(Editor’s Note: I have been trying to get an avid Veracity reader to write this blog post for several years, as he has personally been to Scotland to see “Parking Space 23.” But alas, in this, the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation, I could wait no longer…)
If you go to Edinburgh, Scotland, today, you might have trouble finding the grave of Scotland’s greatest Protestant Reformer of the 16th century, John Knox. Hidden away, underneath the asphalt of parking space 23, lies the body of one John Knox, who paved the way for the Reformation to transform the country of Scotland. A plaque embedded in the pavement reads:
“The above stone marks the approximate site of the burial in St Giles graveyard of John Knox, the great Scottish divine who died 24 Nov 1572.”
Why would John Knox’s grave be found in a parking lot? Just imagine if the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. were bulldozed over, and converted into a parking garage.
In much of secular Scotland today, the Christian faith of the Reformation era is largely forgotten. Yet John Knox is unquestionably the founder of modern Presbyterianism, as he resolutely preached his way throughout Scotland, moving this northernmost segment of the British Isles away from Roman Catholicism towards a Protestant faith. Within a few centuries, the Scottish church would become one of the greatest missionary sending communities of all time, establishing Christian witness over all the world.
Was there something about Knox himself that contributes to this historical neglect? Though a fiery evangelist, with a great love for the Gospel, John Knox was also known to be rather severe. Was it because he acted as a bodyguard to another Scottish preacher, for a time? Was it because he suffered for two years of oppressive prison labor, aboard a French galley ship? Was it because he actively opposed the idea of having a woman as a secular ruler?
Yet it might be time to restore John Knox, Scotland’s greatest Reformer, from this historical neglect.
The film Knox explores these questions, and tells his story. Here is the trailer:
A Dutch Anabaptist, Dirk Willems, was chased across a frozen pond, by one of his persecutors. When his persecutor fell through the ice, and feared for his life, Willems had compassion on the man, and pulled him out of the frozen waters to safety. Willems was then apprehended, and days later, was executed for his Anabaptist beliefs…. So, who are these Anabaptists? A brief look at one of their prominent leaders, Menno Simons, tells their story.
Menno Simons, the founder of the “Mennonites,” was enjoying the “good life” of a typical medieval priest, in the 16th century. Yes, he had his religious duties, performing baptisms and the Mass, but he also had a “good time” drinking with his friends, and partying into the wee hours of the night.
But his conscience had gripped him, when he knew of neighbors who had died as martyrs, clinging to a belief in the Bible, as the true source for what it really meant to be a Christian. Menno, even though he was indeed a priest, knew nothing of the Bible.
“[My friends] and myself spent our time daily in playing, drinking, and all manner of frivolous diversions, alas! as it is the fashion and way of such useless people; and when we were to treat a little of scripture, I could not speak a word with them without being scoffed at; for I did not know what I asserted. Thus concealed was the word of God to my understanding. At length I resolved that I would examine the New Testament attentively.”
Menno eventually became convinced of “Believer’s baptism,” a key feature of the “Anabaptist” movement. He embraced the discipline of a scholar, spending several years, in trying to understand the Bible. But some of his new Anabaptist friends had gone down the wrong track, embracing the error of violence. The Holy Spirit was still working on Menno’s hardened heart:
“I could find no rest in my soul. I reflected upon my carnal, sinful life, my hypocritical doctrine and idolatry, in which I continued daily under the appearance of godliness. I saw that these zealous children willingly gave their lives and their estates, though they were in error, for their doctrine and faith. And I was one of those who had discovered some of their abominations, and yet I myself remained satisfied with my unrestrained life and known defilements. I wished only to live comfortably and without the cross of Christ.”
After seeking after the Lord, and through his study of the Scriptures, Menno Simons finally discovered the grace of God:
“Thus have I, a miserable sinner, been enlightened of the Lord, converted to a new mind, fled from Babel, entered into Jerusalem, and finally, though unworthily, called to this high and arduous service…..He who, purchased me with the blood of his love, and called me, who am unworthy, to his service, knows me, and knows that I seek not wealth, nor possessions, nor luxury, nor ease, but only the praise of the Lord, my salvation, and the salvation of many souls.”
Many of the Anabaptist leaders of the Radical Reformation were killed during the 16th century. Menno Simons survived, preaching and teaching from the Scriptures, and those who have been drawn to his teachings are now scattered all over the world. We know these particular Anabaptists today as “Mennonites.”
When people think of “the Reformation,” typically the name of Martin Luther comes to mind. After all, it was in 1517, 500 years ago, when he began his campaign against the sale of indulgences. But Luther was not the only player. In fact, there were a number of other key personalities, that made the Reformation happen.
I have taken a list of twelve historical figures, four of them prior to the Reformation, and eight of them during the 16th century, that interested Christians need to know about, in order to understand the story of what the Reformation was all about, and why it happened (Links and images via Wikipedia).
If you want to discover more about some of the other leading players, of the Protestant Reformation, I would highly recommend listening to the Here We Stand podcast, by DesiringGod.org, for a 31-day set of short, podcasts, six-minutes long each, for a different Reformer each day. Continue reading
What are the great principles that guide historically Protestant, Evangelical Christianity? They can be summarized by considering the “five solas,” five Latin phrases, that define the very heart of the 16th century Reformation.
Five hundred years after the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, the place of the Gospel in the church is just as tenuous as ever. Every generation must diligently seek to recover the Gospel anew, lest it be lost in a sea of religiosity, theology “fads,” and the indifference of hearts calloused towards the Truth. The first three “solas” were watchwords of the 16th century, and the last two “solas” have been adopted over time.
