A Brief History of the Reformation

As early as the 13th century the papacy had become vulnerable to attack because of the greed, immorality, and ignorance of many of its officials in all ranks of the hierarchy . Vast tax-free church possessions, constituting as much as 1/5 to 1/3 of the lands of Europe, incited the envy and resentment of the land-poor peasantry.

14^th Century

English reformer John Wycliffe boldly attacked the papacy striking at the sale of indulgences, the excessive veneration of saints and the moral and intellectual standards of ordained priests. To reach the common people, he translated the Bible into English rather than Latin.,

15^th Century

Wycliffe’s teachings spread to Bohemia, where they found a powerful advocate in Jan Hus (John Huss). His execution in 1415 led directly to the Hussite Wars, a violent expression of Bohemian nationalism, sup- pressed with difficulty by the combined forces of the Holy Roman emperor and the pope. The wars were a precursor of religious civil war in Germany in Luther’s time.

French Papacy

The captivity of popes at Avignon in the 14th century, and the ensuing Western schism, gravely impaired the authority of the Papacy and divided its adherents into partisans of one or another pope.

Council of Constance (1414-1418): Ambitious programs for the reorganization of the entire hierarchy were debated but no program gained a majority.

1516: Concordat (1516) between the king and the pope placed the French church substantially under royal authority. Earlier concordats with other national monarchies also prepared the way for the rise of autonomous national churches.

The Gutenberg Press

Invention of printing with movable metal type: the Gutenberg Bible is the 1st book so printed, by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany, 1455. The increased efficiency of printing, and a more literate population, enhanced the spread of ideas, fueling the 16th-century Protestant Reformation in Germany. Scholarly studies laid the basis on which Luther, Calvin, and other reformers claim the Bible rather than the church as the sole authority. Greatly increased the circulation of books and the spread of new ideas throughout Europe.

Martin Luther

In 1483 born to a coal miner; decides to become a lawyer. In 1504, a violent storm changes his course to pursue a doctorate of Theology. Disillu- sioned by a visit to Rome, Habbakuk 2:4 become his life text. Oct. 31, 1517: Luther nails 95 theses to the door at Wittenburg College. Dec. 10, 1520: Bull excommunicated Luther, “retract within 60 days or death.” Luther burned it publicly and the Reformation is born. Diet of Worms: 1521; Charles V, Emperor of “the Holy Roman Empire” (Germany, Spain, Netherlands and Austria) summoned Luther to appear. “Here I stand; I can do naught else; so help me God.”

The Centuries of Wars began: the war on the German Protestants (1566- 1609); war on Protestants of Netherlands (1566-1609); Huguenot Wars in France (1572 1598); Philip’s attempt against England (1588); and the Thirty Years War (1618-1648).

11^th – 15^th Century

1054 Eastern Orthodoxy

1173 Waldensians, Peter Waldo

1379 Lollards, John Wycliffe

1415 Hussites, Jan Hus

16^th Century

1517   Lutherinism   Martin Luther

1521   Anabaptists   Scandanavian Lutherans

1523   Swinglianism   Huldreich Zwingli   

1534   Anglicanism  Henry VIII

1536   Mennonites   Menno Simons

1536   Calvinism       John Calvin

1540s             German Reformed Church 

1550s Hungarian Reformed Church        

1560s             French Calvinists (Huguenots       

1560s             Scottish Presbyterians       

1560s             Congregationalism 

1570s Dutch Reformed Church    

17^th Century

18^th & 19^th Century

1739   Methodism                John Wesley

1785   Protestant Episcopal Church        

1800   United Brethren in Christ    

1819   Unitarianism             William Channing

1831   Disciples of Christ    Thomas Campbell

1863   Seventh-Day Adventists       William Miller

1865   Salvation Army        William Booth

1879   Christian Science     Mary Baker Eddy

1914   Assemblies of God 

[Assemblies of God: approximately 11,900 churches and 2,530,000 members in the United States. Some 175,000 churches are maintained in 158 countries, and the worldwide membership numbers 32 million.]

The Denominational Church

• “Soft” hermeneutical traditions
• Denial of the Millennial Reign
• Denial of Israel’s prophetic destiny
• Absence of Biblical devotional life
• De-emphasis of the Gospel of Christ
• Ordination of homosexuals

The Reformation was a heroic period in church history. “Salvation by faith, not works.” But its failures persist unto this day. The allegorization of Scripture (especially those concerning Christ’s rule in the Millen- nium) is at the top of the list. The Reformation did not go far enough. The Millennium and the Rapture of the Church are not accepted literally in most mainline denominational churches today.

Evangelicals & Catholics Together

March 29, 1994: A joint declaration was signed, called “Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium.” The compromise of the Gospel lies at the heart of the agreement. But the Gospel hasn’t changed. This could be the most significant event in 500 years of church history.