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iven the religious animosity that is fueling terrorism, violence andwarfare around this world, many are beginning to realize the bleakand dismal life religion produces and are consequently joining aspiritual transformation that transcends religious agendas.

Spiritual Transformation—Then and Now

by Greg Albrecht

Reacting to this earthquake-like upheaval, some within Christendomperceive their role to be protectors ofhistoric faith and practice. Threatenedby questions and criticisms, protectorsoften respond by raising their spiritualdrawbridges, retreating within castlewalls heavily fortified by theology andcreeds, defending the status quo.

By contrast, transformers welcomechallenges and changes directed to-ward religious institutions and obser-vances as a much-needed wave oftransformation. Like pioneers and ex-plorers spiritual transformers seethemselves as sailors hoisting theirsails to catch refreshing winds of theSpirit, as they venture into a brave

new dimension of their relationshipwith God.

As Solomon wisely observed, “thereis nothing new under the sun” (Eccle-siastes 1:9). The more contemporaryphilosopher George Santayana notedthat “those who cannot rememberthe past are condemned to repeat it.”As we live in the midst of this her-culean upheaval/reformation ofChristendom we can gain insight andperspective from another great shake-up—“the” Great Reformation. A cri-tique and overview of the historicReformation of some 500 years agomay help you to gain perspectiveabout the spiritual transformationtaking place right now.

In these early years ofthe 21st century the in-stitution of “the” church,

as it has been traditionallyexperienced and practiced,is being shaken by seismic

tremors. Former church-goers have quit “going to

church” because they believemany, if not most established ec-clesiastical organizations are eitherabusive or irrelevant. Many now believe that the classic denomination-al framework and structure of churchis on the edge of extinction. Thefoundational goals and purposes ofchurch as it has been known is undercareful scrutiny.

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“Here I Stand”

Martin Luther’s act of defianceagainst the religious establishment,nailing his 95 grievances to thechurch door at Wittenberg (1517) iswidely acknowledged as the water-shed of the Reformation. His coura-geous act was precipitated by hisobjections to official Catholic teach-ing, based on his own faith experi-ence and intensive biblical reflection.In addition to his misgivings aboutdoctrine, Luther was further con-vinced that God was being horriblymisrepresented by the shameless salesof indulgences. Exposure of this not-so-thinly disguised, greed-inducedfund-raising perversion blew the lidoff the festering, endemic corruptionwithin what was widely acceptedwithin Europe as the true church.

Luther posted his 95 theses on AllSaints Eve, October 31, 1517, appar-ently both on the door of the Witten-burg Church, as well as in writing tohis superiors. Within three monthsLuther’s 95 Theses were translatedfrom Latin into German, effectively

using the printing press asa tool of social media,inviting the public to jointhe revolution.

Luther’s bold challengeseventually made their wayto Rome, where they weredetermined to be heresy.Rome’s opposition only hardenedLuther’s resolve, culminating withthe Pope’s threatening Luther withexcommunication unless he recanted.On April 18, 1521, Luther appearedbefore the Diet of Worms—a general

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Threatened by questions and criticisms,

protectors often respond by raising their

spiritual drawbridges, retreating within

castle walls heavily fortified by theology

and creeds, defending the status quo.

By contrast, transformers

welcome challenges and

changes directed toward

religious institutions and

observances as a much-needed

wave of transformation. Like

pioneers and explorers

spiritual transformers see

themselves as sailors hoisting

their sails to catch refreshing

winds of the Spirit...

500YEARS...

assembly, presided over by EmperorCharles V, demanding Luther’s response. His writings were displayedon a table—Luther was asked if hewas the author and if he continued tobelieve the “heretical” statementsthey contained.

Luther’s documented response was,in part: “I cannot and will not recantanything, since it is neither safe norright to go against conscience. MayGod help me.” This uncompromisingretort has been popularly summa-rized, in words Luther may or maynot have precisely uttered on that occasion as: “Here I stand. I can dono other.”

While there is no doubt aboutLuther’s leading role, it may be toosimplistic to attribute the Reforma-tion to the actions of Martin Lutheralone. The Reformation didn’t eruptout of a vacuum. Martin Lutherdidn’t just wake up one morning anddecide to protest biblically untenableand corrupt teachings and practices.

Many forces were atwork, from the Hussiteuprising to the inven-tion of the Guttenbergpress, helping to laythe groundwork forthe reforms whichLuther and others pio-neered.

