularly (I went three times a week nearly every week from elementary school through college and beyond), but my dad made sure we visited a wide variety of churches as well.
In fact, I can easily rattle off nine different churches I’ve regularly attended at some point in my life–not including the countless churches I’ve visited here or there, the classes I took at Bible college or the sermons I’ve listened to online.
So to say I’ve heard a sermon or two in my life would be a bit of an understatement.
But it wasn’t until I grew up and married into a Catholic family that I realized two things:
- I like Protestant sermons WAY better (sorry, but it’s true 🙂 )
- The vast majority of Protestant sermons are missing something very important.
Typically, Protestant sermons center around a verse or a concept found in the Bible. The pastor will read it, explain it, expound on it, and tell you how you can apply it to your personal life. Which is great! Absolutely love it.
But one thing they never talk about? Church history.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m totally NOT a history person. Like, at all. Don’t bother asking me any history questions because I promise I will embarrass myself. And I’ve never had a problem with that.
Until I read this quote by John Henry Cardinal Newman:
“To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.”
And the more I researched and researched, the more I found it to be true.
(For the record, I’m neither Catholic nor Protestant. Simply a Christian committed to examining the facts and uncovering the truth. You can find out more about my journey here.)
It’s almost sad to realize how much of our beliefs as Christians are actually shaped not by the Bible itself, but by the things we’ve been told by our parents, pastors and Christian brothers and sisters who have gone before. Which is a great thing when they’re right, but horribly tragic when they’re mistaken. And you don’t realize just how much these outside forces have shaped your faith until you start researching them.
So today, I’m attempting to set part of the record straight.
Not because I care if you are Protestant or Catholic (I truly don’t and have no desire to convince you or persuade you either way). But because the truth matters. And whatever you believe, I want you to base it on truth, not just biased or incomplete hearsay.
So with that in mind–here are a few things you should know, specifically on the topic of the Reformation.
*This post contains affiliate links.
1. Martin Luther Had No Intentions of Causing a Big Scandal or Divide
While it’s fun to imagine Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to door of the Wittenberg Castle church in some dramatic and earth shattering protest, the reality of what happened is far less dramatic.
Martin Luther wasn’t trying to start a huge revolt. Instead, he was simply raising a few topics for discussion.
Christian Smith writes in his book, How to Go From Being a Good Evangelical to a Committed Catholic in Ninety-Five Difficult Steps:
…Luther’s 95 theses were hardly a radical protest. In posting them, Luther was not somehow nailing an unusual “This Church is Toast!” message of early Protestant revolt against Rome. He was rather doing what university professors of theology, of which he was one, regularly did in his day…
That this reads more like a departmental email announcement than the bold manifesto of a radical, world-transforming protest is no accident. That’s essentially what it was.”
He wasn’t trying to overhaul people’s beliefs, start a new religion, or condemn the Catholic church. He simply wanted to start a discussion.
**You can read the 95 Theses for yourself here: Martin Luther’s 95 Theses.
**Or find the condensed, easier-to-understand version here: What did Luther actually say in the 95 Theses that sparked the Protestant Reformation?
2. Luther Actually Believed in Catholic Teaching and Wanted to See it Practiced Correctly
Another thing many people don’t realize is that Luther was a German monk and a devout Catholic. He wasn’t trying to change Catholic teaching–he simply wanted to see it taught and practiced correctly. (Which, at that time, it was not in some places.)
Luther was actually FOR the authority of the church, the pope, indulgences, Mary and all manner of other traditionally Catholic beliefs.
The problem (which was a legitimate problem) was simply that some Catholic priests in that time were selling indulgences (reduced time in purgatory) in order to raise the funds to renovate St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Which is a big no-no.
Luther was hoping to fix that.
3. The Whole Thing Got Blown Out of Proportion
Instead of starting a small, friendly discussion or improvement committee, Luther’s post went viral, so to speak. Copies were sent to friends and church officials. It was sent to various theologians, and then to Rome. Luther was called before a counsel to defend his beliefs, but no agreement could be reached.
And instead of saying “Okay, well, you believe what you want; we’ll believe what we want” like we do today, Luther’s teachings were examined, pronounced heretical, and he was excommunicated from the church.
