Chapter 21: A Song to Lady Poverty

Monasticism was widespread during the dark ages. People come to prove their faith by living
in poverty, renouncing their earthly comforts. But some men objected to this belief that while people
live in poverty, there is some who lives wealthily who are the ones in the higher positions. For a few
centuries, some people chose to live in “apostolic poverty” for their Christian life and some objected,
causing heresy. Many heresies came up, the Catholic church, being provoked, solved the solution with
violence to preserve their religion. The Inquisition was then created to execute heretics.

The people are getting poor while the church is getting richer, this made some people protest
against the church. Arnold, an abbot from Brescia, protested to the church’s worldliness, telling it to
surrender its wealth and return to the early poverty. In 1139, Arnold was successful by turning the
people from their bishop, so he was banished by the pope. After five years, he returned back to Rome,
joining a movement to overthrow papal rule and preached about living in apostolic poverty and
protesting against the church. After a decade, he was captured and was executed by burning.

Another one was Peter Waldo, a rich merchant of Lyons, after hearing a ballad about apostolic
poverty and getting an advice to how to live like Christ, he kept a few income and gave the rest to the
poor. He then started to gain some followers which are later called Waldenses. Later, they appealed
to the bishop about his purpose and was ridiculed, but the church did not find their movement a
heresy. He then preached more and gained more followers and eventually, the pope excommunicated
them. They want to purify the church by returning it to its simple life. They used the Scriptures to
preach and was called by modern evangelists as “reformers before the reformation”.

The third was a group called the Cathari but they are also called Albigenses. The Albigenses
held the same doctrine similar to Gnostics that the universe was divided between two powers, the
good and the evil, believing that matter is work of the evil. They taught about the evil and the good
god and became more heretical that Arnold and Peter Waldo. They held territory at Toulouse.

The popes tried to sent preachers to counter the Albigenses but it was ineffective, until one day,
a man named Dominic Guzman came. He came to them like a beggar to win them and then Dominic
thought that preaching and poverty belongs together. Then his mission started, preaching to people
but living in poverty. However, they are not the same as monks. Pope Innocent III interim decided to
annihilate the Albigenses with their heresy and called for a crusade and was successful at getting their
territory.

After all of these, there are still heretics who hid themselves and it was solved by the
inquisition. It was turned over to different hands. Albigenses, Cathari, and Waldenses were killed but
some still survived likewise the inquisition. Its weakness is that it could amputate but could not heal.
And this is where Giovanni Bernardone comes in.

Giovanni Bernadone, also known as St. Francis of Assisi, was a son of a wealthy Italian cloth
merchant. His father wants him to be a knight but he doesn’t want to. One time, while he was a
having a high fever in a prison, he meditated the meaning of life, he decided to leave his father’s
dream for him. He returned and dressed in a scarecrow’s clothing, went on preaching about the joys
of apostolic poverty. After preaching and preaching, he gained followers which are now called
Franciscans. He came to middle east and went on preaching to some rulers and people there. When
he returned to Italy, he realized that he was to be a model not a manager so he appointed Cardinal
Ugolino to be his adviser.

Ugolino, later called Pope Gregory IX, admired Francis and his teachings but he was wealthy
now, so he let the Franciscans take authority. After the pope changed, a new Rule came where
begging was the fundamental trait. Meanwhile, Francis have changed, feared the spread of influence
and growth of knowledge, leaving the poor. He was carried back to Assisi and died October 3, 1226.
Chapter 22: Sleeping Men and the Law of Necessity

In fourteenth century, a pope named Boniface VIII created the Holy Year, the year where the
people will be forgiven from their sins, was executed to all churches and made the people happy.
Boniface exalted himself, praised himself like an emperor.

Many things in the kingdom changed, like cash have more value than lands and the
Christendom became less important since the papal reign began. Some rulers tried to question the
pope’s rule by taxing the church but Boniface VIII created a decree, excommunicating those who tax
any clergyman or church, but the rulers were not threatened by it and thus they were the ones who
threatened the pope that if they would not pay, they will confiscate their properties and treasures.
The pope, terrified, surrendered to what the rulers want.