While Martin Lutheris often given the title of the GreatestReformer, given other dynamics atwork the Reformation would havehappened even if religious corruptionand decay had not existed to the samedegree or had ever become as widelyknown.

Contributing Forces and Facets

Far from being generated by a singlecause or event, the Reformation was awave of reform with political, eco-nomic and cultural components—aswell as religious. In a similar way, thegroundswell of spiritual awakeningthat many are experiencing in theseearly years of the 21st century iscaused by many distinctive tides thatare combining to form one greattransformation of hearts and souls.

Many historians feel that the Refor-mation was the natural result offorces such as the Renaissance (14ththrough the 17th centuries), the riseof a merchant class, and the increas-ing tension caused by irreconcilable

differences in the Germanicvs. Latin cultures in Europe.Some believe the much dis-cussed doctrinal distinctionsof the Reformation wereprompted by a tsunami ofhumanism. Even the atroci-ties and violence seemingly

caused by religious differences duringthe Reformation may better be under-stood as ongoing and growing hostili-ties spawned by the first Christianholy war, the First Crusade (1095-1099). It was the First Crusade thatfirst employed (and justified) warfareand violence as the means toward amorally virtuous end.

As it was then, so it is today—a re-discovery of God’s grace is causingseismic tremors throughout the worldof Christendom and its religious insti-tutions:

The Reformation was a time whenmen went blind, staggering drunk be-cause they had discovered, in the dustybasement of medievalism, a whole cellarof 1500-year-old, 200-proof grace—bottle after bottle of pure distillate ofScripture, one sip of which would con-vince anyone that God saves us single-handedly. The word of the gospel—afterall these centuries of trying to lift your-self into heaven by worrying about theperfection of your own bootstrap—sud-denly turned out to be a flat announce-ment that the saved were home-freebefore they started. Grace was to bedrunk neat: no water, no ice, and cer-tainly no ginger ale.—Robert FarrarCapon

The Fireworks Failed to Produce Peace

The Reformation, a reaction to cor-ruption and abuse, actually produced

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Johann Tetzel, 1465 – 1519

Pope Leo X, 1475 - 1521

Luther wasconvinced thatGod was being

horriblymisrepresented

by theshameless sales of indulgences... Having

squandered the fortune left to him by PopeJulius II, Pope Leo X (1475-1521)

employed Johann Tetzel (1465-1519) tosell indulgences—popularly understood as

free passes from purgatory.

an enormous increase in religious vio-lence and warfare. In what was offi-cially seen as an attempt to save soulswho had lost their way—the Magiste-rial Reformers (Luther, Calvin andZwingli) employed brutal forms oftorture, drowning and burning at thestake. During an era when the notionof eternal torment in hell fire as apunishment for sinners gained wideracceptance, the Catholic and Protes-

tant Inquisitors alike introduced theirown hell on earth for those who dis-agreed with official church teachingand practice. Inquisitions were notlimited to one country or one era, butlasted for almost 700 years—begin-ning in 1231, continuing through the18th century. The Medieval Inquisi-tion was the first major phase, fol-lowed by the Spanish Inquisition andthen the Roman Inquisition, that

dark underbelly of the Catholiccounter-reformation. The RomanInquisition was considered soimportant that work was divert-ed from the unfinished St.

Peter’s Basilica so that a new Inquisi-tion headquarters building could beconstructed at the Vatican. In his recently published, groundbreakingbook on the Inquisition (God’s Jury—The Inquisition and the Making of theModern World) Calvin Murphy pointsout that religion and politics alike, asthey are permitted by law, continuetheir own inquisitions to this veryday.

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“I cannot and will notrecant anything, since itis neither safe nor right

to go againstconscience. May God

help me.” Thisuncompromising retort

has been popularlysummarized, in words

Luther may or may nothave precisely uttered

on that occasion as:“Here I stand. I can do

no other.”

1521—Luther appeared before the Diet of Worms—a general assembly,presided over by Emperor Charles V, demanding Luther’s response.

The Great Miseries of War by Jacques Callot,1632—a series of engravings depicts events from the Thirty Years War,just one of many wars resulting from the upheaval of the Reformation. The Thirty Years War devastated seventeenth-century Europe, killing nearly a quarter of all Germans and laying waste to towns and countryside alike.