Honestly, the whole thing probably could have been avoided if people would have just played nice.
4. Martin Luther is Not a Role Model
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are certainly things Martin Luther did that were commendable. It takes a very brave and deeply devoted man to stand up for what is right in the face of so much pressure. That’s amazing and I doubt I would be that brave personally.
BUT what many people don’t realize is that…
- He HATED Jews. So much that Hitler considered him an asset.
- He considered the Pope the anti-Christ.
- He was a fan of polygamy.
- He believed that Jesus committed adultery with the woman at the well and with Mary Magdalen.
Now, it’s important to note that MANY well-known and much loved Christians throughout history had questionable beliefs. But just thought it was worth mentioning for a more balanced approach. He wasn’t perfect. (No one is.)
5. The Reformation Likely Caused More Problems Than It Fixed
Did the Church need correcting? Oh, absolutely. But was a whole reformation really necessary? I don’t know; I wasn’t there.
But what I DO know is that something that started as a simple request for much-needed discussion and church reform turned into something much bigger than anyone bargained for or anticipated.
- Instead of one church with a few significant problems, we now have thousands of different denominations with countless significant problems.
- Most Protestant churches have lost the majority of the Church’s rich heritage, history, traditions and culture.
- We’ve added new themes to Christianity that weren’t there before and simply aren’t Biblical. Themes like sola fide and sola scriptura.
- The church is divided–like a body that’s missing it’s limbs and that has been chopped into pieces.
Growing up Protestant, the separation between all of the churches never bothered me much. But I’m starting to wonder if it’s a bigger problem than any of us realize. (But maybe that’s because I’m caught in the middle and wish I could combine the best of both worlds. (Is true teaching, good music AND childcare really too much to ask for?)
6. The Catholic Church Has Since Clarified Its Stance
Many people believe that the Catholic Church teaches that you can earn your salvation by good works or that by doing good works, you can become “more saved” than you were before. This simply is NOT true.
The Catholic Church also believes that we are saved through faith, but that it is a living faith which naturally produces good works. (The works are the by-product or fruit, NOT the cause.)
Because this issue was such a huge part of the Reformation, the Catholic Church has since gone out of their way to clarify their position.
**For more on this matter, please see my article Is Faith Alone Enough? where I take a Bible-based stance on the issue.
7. The Reformation is Over. You Can Go Home Now.
According to Christian Smith, author of How to Go From Being a Good Evangelical to a Committed Catholic in Ninety-Five Difficult Steps:
A truly world-historical religious event took place in 1999… That event was that the Catholic Church, after decades of hard ecumenical conversation with Luthers, officially and publicly reconciled and ended its core disagreements with Lutheranism on the key doctrine of justification. Lutheranism did the same thing with the Catholic Church…
Do not fail to grasp the massive significance of this event. The Protestant doctrine of justification (through faith by grace alone) was the “material principle” of the Reformation… And now these differences have been reconciled…
In short, when it comes to the decisive doctrine of justification today, here is the news: the Reformation is over.
While the church still has many, many, many matters to sort out, the good news is that this one has been. The factors that started the Reformation aren’t really in play anymore. The reformation is over. You can go home now.
For better or for worse, Luther’s actions hundreds of years ago still have a massive impact on the faith of every single one of us today. We owe it to ourselves and to our children to follow to make sure that the effect is a positive truthful one.
Enjoyed this post? Don’t miss the rest of the series:
Letting God Lead: My Journey Through Catholic and Protestant Belief
Resources and Further Reading:
How to Go From Being a Good Evangelical to a Committed Catholic in Ninety-Five Difficult Steps
https://equippinggodlywomen.com/my-journey/
https://equippinggodlywomen.com/faith/faith-alone-enough/
https://equippinggodlywomen.com/faith/a-brief-look-at-the-history-of-christianity/
http://www.history.com/topics/martin-luther-and-the-95-theses
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-28/1517-luther-posts-95-theses.html
http://www.luther.de/en/95thesen.html
http://www.gohistorygo.com/#!protestant-reformation/c18xw
http://www.theopedia.com/martin-luther
http://www.catholic.com/blog/tim-staples/are-good-works-necessary-for-salvation
I really enjoyed this article! My main concern however is that the current Catholic pope is saying a great number of things that seem to contradict or undermine the Word of God, I also cannot find it in my heart to imagine that he has some authority on this earth in the way that the Catholic Church props him up as Christ’s mouthpiece. I’m also wary of Mary worship and requiring a priest to be the intercessot between the faithful and God. Those things seem to be against the Word. Either way, those are things I’m working through along my walk and respect these additional view points. Jesus did say that we are ALL His body!
