Reformation Sunday. First let’s define Reform. It is the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. Reformation is the act of reforming; state of being reformed. On October 31, 1517, a disillusioned German monk named Martin Luther nailed what he called his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. He was upset with the Catholic Church over the treatment of the peasants and that people were having to “pay” for the dissolution of their sins among other corrupt practices. It was his intent to turn the religious institution of the day on its ear and start a spiritual revolution that would encompass what he considered sacred to Christianity. Those ideals included eternal life not being earned by good deeds, but simply by the grace of God.  Since he also believed that the Bible was the central religious authority and not the church leaders, he wanted to make the word of God was available to everyone and not just the leaders of the church. This was a revolutionary concept at that time and could have cost him his life. This led to the Protestant Reformation which eventually led to the birth of the protestant churches and denominations. A protestant church is any Christian church that is not Catholic. We are called protestants because the followers of Martin Luther protested against the practices of the predominate religion of the day. So besides birthing the Protestant Reformation in Germany, how does this affect Americans today? The Protestant Reformation led to modern democracy, capitalism, individualism, civil rights, and many of the modern values we cherish today. The Protestant Reformation impacted nearly every academic discipline, notably the social sciences like economics, philosophy, and history. Not to mention, you are worshiping in a Protestant church at MGUMC!

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