So join us as we look back some 500years, in search of insight and illumi-nation via Christ-centered, grace-based hindsight. We will considerinnovators, artists, explorers and pio-neers who set the social and culturalstage for key personalities of the Ref-ormation, those who challenged and

repudiated Rome from with-in and without. Encouragedby fresh winds of intellectualthought and progress theBible was made available in

the language of themarketplace, providingmuch-needed spiritualnourishment and re-newal for the Reforma-tion.

We believe that thisfocus on spiritual trans-formation—then andnow—will help youconclude, with us, thatthe institution of thechurch, as we know it,must be saved by Jesus.We can only be trans-formed from our insti-tutional navel-gazingand performance-basedreligion by a Christ-centered focus. AsMichael Green com-ments, in Who is ThisJesus?:

The society Jesusfounded has been so un-like Jesus. Think of the

blood-thirsty Crusades, the cruel Inqui-sition, and the history of religious per-secution. The church is still so unlikeJesus, and we may well have beenscarred by its hypocrisy or bored by itsblandness. We recall, maybe, thatdreary local church to which we weredragged, protesting, when we were

young. Or we reflect on divisions in thechurch, the failures of its leadership,and the small difference it seems tomake in the lives of its members. Isthat why we don’ t want to knowabout Jesus? q

Martin Luther didn’t just wakeup one morning and decide toprotest biblically untenable andcorrupt teachings and practices.

Many forces were at work, fromthe Hussite uprising to the

invention of the Guttenberg press,helping to lay the groundwork for

the reforms which Luther andothers pioneered.

The Age of Discovery:Innovators, Artistsand Explorers

1) Christopher Columbus 1451-1506 Italian explorer and navigatorwidely credited with discoveringthe Americas.

2) Leonardo daVinci 1452-1519Italian painter, sculptor, architect

and engineer.3) Michelangelo

1475-1564 Italian

sculptor, painter, architectand poet.

4) Nicola Copernicus1473-1543 Polishastronomer.

5) Francis Drake 1540-1596 English explorer,navigator and admiral.

6) Galileo Galilei 1564-1642 Italian astronomer

and physicist. 7) William Shakespeare 1564-1616

English dramatist and poet

2.

1.

6.5.

7.

4.3.

Anabaptists were equally unpopular with both Protestantreformers and Catholics—both of whom strongly reactedagainst any suggestion that infant baptism was not valid.

...Catholic and Protestant Inquisitorsalike introduced their own hell onearth for those who disagreed with

official church teaching and practice.

John Wycliffe (England)1328-1384

Wycliffe was perhapsthe first well-knownRoman Catholic dissi-dent, an early oppo-nent of papal authorityinfluencing nationalleaders and policies. He ismost remembered for hisinsistence that the Bible betranslated into the commonlanguage, and in the face of enor-mous opposition Wycliffe’s Bible was completed in 1384.

Jan Hus (Czech Republic – then known as Bohemia)1369-1415

Born into an impoverishedpeasant family, Hus was

ordained a Catholicpriest in 1401. He rosequickly through theclerical ranks to be-come rector of CharlesUniversity in Prague.He was influenced by

the issues raised byWycliffe and especially

troubled by church corrup-tion—specifically the sale of

indulgences. Hus claimed that thepope was exploiting the Czech people“through ignorance and the love of money.”He openly questioned the Pope’s authority,explaining that Christ was the true leader ofthe church, not the Pope. Hus fomented a religious revolution, with many Czechs sup-porting him. The Pope excommunicated him and in 1414ordered him to appear at the Council of Constance. Afterbeing guaranteed safety, Hus was captured, imprisonedand burned at the stake. After his death, Hussites contin-ued their refusal to submit to Rome, defeating five papalcrusades against them in what became known as the Hus-site Wars. Within 100 years 90 percent of Czechs had leftthe church of Rome. Inspired by Wycliffe, Jan Hus is regarded as the first reformer, followed by Luther, Calvinand Zwingli.

Martin Luther (Germany)1483-1546

Luther was ordained aCatholic priest in 1507.As a professor at theUniversity of Witten-berg his studies causedhim to become critical ofmany aspects of Catholicteaching and practice. Onthe heels of his growing skepti-cism with official church teaching/doctrine (orthodoxy), he was infuriated with the church-sanctioned practice (orthopraxy) of the sale of indulgencesfor the express purpose of invigorating the coffers of thepapal treasury. Having squandered the fortune left to himby Pope Julius II, Pope Leo X (1475-1521) employed JohannTetzel (1465-1519) to sell indulgences—popularly under-stood as free passes from purgatory. Tetzel’s manipulativefund-raising techniques were popularized by the jingle, “Assoon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatorysprings.” Incensed at the corruption in the church Lutherinvited theological debate by posting 95 theses on the doorof the Wittenberg church.