What do you believe?
Sola Scripture: Scripture alone is the final authority, in all matters of Christian faith and practice. The Western medieval church tended to rely on church leaders and councils, that sometimes obscured the teaching of Scripture. Folks like the German Reformer, Martin Luther, have placed the Bible, and the Bible alone, at the fountainhead of all spiritual authority, over against human traditions. Church tradition does play a role in our understanding of the Bible, but it should never cancel out the Bible itself.
Sola Fide: Salvation is experienced through faith, and faith alone, and not through works. Yet as John Calvin, the 16th century French/Swiss Reformer, is said by some to have remarked, “Faith alone justifies, and yet the faith that justifies is never alone.” Good works will always accompany genuine faith in Christ.
Sola Gratia: By “grace alone” we are saved. The Western medieval church, over a period of centuries, was drawn to the idea that while salvation is indeed through grace, that grace could only be mediated through the sacraments of the institutional church. The 16th century Reformers contended that while the sacraments, instituted by Christ are indeed important, the church, as an institution, does not control the means by which people receive the grace of God. The Gospel is bigger than that.
Sola Christus: Christ is the sole mediator between humans and God. Martin Luther championed the idea of the “priesthood of all believers,” that human beings can have direct access to God, through Christ, without having to pass through a human, priestly go-between.
Sola Deo Gloria: When it comes to salvation, who gets the glory? Does God alone receive it, or does human effort dilute the praise that belongs solely to God? The Reformation endeavored to see that God, and God alone, is supremely honored.
My Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox friends might prod and question some, if not all, of the “five solas.” But the discussion is an important one for all Christians to have.
Are these “five solas” hallmarks in your life? Do they define for you, the basic theological principles supporting the truth of the Gospel? What do you believe?
Well, to tell the truth, the “nailing” of Luther’s document to the church door was no big deal, in and of itself. It was like stapling a poster up at a college bulletin board, or posting a message on Facebook. As a university theology professor, Luther wanted to hold a discussion with church leaders and other academic colleagues, coming up with 95 propositions for debate. Like most university academic discussions, such debates rarely, if ever, “go viral,” even today. Academics normally can not compete with ESPN. However, the big deal was what happened in the following four years, after Luther posted his theses.
In Luther’s day, the Western church was riddled with corruption, and everybody knew it. Initially, Luther objected to the sale of indulgences, whereby church officials would urge people, who had no access to the Scriptures in their native language, to give money to the church, in exchange for lessening the punishments of loved ones, who were suffering in purgatory. In 1517, Luther still believed in the doctrine of purgatory itself, as acceptable Christian doctrine.
So, Luther was originally tapping into the widespread frustration with the medieval church. For example, from proposition 82, Luther argued that the papacy was more concerned about making money, than actually helping people who were suffering in purgatory:
“Why does not the pope empty purgatory for the sake of holy love and the dire need of the souls that are there if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a church?
Or even from proposition 86:
“Why does not the pope, whose wealth is today greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build this one basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers?”
But there were hints that Luther was pressing against something deeper, within the medieval Catholic system, than simply corrupt church practices. Consider the first three propositions:
When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent” (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.
This word cannot be understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is, confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy.
Yet it does not mean solely inner repentance; such inner repentance is worthless unless it produces various outward mortification of the flesh.
Here, Luther shows how he was influenced by Erasmus’ Greek edition of the New Testament, published just a year earlier, before Luther’s famous 1517 date. “Doing penance,” according to the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible, is not the same thing as “repentance.” It was Luther’s study of the Scriptures that forced him to look at reality anew and afresh.
And this is what rattled church leaders.
Luther was hoping for an opportunity to express his views, and defend them. But he soon learned that certain church authorities, who benefited so much from corruption, refused to engage him in authentic debate. One of the few times Luther was allowed to debate his views, almost led to his undoing. At the Leipzig disputation in 1517, his brilliant opponent Johann Eck, forced Luther into a corner. Luther finally had to admit that he was calling into question the infallibility of the church, through its popes and councils.
Now Luther was in trouble. The problem was that Luther’s ideas were starting to catch on with folks outside of the academic community, both among the nobility, and the peasant poor. Luther was a master of the new technology of the printing press, and he put it to use. Luther fought back.
The church leadership simply could not tolerate such dissension. For if Luther would not be silenced, they were concerned that Luther would open the floodgates of false doctrines and heresy to proliferate, and destroy the unity of Christendom through schism. Their fears were not without some warrant. For church authorities, Luther had to be stopped.
But Luther was held captive to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures. Luther was far from perfect, but he knew his cause to be just. To him, the very message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was at stake. If he could be persuaded that he had erred, in interpreting the Bible, he was open to correction. But by the time of his grand appearance before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, at the Diet of Worms, in 1521, he had become convinced of the Bible’s teaching, of justification by faith alone, and salvation by grace alone.
His answer to the Emperor, though scholars are not convinced of the actual wording, nevertheless still echoes throughout the course of history:
“Here I stand, I can do no other, God help me. Amen.”
The church and world have never been the same since.
…And now… Duh-duh-dahh!! ….. For a rather happy take on Martin Luther and the Reformation, you will not want to miss the “Reformation Polka,” by Baylor University professor of history, Chris Gertz:
(Editor’s Note: I have been trying to get an avid Veracity reader to write this blog post for several years, as he has personally been to Scotland to see “Parking Space 23.” But alas, in this, the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation, I could wait no longer…)
Veracity 