Blessings in faith,
C.
As always, Brittney, I appreciate your well-researched and balanced blogs.
I just want to point out one thing with regards to indulgences. Officially, it has never been okay to “sell” indulgences. Indulgences are granted for various acts of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It was the last one that caused problems. The Church grants indulgences as a way of further encouraging the faithful to live out the Christian life as Christ commanded. Giving to certain charitable causes, especially to the physical needs of the Church or to building new churches for worship, was one such way. It doesn’t take much to see how easily the giving of alms to gain indulgences could be abused.
But just because it could be, and probably was, abused, doesn’t mean the system was wrong or bad. It just means, surprise surprise, that human beings are sinful and don’t always choose the right things for the right reasons.
There are many things wrong with this article, but the worst line is this one: “The factors that started the Reformation aren’t really in play anymore. The reformation is over.”
For one thing, the position of the Catholic Church with regard to faith and works is still at odds with the positions of Protestant churches, despite “clarifications,” but even if this were not the case, the Reformation was about a lot more than justification.
Here is just a brief list of things to which the Reformers objected, which are still completely in play in the Catholic Church today:
1. The Catholic Church places tradition on par with written Scripture as a revelational authority.
2. The Catholic Church teaches transsubstantiation, the doctrine that the literal, physical body of Christ are present in the elements of the Eucharist.
3. The Catholic Church teaches that the Mass is an unbloodied re-sacrificing of Christ to God the Father.
4. The Catholic Church encourages the veneration of saints and of Mary.
5. The Catholic Church’s position on original sin and its effects on the human race seriously diverge from those of the majority of Protestant churches.
Moreover, since the Reformation, the Catholic Church has adopted a number of new dogmas which are seriously at odds with Protestant teaching – for example, Papal infallibility, the Immaculate Conception, and the Bodily Assumption of Mary. (With this in mind, it is ironic that you accuse the Reformation of introducing ideas that “weren’t there before.” Today’s Roman Catholic must believe several things that Christians in earlier epochs of the church had never even dreamed of.)
I am not even arguing, here, that either position is right or wrong, but merely pointing out the naivete of thinking that the issues that prompted the Reformation have disappeared.
With respect, Dave:
1. 2 Thess 2:15, Paul talks about this Catholic tradition. The Church upholds these traditions. Scripture alone just won’t do. Paul tells us this. “Scripture alone” isn’t Scriptural.
2. John 6:53 (read the whole chapter, Jesus isn’t being facetious, ironic or symbolic. Everyone listening to him knew what He meant and walked away, minus his Apostles) would you have left Him also for telling you to “Gnaw on His flesh”? Also Matt 26:26.
3. The Catholic Church does not teach that the mass is a RE-sacrificing. It is THE sacrifice of Jesus death at Calvary. Jesus died once for all. We participate in THAT sacrifice at mass.
4. They do encourage “veneration: great respect, reverence” for those Christians who have lived the Christian faith in an exemplary way. The saints are incredible role models (most especially Mary) for how we can better love Jesus and serve him more fully. What is wrong with this? Do you not have role models in your faith?
5. Why would the Church founded by Christ deviate from it’s course even a little bit. The reformation happened what, 600 years ago? They suddenly figured it out 1400 years after Jesus? It really doesn’t make sense.
The cancer of the reformation is plain now. 30,000+ different Christian sects, each one different than the last. Each one thinks they have the right recipe for Christianity. Only one stands solid and unflinching. The Church founded by the God who came to fulfill the law.