Luther’s insistence that relationship (justification) withGod is by grace through faith, rather than the works-based salvation against which he protested, is a timelessChrist-centered critique by which individual faith andcorporate faith must be measured. Surely, as God usedLuther once, he has used and continues to use others toremind us, in the words of Paul, “For it is by faith you

have been saved, through faith—and this is not fromyourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that noone can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Excommunicated by the Catholic church because of hisviews, Luther responded with impassioned preaching andwriting, fanning the flames of reformation. Far from thestereotypical quiet and mousy church pastor, Luther wasa tempestuous and fiery larger-than-life powerful person-ality. Like so many other giants of history who have left apowerful footprint, Luther was not without his flaws.

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HUS

LUTHERWYCLIFFE

Hus claimed that the pope was exploiting the Czech

people “through ignorance and the love of money.” He

openly questioned the Pope’s authority, explaining that

Christ was the true leader of the church, not the Pope.

They Challenged and Repudiated Rome

While God’s amazing grace, the primary theme of hisministry, has positively influenced the body of Christ foralmost 500 years, other not-so-endearing examples ofLuther’s life endure. Luther was no shrinking violet—helived large and often expressed his thoughts and opinionsin nothing less than blunt and coarse terminology, incit-ing and invoking violence against a peasant movementhe had in part instigated. Luther’s group discussionsabout theology were often filled with anti-Catholic rants,lubricated with and stimulated by good German brew.

Along with many others of his day, both those who be-came Protestants and those who remained Catholics,Luther’s anti-Semitism is deplorable. His hate-filled work Onthe Jews and Their Lies is commonly seen as a central root ofGermanic prejudice, laying the foundation for justificationsfor Hitler’s 20th century Holocaust. In terms of his personallife, historian Ruth Tucker notes that when the once-celibate monk consummated his marriage with his wifeKatie the “spectacle” was open to “the gaze of others” (Parade of Faith—A Biographical History of the ChristianChurch, Ruth Tucker, page 230).

In spite of the character flaws in his humanity, wethank God for Luther’s courageous ministry, in leavingwhat he felt to be the only true church, blazing trails forthen and now. Luther’s enduring work and legacy enables us to be constantly reminded that we can be renewed by faith alone, grace alone and Christ alone.

John Calvin (France/Switzerland) 1509-1564

Martin Luther and John Calvin aretraditionally accorded the title

of the Two Great(est) Re-formers. Calvin was bornin France to a wealthyfamily and received thebest education available.His father insisted thatJohn terminate his stud-ies in theology in favor of

pursuing the study of law.When mass imprisonments

and executions were orderedfor those (including heretical

Protestants) who failed to hew tothe Catholic party line Calvin was forced to leave Paris. Itwas at that time of exile that Calvin wrote and completedhis Institutes of the Christian Religion (1535)—a work thatcombined his expertise in theology and law.

After his father died Calvin moved to Switzerlandwhere he followed in the footsteps of Ulrich Zwingli (inZurich)—Calvin joining in an attempt to turn the city ofGeneva into the kingdom of God on earth. Calvin’sGeneva became the scene of religious violence, in thename of God, where heretics, non-conformists and “Lib-ertines” were burned at the stake.

Of all the religious violence in Calvin’s Geneva, the ex-

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CALV IN

ecution of Michael Servetus is bestknown. Servetus was a brilliant Span-ish physician—he is credited asbeing the first European to discoverthe cardiovascular system. Servetusopposed the Trinitarian beliefs ofboth Protestants and Catholics, and

in Errors About the Trinity he defended his views with biblical citations.

Not one to run from controversy, Servetus arrived inCalvin’s Geneva with a death sentence already pro-nounced on him by Catholic officials. At his subsequenttrial, Servetus was denied an attorney, being told that hehad already proven he could lie well enough withoutone. Believing that Servetus should not simply be behead-ed, Calvin’s Geneva burned him at the stake over greenwood, so that it took three hours for him to die. Usinglanguage evocative of the notorious “honor killings”within Islam, Calvin later defended his order to burnServetus at the stake by saying that he was defendingGod’s honor.

Calvin was timid, a far from imposing personality,who, nonetheless, was oppressively strict and relentlesslyauthoritarian in the legalistic demands he placed on oth-ers, in the name of God.

