CHAPTER 15 SECTION 1: LUTHER LEADS THE REFORMATION

Setting the stage

- Roman Catholic church had a lot of power
- Many people criticized it

Causes of the Reformation

- The printing press helped spread secular ideas
- Page 571 > chart on the causes of the reformation (study for quiz)

1. Criticisms of the Catholic Church

- People believed that the church was corrupt
- Many priests and monks were uneducated, some married, drank, gambled and even had
kids

2. Early Calls for Reform

- John Wycliffe and Jan Hus were examples of christians in the middle ages > they
advocated church reform
- Erasmus and Thomas More criticized the church

Luther Challenges the Church

- Martin Luther > 1500’s and in Germany
1. The 95 Theses
- Men sold indulgences
- Indulgence(s) > In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence is a way to reduce
the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins

2. Luther’s Teachings
- Catholic church believe you can go to heaven if you have faith in Jesus and did
goodworks
- Luther believed you only needed to have faith in Jesus
- Cathloic Church believed you needed the pope and church to be saved
- Luther believed you only need the bible
- Catholic church believed you needed the church to interpret the bible for you
- Luther believed that you could interpret yourself

The Response to Luther

1. The Pope’s Threat
- The Pope bans Luther (excommunicates)
2. The Emperor's Opposition
- The emperor wanted to arrest Martin Luther, but a prince sheltered him in his castle
- They had a new group called the “Lutherans” > his followers
- Many political leaders supported Luther because they were against the emperor
- Protestant > Applied to christians who were not Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox
- In the end they had an agreement, whatever your leaders religion was, the country had to
follow