Boniface focused on one of the rulers, Philip, a French monarch. Boniface imprisoned a
French bishop with charges of treason. Philip then sent clergymen to come to the pope. Being
insulted by one of the ministers, Boniface ordered the most extreme decree about papal power, Unam
sanctum, where every human being is to be subject to the pope. He hired a lawyer who helps Philip
build his nation, William of Nogaret. Boniface, now well-stricken in age left Rome to return to his
birthplace. Norgaret and his troops came to Boniface’s room and abused him that he died within a
few weeks. All returned to normal and Boniface became a target of criticism. After he died, the next
elected pope was a Frenchman, Pope Clement V, who never came to Rome and preferred to be near to
home.

Clement was criticized for living in Avignon than in the papal palace and it was argued by
many. Avignon papacy was then dismissed and many questions about the papacy popped up. After
few years, the mob chose an Italian pope.

The Great Schism started when Urban ruled from Italy and Clement from Avignon. It lasted
for 39 years, questioning who is the real pope. Countries picked their sides on whose pope they’ll
support. Then a group of professors came up about the general council which would represent the
Universal Church but the problem is that only the pope could call for a general council but which
pope?

In 1409, a majority of cardinals from both sides met and decided to elect a new pope who is
Alexander V. Now there are three popes claiming the throne. In 1414, the Roman emperor called for
a council in Constance, a convention of nations, voting for the pope. After three years, a man named
Martin V was elected and the Great Schism was ended. Martin’s reign is about councils, at which is
greater, so he cancelled the others except the one he made. The next pope was more immoral and
provided wealth and power for his children, that Vatican became worse. Then this is where men think
of regional churches with representatives to the higher church.
Chapter 23: Judgment in the Process of Time

Time shifts and challenges human feats. It has seen its ups, downs, rises, and downfalls.
One of these was in the medieval times, the Great Schism and the Babylonian Captivity at Avignon,
where men fought for power, for papacy. And because of the papacy, God’s rule started to fade. But
some people thought of freeing themselves from the pope, who’s filled with greed for power, and there
is where the idea of Christian society enters. Courageous men, John Wyclif and John Hus started the
movement that there could be other church than the visible church of Rome.

John Wyclif was a zealot and like most of them, he despised neutrality. Men in his day either
praise him high or consider him a lowly being. He studied at Oxford, got his doctor’s degree and
became a professor. There, he argued about lordship and dominion, that the English government has
to correct the abuses of the church. He taught that all men are equal in the eyes of God and that no
man has lordship over the others, the doctrine of dominion founded in grace. His views are also
shaped by the apostolic poverty that those who live in the papal palace should be like the people, no
silver, no gold. Most of his teachings aimed against the papacy. He also questioned the practices and
beliefs of the church like the indulgences, purgatory, and many others. He also compared the popes
to AntiChrist, the man who sees himself higher than God. He also published arguments about the
idea of transubstantiation. The church then condemned Wyclif’s heresies. He gained followers from
Oxford, followers so many that church authorities can’t touch them. He then died at Lutherwoth in
1384.

The movement Wyclif started continued and found its success by its conjunction with John
Hus’ party. Hus came from peasant parents in Huznetz. He studied in University of Prague, getting
Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts before teaching in art and starting his reform. A chapel was made
in Bohemia where Hus taught Wyclif’s teaching about the dominion of the pope and abuses, this
became widespread. The Archibishop of Prague then knew about this and excommunicated Hus.
Hus tried to present his teachings to assembled authorities but became a victim of Inquisition. There
were witnesses who protested wrong allegations to Hus and was condemned with these things he
never taught. Hus was burned in the execution ground known as the Devil’s Place. His movement
continued and struggled against the German empire and the Roman church. But by the end of
fifteenth century, the leaders of reformation failed. The reformation of the Roman church seemed
impossible, crushing Wyclif’s and Hus’ revolts.
Chapter 24: A Wild Boar in the Vineyard

In 1520, papal bull circulated in Germany, searching for the “wild boar”. The bull’s contents
were against Luther that his teachings and beliefs were heretical and against the church, that he could
either repent or face dreadful consequences. After he received his copy and the 60 day period of grace
was over, he with his students burned copies of the Canon Law and works of medieval theologians. He
said that the church burned his books, so he burned theirs. The church then stopped hurling
allegations against the Protestant and the Protestant stopped burning their books.