Ulrich Zwingli (Switzerland) 1484-1531

Often referred to as the third manof the Reformation (behindLuther and Calvin) Zwingli,like Luther, was an or-dained Catholic priestwhose study of the NewTestament led himaway from traditionalbeliefs and practices.During a slow spiritualtransformation over aperiod of years Zwinglibecame convinced thatfaith should be determinedsolely by Scripture, rather thanby the authority of the Pope or by historic church traditions and interpretations. LikeLuther, Zwingli authored his own set of sixty-seven the-ses, denouncing many of the excesses and practices ofCatholicism, including prayers to saints, monasticism,celibacy and indulgences.

Within the course of a few years Zwingli helped turnthe religious climate of Zurich upside down, terminatingcelibacy for the clergy, removing images from churches,dissolving monasteries and simplifying formerly elaborateworship services. Zwingli presided over a virtual theocra-cy in Zurich, somewhat like the government Calvin laterpresided over in Geneva.

Zwingli’s zeal in overthrowing Catholicism was matchedby his brutal opposition to the Radical Reformers—the Anabaptists, who opposed the rite of infant baptism.Zwingli effectively silenced Anabaptists by drowningthem—who had been forewarned by Zwingli’s officialsthat “he who is dipped shall be dipped.” This ironic“death by baptism” for Anabaptists who believed thatbaptism should be by immersion for adults only has been

Excommunicated by the Catholic church because of his views,

Luther responded with impassioned preaching and writing,

fanning the flames of reformation. Luther’s group discussions

about theology were often filled with anti-Catholic rants, lu-

bricated with and stimulated by good German brew.

ZWINGLI

called one of the cruel jokes of the Ref-ormation. Zwingli’s passionate crusadeagainst Anabaptists was not unlike Luther’s tiradesagainst the Jews and the peasants, and Zwingli’s person-al life was marred by at least three known scandals withwomen to whom he was not married.

Meno Simons (Holland) 1496-1561

Like Hus, Luther and Zwingli,Simons was also ordained as

a Catholic priest. His stud-ies initially led him toquestion official churchteaching about transub-stantiation (the Catholicteaching that the breadand wine of mass/com-

munion literally becomethe body and blood of

Jesus). Further, he becameconvicted of the need for a

transforming conversion experience,marked by a commitment to nonviolence. His studiesled him to believe that the Bible teaches adult baptism(believer’s baptism) rather than the then universally accepted practice (by other Protestants, Catholics andEastern Orthodox) of infant baptism. Simons was notby any means the first Anabaptist (from the Greek for“again/twice” and “baptize”—thus “re-baptizers”) buthis influence in consolidating the scattered Anabaptistmovement led his followers to self-identify as Men-nonites. Despite being hunted by authorities whowished to silence his preaching once and for all, andthough his wife and children died, Menno Simons continued to preach and write, dying a natural death atthe age of 65.

John Knox (Scotland) 1514-1572

Orphaned when he was young, Knox eventually deter-mined to study for the ministry. Enrolling at St. Andrews University in Scotland he was soon engulfedby debates responding to news of the Reformation un-derway in Europe. Early in his ministry Knox and otherProtestant reformers were captured, taken captive andincarcerated as galley slaves. After his rescue, he left hisnative Scotland and moved to England—only to findthat he was no longer welcome when Queen Mary

(“Bloody Mary”) came to the throne in1553. Knox fled to France and

then Geneva, where he stud-ied with John Calvin.

Knox became a prolificauthor of vitriolic tracts,attacking the Englishmonarchy (Queen Mary)who bowed the knee toRome. From the safety ofProtestant Europe Knox

compared Queen Mary tothe biblical Jezebel, calling

her the “wicked EnglishJezebel.” When Queen Mary of

England died Knox returned to a Scotland ruled by aFrench Catholic also named Mary—Mary Queen of Scots,the nearly six-foot tall regent of Scotland (1542). Duringher reign (1542-1567) Mary attempted to force Scotland toaccept Rome’s authority, encouraging compliance with hercruel and systematic persecution of Protestants. Followingcivil war in Scotland (1559) Mary was forced to abdicate(1567) and Knox continued his foundational work whicheventually turned Scotland into the most devoutly Calvin-ist country in the world.