To say the Catholic Church adopted dogmas after the reformation is also just a common misunderstanding. They believed in the infallibility far far earlier than that. read the Church Fathers to find out how far back. It isn’t until the church has been under attack in these areas that they had to formally declare it. Previously everybody knew and there was no issue. “Hey Dave, you are a human male” Sounded stupid ten years ago… now??? not so much.
BTW The world is nuts, I digress.
Most protestants I know are largely ignorant on the facts of Catholicism. There is incredible beauty in the things you brought up, but most protestants mistakenly hate these doctrines without fully understanding them much less understanding them at all.
I get why, but I would rather people despise the Church on her actual beliefs than on lies or misinformation.
Plus, the Catholic Church is the reason we have a New Testament to begin with. Thank a Pope that you don’t have the gospel of Judas or Thomas or Mary Magdalene floating around in your Bible.
Donny, your claim that early Christians never dreamed of these “new dogmas” is a tired trope. The reality, based on scholarly research, is that the ideas already existed but there was no need for a formal definition of the teaching.
For example, there was no clearly defined New Testament until the late 4th Century. There certainly wasn’t a Bible during the time of the Apostles.
At the close of the apostolic age, debate arose over the nature of Christ. A core belief of Christianity, the Trinity, wasn’t formally defined for almost a century after Pentecost.
More modern dogmas like Papal Infallibility and the Immaculate Conception likewise did not come out of thin air, but through the people of the Church asking for a formal clarification of what we believed, followed by careful, prayerful consideration and research into both Scripture and Sacred Tradition.
For more in-depth reading, I recommend Catholics United for the Faith (cuf.org) and Catholic Answers (Catholic.com).
I have to say all the above things are so but it’s still not the whole story of Reformation. The point was to lead people back to the Bible which most people did only saw in church the priest reading from it in Latin. Luther started it he didn’t get all things right but the knowledge was expanding as the Bible got more widely known. That is one of the merits of Reformation I think.
Yes, there were definitely many merits. Just not sure if the pluses outweigh the many minuses. Not saying it was his fault or his intent at all, but things got out of hand quickly.
I’m enjoying your blogs Brittany. I’m currently reading about the Church in the 1500’s, and the facts I’m reading are astounding. One thing is certain, whether Luther intended to start a scandal or divide is something that changed over time. Once his ideas gained steam, the result was nothing short of a revolution, including destruction of Church property, violence, loss of lives and nearly constant intrigue and victimization of people who simply wanted to go to Mass. Entire regions of Germany outlawed the Mass once Luther’s theology took hold. Parts of the Netherlands, Austria and Belgium followed suit. Henry VIII’s England was just as violent and not even for theological reasons. Many priests were murdered or imprisoned and executed and many more lay Catholics were killed, impoverished or coerced into denying their faith than any of the Protestants. Unfortunately, the non-Catholics were the ones who published most of the story, so the Catholic version has been more difficult to find. But I think that is changing now, thanks to writers like Warren Carrol, Dominic Selwood and Steve Weidenkopf.
Thankfully you are correct in pointing out that the “reformation” is over (even though it was a revolution). These days, very few non-Catholic Christians are actually protesting anything and those who say they are, are only protesting what they think the Church teaches.
The fact is, Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church in Matt 16:18-19 and gave the Church its authority in various parts of the Scriptures, including Matt 18:17-20 and Lk 10:16. If non-Catholic pastors would simply take Blessed John Henry Newman’s advice, Christ’s prayer in John 17:21 would be fulfilled.
Sounds like some interesting reading! Definitely worth reading into if I ever had the spare time! 🙂
Brittany,
Martin Luther was way worse than just an ‘imperfect man’ if you ask me. In many of his journals he talks about many encounters with the devil. Dr. Taylor Marshall has mentioned in his book “The Catholic perspective on Paul” that Luther even had an extremely perverted belief that he believed Christians should practice. I recommend that you read that book and listen to Marshalls podcasts on his website.