Luther always had the ambition of being a lawyer until one day in 1505, he was caught in a
thunderstorm while walking. He prayed on a patroness that if he will be saved from lightning, he will
be a monk. He then kept his promise and entered an Augustinian monastery. He suffered and
pushed himself to do what he doesn’t want to, confused, but he found love in the Scriptures. After few
meditations, Luther saw it that the man can only be saved by faith in what Christ did on the cross, that
only the cross can remove man’s sin.

That time, indulgences were very famous among people and the church used it to get fund to
build the St. Peter’s basilica, Luther then challenged Tetzel, the Dominican who preached in Germany
about the fund raising in Rome, to a theologian debate. He posted 95 theses on Castle Church door at
Wittenburg. They argued about indulgences, that they cannot remove guilt, do not apply to purgatory
and is just a false scheme to get money from people. He debated against a theologian named John
Eck, defeated, went to Rome to declare Luther a heretic. Luther then made pamphlets about the
abuses of the church and the wealth of bishops and abbots. He then made pamphlets against the
church’s traditions and rituals and he only took baptism and the Lord’s supper. He also renounced
monasticism that Christian life lies on serving God, that special callings are all equal in the eyes of
God.

In 1521, he was then declared as a heretic by the pope and was excommunicated from the
Catholic church. Luther’s teachings were brought to the emperor and was declared as an outlaw. He
was then saved by the prince of Saxony, who kept him for almost a year. Meanwhile, people were
turning their backs against the Roman church, abandoning Mass and removing statues. In 1522, he
returned to Wittenburg and abolished the office of the bishop and made the marriage of monks and
nuns possible. He was also married to a former nun named Katherine von Bora. Luther presented his
teachings to the German princes but in 1525, the princes cut off the revolt killing 100,000 peasants.
The peasants who survived, returned to Catholicism and considered Luther a false prophet. Luther
retained his political and spiritual views that all men are equal in the eyes of God. After his death,
Lutheranism was introduced but failed. Some princes tried to cut it off but the Lutheran princes
defended it resulting war. In the end they compromised and agreed that a prince has the right to
choose his religion.
Chapter 25: Radical Discipleship

The City Council of Zurich demanded their leaders to stop holding Bible classes which was
opposed by many. A former priest came to Conrad Grebel, one of the leaders, confessed faith on
Jesus Christ and Grebel baptized him and the others. This is where Anabaptism was born, and
important expression of the Protestant reformation.

Anabaptists means rebaptizers, which is true that they reject the sprinkling others consider
as baptism. Anabaptists’ purpose was not against the church but it’s about its relation to the
government. They were with Scriptures and discovered in New Testament that the apostolic churches
were a group of believers consisted of men and women who chose to follow Jesus.

The leaders in Zurich were the first supporters of the reformation led by Ulrich Zwingli. He
started reformation by preaching biblical sermons from a pulpit. His sermons were from the New
Testament which was new to people in Zurich. Later, they tried to take away Catholic’s symbols,
candles, statue, music. In England, they called this Puritanism. A place like Zurich, where every born
child is baptized and identified as a member of church, makes society and church identical. When
Grebel had a baby, he did not baptized it and other parents followed his example. Grebel and their
followers gathered in a house to baptize men and the authorities didn’t overlooked it but sent
policemen to imprison the newly baptized men, but when they were released, they went town to town,
gathering more converts. But the Zurich lost all its patience and decided that if they found anyone
rebaptizing, he would be put to death by drowning. Felix Manz was the first Anabaptist martyr.
Many of the persecuted fled to other places and the movement was silent. Anabaptists just made a
request, let a person have his own beliefs but were persecuted for that simple request. After few years,
Anabaptist was revived and has its missionary. One was George Blaurock who was burned at the
stake by the Catholic authorities. After many years, Anabaptism lost its form but retained being
peaceful with others in terms of beliefs.
Chapter 26: Thrust Into the Game

The war between Spain and France is getting close to Strassburg so John Calvin, a
Frenchman, decided to go to Geneva to continue his studies. William Farel was preaching about the
political hostility on bishops not on convictional doctrines for four years. He met John Calvin, whom
he want to be the manager of the city and he doesn’t want Calvin to go anywhere else. Calvin said that
Farel was following his will not God’s and he was afraid. John Calvin made the Reformed or
Calvinistic Christianity. He called God’s game God’s sovereignty. Luther and him share almost the
same beliefs.