Henry VIII (England) reignedas monarch from 1509-1547

The life and times ofHenry V I I I make sLuther’s life seem tameby comparison. In addi-tion to his six wives, heis best known for his rolein the separation of theChurch of England fromRome. While he was charis-matic and accomplished—a gift-ed author and composer—he is remembered as a harsh,ruthless, sensual and lascivious king. Those who opposedhim were often executed.

While Henry removed England from Rome’s authority,he never formally repudiated Catholic teaching—his rea-sons for separating from Rome were more personal and po-litical than they were theological. At the age of seventeenHenry married the widow of his brother Arthur, who haddied only four months after his marriage to Catherine,daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain.Henry’s subsequent marriage to Catherine did not producea male heir who survived infancy, so to solve that prob-lem, and in order to give legitimacy to his desires for AnneBoleyn, Catherine’s lady-in-waiting, Henry replaced thePope as the ultimate religious authority (the Act of Supremacy–1533), and then had his own religious authori-ties give him a divorce.

Following Henry’s death his son Edward, by his thirdmarriage (Jane Seymour), sat on the throne for six years.Edward died in his teens, without an heir, so the thronepassed to his older half-sister, Mary, also known as MaryTudor, and perhaps most of all known and remembered as“Bloody Mary.”

Mary never forgave her father for divorcing her mother,Catherine, so when she assumed the throne her missionwas to return all of England to the authority of Rome. Shetemporarily reversed the English Reformation, having noless than 300 of her subjects burned at the stake—mostnotably, Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury.Mary’s reign lasted only five years—when she died of nat-ural causes she was succeeded by Elizabeth I, the daughterof Henry and Anne Boleyn.

Elizabeth was a devout Anglican, an astute and intelli-gent politician, who, during her forty-five year reign restored stability to the English throne and confirmed theseparation from Rome. q

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SIMONS

HENRY V111

...Zwingli became convinced that faith should be determined

solely by Scripture, rather than by the authority of the Pope

or by historic church traditions and interpretations.

KNOX

The invention of the

movable type press in

the 15th century

coincided with the

Reformation of the 16th

century. Here are seven

watershed events and

individuals who made the

truth of the gospel available to

people in their own languages.

1) John Wycliffe (1328-1384).Wycliffe believed the Bible be-longed to the people, whocomprised the universalchurch, rather than to theinstitutional church. In1382 and 1388 two ver-sions of hand-writtenBibles in English weremade available — hun-dreds of these manu-scripts remain to this day.

2) Johann Gutenberg(1398-1468). In c. 1450Gutenberg invented the mov-able type printing press. In theyears following he began toprint the first book, the LatinVulgate Bible, which is nowoften referred to as the “Guten-berg Bible,” completed c. 1455.

3) Martin Luther (1483-1546). There were previousGerman Bibles, but Luther’sGerman translation of the NewTestament was published in

1522, and his translation of the com-plete German Bible was printed in1534.

4) William Tyndale 1494-1536.Known as the “father of the EnglishBible” Tyndale’s translation of theNew Testament was the first completeEnglish New Testament printed(1526) with movable type. Tyndalewas forced to leave his native Eng-land for fear of his life, and thus com-pleted much of his work during hisEuropean exile. In 1536, after one

year of imprisonment, Tyndale wasstrangled and his body

burned in Belgium by the collabo-ration of church and governmentauthorities.

5) Miles Coverdale (1488-1569). Coverdale was a colleaguein exile with Tyndale in Antwerp.In 1535, the year Tyndale was ar-rested, Coverdale arranged for thepublication of the first completeEnglish Bible which was essential-ly Tyndale’s translation.

6) Geneva Bible. Exiles fromthe tyranny of “Bloody Mary” inEngland gathered in Geneva withJohn Calvin and prepared a “re-formed” English Bible, first print-ed in 1560. It was the first biblewith numbered verses, Romanfont, and extensive marginal com-mentary notes.

6) Douay-Rheims. The RomanChurch finally consented to allowthe Bible to be translated into the

English language. Translated from theLatin Vulgate, the Rheims New Testa-ment was printed in 1582, and theOld Testament followed in 1609-1610.

7) King James Bible. In 1604 An-glican bishops persuaded King James Ito authorized a new English transla-tion. The King James Bible was firstprinted in 1611 and quickly becamethe standard for the Protestant worldfor several centuries, until scholarshipcombined with publishing houses totranslate and print improved, “mod-ern” translations. q

THEY

DARED TO

LET

EVERYONE

READ THE

BIBLE

RP037 500 YEARS... & STILL SEARCHING

Gutenberg

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1Arminiu

s 2.

