The Reformation and Reasons

The straw that broke the camels back was the whole idea of indulgences. The church was offering people the option to drop a few coins and have a family member freed from purgatory. Purgatory is the doctrine that states that since we are so unholy compared to God, we must be purified before we can enter heaven. This doctrine is based on the Apocryphal books which were books written in between the completion of the Old Testament and the beginning of the new... except these books are not accepted by Protestants for various reasons, mostly because they don't measure up to the rest of Scripture.

If you want some great resources on the subject, I'd definately recommend Dr. Stephen Nichols' Martin Luther: A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought... along with teh 95 theses that Nichols published as well. I'd also recommend Reformation Sketches. Not sure of the author of that one. Should get you started.

You want a great Reformed book resource site? Check it out: www.discerningreader.com

Look up some material on the reformers and the reformation there. Excellent site.

tigersnare said:

Why was there a Reformation, and why did it go in the Direction it did in your opinion?

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The Reformers wanted to reproove the church Biblically, like Athanasius successfully did centuries earlier when the church. They could not, because they church at the time rejected thier views of scripture. They did not originally wish to break off from the church, only to bring it back to the Bible.

Luther's reasoning didn;t just come from justification. It's actually interesting to not that when debating with Erasamus, Luther said that the core of the Reformation was man's deadnesss in sin and God's work alone in salvation. The Catholic Church at the time was synergistic, the Reformers were monergistic. Which is actually why the Reformed church rejected Arminianism as heresy some years later, becasue they viewed it as a return to the ROman Catholic view of sotierology.

Just to add some more insight to why Luther did what he did, allow me to quote the man himself.

"I was indeed a pious monk and kept the rules of the order so strictly that I can say: if ever a monk gained heaven through monkey, it should have been I. All my monastic brethern who knew me will testify to this. I would have martyred myself by...good works had I remained much longer. (qtd in Hans Hillerbrand The Reformation)

As a monk I liveed an irreproachable life. Nevertheless I felt that I was a sinner before God. My conscience was restless, and I could not depend on God being propiated by my sastisfactions. Not only did I not love, but I actually hated the righteous God who punishes sinners.(quoted in Here I Stand)

As for Luther, he was being destroyed by the fact that he was a sinner! The thought of God's righteousness scared him to death. But later, as he would then affirm justification by faith through Christ alone, God's righteousness became his beacon of hope. Thus, he would not move on this point.

(Just another insight to the other added stuff)

check out

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/lifelong-learning/distrib/reforml8.htm#intro3

it is a very well done online class which covers the reformation and the renaissance. worth several hours of investigation.....

tigersnare said:

When and how did the Catholic Church get away from the bible?

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Officially, it was at the Council of Trent. Here, Rome laid down her affirmations of their doctrines and the anathemas of the Protestants. Google "Council of Trent" and look for a listing of it.