This is Part 1 in a three-part series on the Reformation. Part 2 will discuss the Council of Trent and the Counter-Reformation. Part 3 will discuss ecumenism today. THE CAUSE AND RESULTS OF THE REFORMATION Reformation Men and Theology, Lesson 2 of 11 by Dr. Arnold INTRODUCTION. The Reformation was the greatest religious movement for Christ since the early church. It was a revival of Biblical and New Testament theology. I am doing a paper about the Protestant Reformation. My Professor wants us to name and detail the 3 specific movements. I looked online and am having trouble identifying them. By Sandra Glahn. This year marks the five-hundredth anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Reformers have existed throughout church history, but a professor in Wittenberg, Germany, named Martin Luther, created 95 talking points listing what he thought needed to change in the church.

Major Causes and Effects of the Protestant Reformation There were several causes of the Protestant Reformation that effected society, politics, and religion in Europe during the 16th century. In my opinion, the immediate cause that started the reformation was Martin Luther’s act of posting the 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral.

What Is The Reformation

One of the most important events of history occurred on October 31, 1517 when a priest named Martin Luther nailed 95 Theses (complaints) against the Catholic Church to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany. This was the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Luther’s audacious act of questioning the Catholic Church opened the way for others to protest against and seek for reform of the Catholic Church, and eventually these Protestant Reformers broke away to form a new type of church. Especially in countries touched by the Protestant Reformation, this religious revolution yielded the results of changing the course of history and gaining the extraordinary liberties and privileges people enjoy today, whether Christians or not.

In order to grasp the radical results of the Protestant Reformation, one must know the history of the Middle Ages. The Catholic Church controlled religious understanding and political institutions through the feudal systems of European countries. Catholic cathedrals were the heart of communities, yet bishops and priests held captive God’s Word and claimed to be the only ones allowed to read and interpret it to the people. Having no way to find out the truth themselves, the common people had no choice but to show loyalty and faith in the priests’ teachings if they wanted any hope of eternal salvation. Not only did this lead to false teaching and abuses in the Catholic Church but also to the hindrance of economic growth and scientific, literary, and artistic development.

While Luther was not the first to protest against the Catholic Church, his bold act opened a floodgate of change to end blind loyalty to the Catholic Church so that Christians may enjoy freedoms that last to this day. The Reformers, such as Martin Luther, John Calvin and Philip Melanchthon, articulated ideas that historians have put together into what is now called the Five Solas. They are 1) Sola Gratia (“grace alone”), 2) Sola Fide (“faith alone”), 3) Solus Christus (“Christ alone”), 4) Sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”), and 5) Soli Deo Gloria (“to the glory of God alone”). The Five Solas summarize salvation from God as “by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone according to the authority of Scripture alone for the glory of God alone.”

To reiterate, the ideas of the Protestant Reformation greatly impacted the development of world history, bringing freedom for Christians and non-Christians alike. Like the Declaration of Independence in America’s history, the nailing of the 95 Theses was a key event that led to independence for Christians from the oppressive rule of the Catholic Church. And like Independence Day, the results of the Protestant Reformation have been some of the most impactful and liberating inworld history.

Here are 15 world-changingresults of the Protestant Reformation:

1. The Protestant Reformation brought spiritual emancipation to all people to be able to be free from sin and guilt and know true salvation as found in Jesus Christ. (See the Five Solas above.)

2. The ProtestantReformation lifted the burden of working for salvation – for one’s self or for dead relatives. Since salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), one cannot work for or earn salvation, so it is not necessary or effectual to pray for the dead, to buy indulgences to pay for loved ones to suffer less in Purgatory (which is never mentioned in the Bible), or to go on pilgrimages.

3. The ProtestantReformation elevated the Bible to its proper place as the highest authority, above the authority of a church or any man, and during the Reformation, the Bible became accessible to all people (with the help of the printing press), not just church leaders.

4. The ProtestantReformation gave independence from man-made religion and especially the false teachings and abuses of the Catholic Church.