Calvinism—John Calvin (Franceand Switzerland) 1509-1564 Calvinism is normally thought ofas five points of doctrine,enumerated and recalled with theacronym TULIP.

• Total depravity (humanfaculties are rendered corrupt,depraved and defective byAdam’s disobedience, thuscausing all humans to beincapable of responding to God),

• Unconditional election (Godchooses to elect and redeemcertain individuals, and notothers, a choice independent of avirtuous response on their part),

• Limited atonement (Christ’sdeath on the cross was only forthose God predestined to be

saved. The atonement is,therefore, not for everyone, but islimited to those predestined byGod’s will),

• Irresistible Grace (those whomGod has already chosen foreternal life will inevitably acceptChrist’s atoning work asGod’s grace worksirresistibly upon them)and

• Perseverance of theSaints (those who areelected to be believerswill endure in theirGod-given faith asGod preserves themin their savedcondition).

Calvin’s teachings heavilyinfluenced the Pilgrims and the

Puritans. Calvinism is reflectedtoday in Presbyterian andReformed churches, and partially,through devotion to the “P” inTULIP (or, “once saved, alwayssaved”), in Baptist churches, theUnited Church of Christ, as well

as many evangelical andnondenominational

churches, groups andministries.

Arminianism—JacobusArminius (Holland)1560-1609 Arminianism opposes

the predestination ofCalvinism by insisting that

human dignity requiresfreedom of the will—freedom ofhuman decision and choice.

According toArminianism thisfreedom of choice isactually what God hasforeordained, based onhis foreknowledge ofthose who will accepthis invitation to believein the gospel.Arminianism believesthat apart from humancooperation with gracesalvation can be lost—many see this teachingas paving the way foran emphasis onsalvation by works andperformance-basedreligion. John Wesley,founder of what becameknown as Methodism,was the most well-known preacher ofArminianism.

In practice, many

Four Schools of Thought

4.

saved by faith, not by baptism orbirthright. While Catholics andProtestants generally retreated togeographical boundaries drawnby national borders, and evenareas within countries themselves(as in Germany) Anabaptists werepeople without a country, andthus were somewhat widelydispersed, eventually findingNorth America and its promise ofreligious freedom to be a safehaven. Anabaptists, committed toliterally practicing the Sermon onthe Mount, opposed anyallegiance other than theKingdom of Christ. Thus, theybelieved in the separation ofchurch and state and wereopposed to joining any nationalchurches, whether Protestant,Catholic or Orthodox. In accordwith this view, they believed in aradical commitment to peace,avoiding individual and nationalconflict and participation in war.Anabaptists today includeMennonites, Amish and severalother groups called Brethren. q

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3.

evangelicals are Arminian, withthe exception of their support ofthe “P” in TULIP, as are manynon-denominational believers.Arminianism is denominationallyreflected today in Methodist,Baptist, Pentecostal,Congregational and Unitarianchurches and ministries.

Lutheranism—Martin Luther1483-1546 For Calvinists the “sovereignty ofGod” means that the way toknow God is to recognize him asthe supreme monarch. ForLutherans, the way to know Godis through the gospel of JesusChrist. Lutherans perceive thatCatholic and Orthodox churchesask what the individual must doto secure their salvation and thatCalvinists ask what the individualmust do in order to glorify thesovereign God. Lutherans, on theother hand, claim their teachingsare based on God’s grace, so thatthey ask how Christ has alreadysecured salvation.

From a Lutheran perspective,Calvinists insist that humansmust fear and glorify God, whileLutherans believe humans areblessed to trust and serve agracious and forgiving God.While Calvinism uses the word“grace” its theology tilts towardlaw and individual performance,placing a premium on theobedience owed to the sovereignGod.

That being said, traditionalLutheran theology maintainsmany similarities with Catholicteaching—not the least of whichis infant baptism and

transubstantiation (calledconsubstantiation by Lutherans, aterm which only provides a smallsemantic distinction, accordingto some critics). Luther alsoidentified with much of Calvin’sdoctrine of sin and election,regarding the human will beingin hopeless bondage, believingthat apart from God’s grace wewill be dead in our transgressions.