Thank you for your article Brittany. I do not wish to argue the Reformation with your readers. I would like to say that you are spot on with the true Catholic teaching of “works”. The Catholic Church has always taught that works in and of themselves cannot save us. They are the fruit of our Faith. We do not do works and then present them as some sort of “bill” to God for which we are paid. It is quite sad that many Catholics do not understand this. Nor is faith alone taught by the Catholic Church or the Bible either. Faith and works go hand in hand. One flows from the other. As for the Reformation: The critique of Luther, Calvin, etc., was correct to the extent that they identified the growing semi-pelagianism and abandonment of the Augustinian teaching on grace and will which was the dominant Church teaching for the first 1400 years. The broadening of that critique into areas such as Church governance, the Sacraments, etc., was a radical departure from the teaching of St. Augustine. Hence, the perpetual splintering into countless subsets of Protestantism that we see to this day. To this day Protestantism and modern day Catholicism are overwhelming semi-pelagian. The Renaissance and its glorification of man threw gasoline onto the embers of pelagianism and ignited the fire of the Reformation.
Yeah, the whole thing is kind of a mess, isn’t it!
Hi Brittany. You say M. Luther didn,t want to start such a divide but I can,t see that when he called the leader of C, Church, the pope the anti christ. He should have known he was headed for big trouble. My protestant ch. talks about church history all the time. I know their are good and bad people in all churches. GOD bless
From my research, he initially set out for a reform, not a divide. It was only after the church responded poorly that things got way out of hand.
Martin Luther was definitely an interesting character though. Definitely not a role model. (Hitler called him a great asset).
i,really,appreciate,your,posts,dear..actually,i’m,not,from,European,country,from,Ethiopia,Easter Africa…so,i,dont,know,the,history,abt,Luther,or,Hiltler,deeper
but,here,is,one,thing,we,have,Bible,which,is,a,word,of,God..why,dont,us,led,by,the,word..and,dont,look,the,people,rather,Christ,…its,not,Luther,who,approves,Christianity,is,the,right,way,but,Jesus..man,is,a,flesh,he,cant,do,any,holy,thing,with,out,the,help,of,holy,spirit..thanks…God,bless,you!
dont,forget,i,like,you!..really,i,do
I agree. Love this site and, from other postings, I do feel Brittany is very Christ-centered. This journey, however, focused too much on history and not enough on the Bible.
Word of God is the Truth. All the answers are there. In my opinion, historical background does not play a role in how to choose a church to follow. It is nice, tho, to have the history from different unbiased sources.
Yes, before the Bible, people were guided through word of mouth but that was before the Bible. The Bible now stands on its own.
Church history and past traditions should not dictate how to serve God. All should be based on the Bible. I think, maybe, you got a little sidetracked since your husband is Catholic? I know you tried hard to see it from the Catholic side (since your original beliefs were not Catholic) but maybe you went too far to the other side of the spectrum and started to not focus on what the Bible really says?
I have gone to various churches and religions and they all are imperfect as we are. Every one seems to have some things I like and others I don’t. That is why I try to always stick with the Bible. It’s not what I like or the church likes, it’s what is in the Truth.
To me, there are just too many things in the Catholic religion to overlook that are not biblical. Like Mary being sinless, it is not in the Bible. I’ve read the verses that had been noted but it seems to be grasping. My husband has a Catholic background but is not saved. I tried to understand some of the beliefs but I just don’t see the biblical basis on a few important points. I wish I could because it would make my life easier but the HS cannot accept them. After a year of going to my church on my own, my husband has just started to come along with me. (God truly answers prayers!) I pray now that Jesus comes into his heart.
I’m sorry, I don’t mean to offend, really, but just being truthful. I do love your site and you are a true encouragement to many. Blessings!
In #2 you said: “Luther was actually FOR the authority of the church, the pope,”
In #4 you said: “He [Luther] considered the Pope the anti-Christ.
If Luther thought the pope was the anti-christ … how could he possibly be
for the authority of the pope?
Seems contradictory to me.
Yes, it is. His opinions changed a LOT over the years. Before the split, he was a Catholic priest and monk. When everything began, he was only trying to get the Catholic church to reform a few places they had gone off course. He wasn’t anti-Catholic at all — he WAS Catholic. But when the church didn’t respond well… well… everything went downhill from there and he ended up somewhere entirely different than where he had originally intended to be…