Calvin came from a small town and his father fears about the advantages of good
education so he enrolled him to University of Paris where he mastered writing and skill in a logical
argument. He left the university with Master of Arts degree. He studied law in university of Orleans
and Bourges, but after his father died, he returned to Paris to be a scholar. “Unexpected conversion”
happened to him, he was not certain about the date but he had spiritual enlightenment and he
surrendered his will to God. He created a logical and readable book about Protestant in the
Reformation era and this book made him famous. He then moved to Geneva, where he met Farel and
they became reformers but after few years, they were banished from Geneva. He became a pastor in
Strassburg to French refugees and married a widow with two children.

John Calvin’s friends regained power and called him to return to Geneva. He took
again the burden but the church accepted his leading ideas. His church became a refuge for
persecuted Protestants, taking Calvin’s theology and obeying the city. Calvinism spread among many
other place and also, many persecutes them. One of these persecutions was the massacre of
Huguenots, French Calvinists on St. Bartholomew’s Day. Calvinism also reached Scotland but it was
headed by a monarch named Queen Mary of Scots who’s married to a royal French family. One man
preached everywhere that challenged the rule of the queen, his name was John Knox.

Knox tried to head England to Calvinism but was forced to flee when England
returned to Catholicism and Bloody Mary was persecuting Protestant leaders. Knox thought that the
church has the right to fight back when something hinders their worship and service. Civil war broke
in Scotland and the Calvinists where holding the Edinburgh. When he preached to Queen Mary of
Scots, being Protestant, she found Knox’s teaching heretical. Soon, after Knox’s patient preaching,
Scotland turned to Calvinism. When Calvin died, he left a reformed Geneva.
Chapter 27: The Curse Upon the Crown

England, with King Henry VIII, broke away from Catholicism. The idea came from Henry’s
marital problems because he wanted to marry a girl named Anne Boleyn but he was to marry
Catherine, daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain. As Catherine grew up Henry became more
pressured that he asks himself if this is a kind of cruse from God. The more complicated thing is that
Catherine was his deceased brother’s wife and the Bible says something about marrying your brother’s
wife in Leviticus, so Henry became more troubled. Henry asked for annulment from the pope but the
pope refused as for the Roman emperor. Henry made the solution to his problem by marrying Anne
secretly and annulled Catherine, and they had a daughter, they name her Elizabeth.

The pope excommunicated Henry causing Henry to take away the papal authority in England.
So he made the procedures to break with the Roman church and announced the Church of England,
independent from Rome. Henry retained the orthodoxy in England. After the Greek New Testament
came out, it was translated into English, German, and French. The pioneer in the English translation
was John Tyndale. By his ordination, he gave a warning to a clergy which did not turned well. He
improved the New Testament and was hunted by the church officials and soon he was killed. While
Tyndale was imprisoned, a man named Miles Coverdale made a translation of the whole Bible. And
when Tyndale died, the Matthew Bible came out, a well-edited compilation of Tyndale and
Coverdale’s work. Soon the Bible became widespread but Henry limited it to wealthy people and
aristocrats.

After Henry died, his son Edward succeeded the throne, whose mother was Jane Seymour
because Henry executed Anne for charges of adultery. Edward ran the government with a group of
loyal advisers. After a brief time, Mary, daughter of Catherine, sat on the throne. She tried to lead
England back to Rome and burned nearly 300 Protestants including a bishop and later, John Foxe
labeled her as Bloody Mary, a name which will reverberate through history. She married King Philip
of Spain but they didn’t have any child. No heir to replace her.

Anne Boleyn’s daughter, Elizabeth I, ascended to the throne. She settled the arguments
between religions and accepted Bible as the final authority. The persecuted people from Mary’s reign
returned and preached about the “ease in Zion”. They reformed England with what they call the true
reformation. Later they were called Puritans.
Chapter 28: “Another Man” at Manresa

Chapter 29: Opening the Rock

This chapter is about missionaries, men who brought the gospel to another land where
they haven’t been before.