Anabaptists—Meno Simons1496-1561The Anabaptists foundthemselves caught in the crossfirebetween Protestant reformers andCatholics—both of whomstrongly reacted against anysuggestion that infant baptismwas not valid. The Anabaptistsinsisted that one is saved byresponding to the invitation ofChrist to follow him, not by birthin a Christian nation whereinfant baptism was conflatedwith citizenship at birth. Theyargued that the just truly are

MAP BY MAXIMILIAN DÖRRBECKER

b y J i m F o w l e r

One of the best-kept secretsof the sixteenth centuryreformation is the historyand teaching of the astute

German reformer, Andreas Osiander.Born near Nürnberg in 1498 and educated in Leipzig, Altenburg andIngolstadt, he was ordained as an Augustinian priest in 1520. Just twoyears later, in 1522, he joined theLutheran movement, wherein he wasa participant in the Marburg Collo-

quy in 1529, attended the Diet ofAugsburg in 1530, and was one of thesignatories of the Schmalkalden Arti-cles in 1537. There was even a linkwith the English Reformation whenhis niece, Margaret, became the wifeof Thomas Cranmer in 1532, and atthe urging of Cranmer he wrote andpublished a Harmony of the Gospels(Harmonia Evangelica) in 1537. Also in-terested in medicine and astronomy,he provided a preface to Copernicus’book on the Revolutions of the Heaven-ly Orbs in 1543.

His book On Justification (De Justifi-catione) published in 1549 clarifiedhis theological position that was adjudged to be unacceptable and

heretical by the later reformers suchas Melancthon, Flacius, and Calvin. Osiander rejected the idea that justifi-cation was only a legal and forensicdec larat ion and imputat ion ofChrist’s alien righteousness to a be-

liever. Instead, he argued that right-eousness comes from “Christ dwellingin us by faith.” “God finds one right-eous because Christ is in that person”was the foundation of his Christo-centric doctrine of salvation.

Although Martin Luther had linked“union with Christ” (unio cum Chris-to) and justification in his earlier writings, his later thinking was influ-enced by the legal thought of Melanc-thon and others who insisted on theforensic ascription of Christ’s right-eousness to believers. After Lutherdied (1546), the Lutheran Formula ofConcord (1577) explicitly rejectedany notion of Christ’s indwelling inrelation to justification. John Calvinhad previously repudiated the teach-ing of Osiander in favor of a legallydeclared righteous condition or statusbefore God.

Osiander was thus ostracized andblacklisted because of his teachingthat Christians could actually partici-pate in Christ and his righteousness—that the saving work of Christ pro-duces a genuine internal change inthe believer’s soul.

It should be noted that Andreas Os-iander was outspoken and “in-your-face” about his interpretations, andhis “prickly” personality often createdoffense, but his biblical and theologi-cal conclusions were a necessary antidote to some of the basic formu-lations of the Protestant reformationthat have persisted to this day (almost 500 years later). Subsequentecclesiastical assessment of Osiander’scontribution to the Reformation has

relegated him to the footnotes ofProtestant theology, with an almostinevitable ascription of heretical het-erodoxy.

Most Protestant leaders still have anaversion to any mention of Chris-tians’ subjective participation withthe living Lord Jesus. Often whenChristians come to a personal realiza-tion that the reality of Christian faithis the life of the indwelling Christ (seeGalatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27; 2Corinthians 13:5), they often excited-ly share their newfound awarenesswith the teachers or preachers of their

religious denominations, only to becautioned or even chastised concern-ing the “questionable” nature of theirassertions.

Let us not be hesitant to declare withOsiander, “God finds one righteous because Christ is in that person.” q

Jim Fowler is a husband, father, grand-father, theologian, author and former pastor whose Christ in You ministry canbe found at www.christinyou.com. Jimserves as PTM’s theological consultant.

For Further Reading:

Evans, G.R. The Roots of the

Reformation—Tradition, Emergence

and Rupture. Downer’s Grove, IL:

InterVarsity Press, 2012.

Murphy, Cullen. God’s Jury – The

Inquisition and the Making of the

Modern World. New York, NY:

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.

Rubenstein, Jay. Armies of Heaven

—The First Crusade and the Quest

for Apocalypse. New York: Basic

Books, 2011.

Teems, David. Tyndale—The Man

Who Gave God an English Voice.

Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012.

Tucker, Ruth. Parade of Faith: A

Biographical History of the Christian

Church. Grand Rapids, MI:

Zondervan, 2011.

BLACK SHEEPof the Reformation

Osiander was thus ostracized and blacklisted because of histeaching that Christians could actually participate in Christ and

his righteousness—that the saving work of Christ produces agenuine internal change in the believer’s soul.

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