5. The ProtestantReformation provided freedom from superstitions.

6. The ProtestantReformation renewed Christians’ vision and passion for evangelism and missions.

7. The ProtestantReformation gave value andextended education to all classes of people. In holding the belief that all should have access to the truths of the Bible, several Reformers wrote catechisms in “question and answer” format to help especially children and the illiterate learn the essentials of the faith and doctrine – Luther wrote one, Calvin wrote one, and eventually the Westminster Confession of Faith and Longer and Shorter Catechisms came out in 1646. Also, from the idea that all people should be able to read the Bible and learn spiritual truths for themselves came the need to learn to read. Philipp Melanchthon and Martin Luther believed every child should receive an education and founded and restructured many schools.

8. The ProtestantReformation established an abundant catalog of rich theological hymns in the people’s languages as well as created value for psalm singing.

9. The ProtestantReformation bridged the gap between sacred and secular and thus created a pride in doing one’s work. The Reformers recognized that all that one does, including the daily mundane tasks, can be and should be done for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Every vocation is important, not just church jobs. The true teachings of the Bible freed people by breaking down class distinctions (such as the fallacy that church jobs are better than secular jobs) and by putting a final nail in the coffin of feudalism in Europe. Also, knowing that all things are for God’s glory, a door opened for using one’s gifts in all kinds of ways: business and vocational pursuits, economic opportunities, inventions. In pursuing God’s exaltation, people want to work hard for God’s glory in whatever they do, hence the Protestant work ethic was born.

10. The ProtestantReformation broke the control the Catholic Church held over kings and rulers.

11. The ProtestantReformation ended the economic power of Catholic Church, which paved the way for capitalism and money-lending.

12. The ProtestantReformation terminated the oppressive control of science by the Catholic Church and opened the way for real scientific investigation, which has thrived under Protestantism.

13. The ProtestantReformation gave credence to individual conscience and the permission to follow the dictates of individual conscience.

14. Products of the ProtestantReformation, the Pilgrims and Puritans (many of the founding groups of America) were Protestants, and so they established America on Judeo-Christian principles.

15. The ProtestantReformation inspired the government of the United States of America, which is patterned after the Presbyterian form of government. Presbyterianism is a representative form of government after which the Protestant church denomination is named. (Elders and deacons are elected to represent the church members and thus, the church members do not vote on every issue.)

Sign up to receive encouragement and music, art and memorization tools for your homeschool journey!

What amazing results and a heritage to celebrate! The Protestant Reformation is indeed an important era of history where the world as we know it was formed.

Resources:

If you want to plan a Reformation Day party (October 31) or do a unit study on Reformers, check out our guide here.

Ligonier Ministries has a podcast series called 5 Minutes in Church History, and a series called Luther in Real Time as well as in October 2017, the episodes were about Martin Luther and the other Reformers.

Book Recommendations:

Jus’ Classical is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Jus’ Classical also is an affiliate with Christian Book Distributors and Notgrass History. You can help support Jus’ Classical at no extra cost to you when you purchase anything through our link to Amazon, Christian Book Distributors or Notgrass History.

For younger kids:

Famous Men of the Renaissance & Reformation by Rob Shearer – a great starter book for kids!

Martin Luther: A Man Who Changed the World by Paul Maier

Martin Luther – Christian Biographies for Young Readers by Simonetta Carr

John Calvin – Christian Biographies for Young Readers by Simonetta Carr

John Knox – Christian Biographies for Young Readers by Simonetta Carr

Reformation ABCs: The People, Places, and Things of the Reformation―from A to Z by Stephen J. Nichols

For older kids:

When Lightning Struck!: The Story of Martin Luther by Danika Cooley

Fine Print: A Story about Johann Gutenberg by Joann Johansen Burch

John Calvin: After Darkness Light by Catherine MacKenzie

John Knox: The Sharpened Sword by Catherine MacKenzie

The Revolt: A Novel in Wycliffe’s England by Douglas Bond

The Betrayal: A Novel on John Calvin by Douglas Bond

The Thunder: A Novel on John Knox by Douglas Bond

Luther in Love by Douglas Bond

Hammer of the Huguenots by Douglas Bond and Will Kelly

Mr. Pipes and Psalms and Hymns of the Reformation by Douglas Bond

William Tyndale: The Smuggler’s Flame by Lori Rich

3 Results Of The Reformation Timeline

For adults:

The Reformation: A History by Diarmaid MacCulloch

The Unquenchable Flame: Discovering the Heart of the Reformation by Michael Reeves

Why the Reformation Still Matters by Michael Reeves

John Knox and the Reformation by D.M. Lloyd Jones and Iain Murray

Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin

Martin Luther’s 95 Theses by Martin Luther, edited by Stephen J. Nichols

Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland H. Bainton

The Legacy of Luther edited by R.C. Sproul and Stephen J. Nichols

The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World by Stephen J. Nichols

3 Consequences Of The Reformation

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs by John Foxe

Resource for Redeeming Holidays:

Treasuring God in our Traditions by Noel Piper

DVDs:

Luther and the Reformation by R.C. Sproul

The English Reformation and the Puritans by Michael Reeves

For Fun:

More Articles on Jus’ Classical:

Baptists are Protestants. I know there are some Baptists out there who don’t believe we are Protestants, but their rejection of this truth betrays a bapto-centric bias and ignores history. It is one of those beliefs that my colleague Keith Harper calls “history as apologetics”–using (or misusing) history (or alleged history) to make a theological point.

The first Protestants were theological and moral dissenters who ultimately left the Catholic Church and started new movements. Most Protestants continued to embrace some form of church-state union (or at least close partnership) and, like Catholics, used the state’s power to coerce religious conformity. Lutherans and most Calvinists could be included in this group. A few Protestants, such as the Anabaptists, embraced the believer’s church model and rejected the idea of territorial churches. These “Free Church” Protestants were typically abused by the “Magisterial” Protestants who were fans of state churches.

The Reformation Pdf

In England, Protestants were active from at least the 1520s, though it wasn’t until the 1530s that the Church of England withdrew from the Catholic Church and embraced a cautious Protestantism. After a period of religious and political turmoil, England emerged as a Protestant nation from 1559 onwards, combining a moderately Reformed view of salvation with a moderately Catholic view of worship and the church. This compromised Protestantism, more formally known as the Elizabethan Religious Settlement, pleased few of those folks who wanted to see England become Geneva or Zurich with a cockney accent and afternoon tea.

3 Causes Of The Reformation

Most of the “hot” Protestants in England wanted to transform the Church of England into a Presbyterian state church–we call them the puritans, though there were some early puritans who were cool with bishops. Other staunch Protestants agreed with the Calvinism of the early puritans, but rejected the Presbyterian commitment to state churches. These Separatists, so-called because they left the Church of England and formed independent congregations, were in many ways similar to the Anabaptists in their ecclesiology, though they still held to covenantal infant baptism based upon their Reformed soteriology.

During the first half of the seventeenth century, some of the Separatists came to embrace credobaptism, which they added to their prior commitments to regenerate church membership, congregational polity, local church autonomy, and religious liberty. We call these folks the Baptists. While there is some debate about what influence, if any, the Continental Anabaptists had on at least some of these Separatists, at the end of the day the first Baptists were in fact Separatists who adopted confessor’s baptism. And by the 1640s, the mode of their baptism reflected the New Testament practice of full immersion.

So Baptists are Protestants. To be specific, we are third generation Protestants who in many ways represent an attempt to reform the Reformation. In the Baptist movement, the very best of the Magisterial understanding of Scripture and salvation was combined with the very best of the Free Church understanding of the church and discipleship. The result was a new movement that represented a further reformation among some of the Reformed churches in England. These Baptists were a diverse lot, they didn’t always play nicely with one another, and some of them chased some admittedly troubling tangents, especially in the eighteenth century. But Protestants they remained, albeit a different Protestant movement than the Lutherans, Calvinists, and Anabaptists of Continental Europe.

So on this Reformation Day, I’m thankful for the Protestant heritage we Baptists enjoy. We stand with Luther and Calvin on justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. We stand with the Anabaptists on a believer’s church committed to radical discipleship and confessor’s baptism. We stand with all three of these groups in their commitment to the supreme authority of Scripture. And as good Protestants, we ultimately stand where we stand, not because others stand there as well, but because we believe the Spirit still speaks through His Word to guide Christ’s people on the narrow way.

Happy Reformation Day.

(Note: This is a lightly edited re-post of an essay that was first published in October 2010. Image credit here and here.)