Legacy of the Wittenberg Door

The engraving above shows Martin Luther writing his protest on the door of Wittenberg’s All Saints’ Church. It is from a 1518 German broadside marking the first anniversary of the Ninety-Five Theses. By then, the image of Luther publicly attacking papal corruption had become a potent 16th-century meme.
                                                           
Yesterday was Reformation Sunday in many Protestant churches This year there has been a special emphasis on the guy behind the reforms and protests that brought about the Reformation and Protestantism.

Martin Luther came from a solidly middle-class background and began studies for a legal career. To his father's consternation Martin decided to become a priest instead to fulfill a vow made in the midst of terror. On the way to visit his family from school he was caught in a powerful thunderstorm and promised to devote his life to God. He was a stellar theological student, but not a rebel, and he was highly anxious about the state of his soul.

Luther's journey away from life as an ordained Roman Catholic monk was complicated. He discovered personal assurance and the grace of Christ in a reading from the epistle to the Romans. But he also made a trip to Rome where he was deeply disillusioned by a church structure that he felt was corrupt and indifferent to the gospel. Luther was also disgusted by the sale of indulgences, a sort of "get out of hell free" scam which benefitted the sellers and the church but again was antithetical to the gospel message of grace rather than works. Luther did believe that when we are transformed by the free gift of love in Christ we will engage in generous and compassionate love toward others. But we don't buy our way into God's favour or heaven.
 This year is the 500th anniversary of an event that may never have taken place. Luther did create a list of premises or theses which challenged what he viewed as destructive and corrupt in the Roman Catholic church. He supposedly nailed these to a church door in the town of Wittenberg, where a Luther conference is being held now. Within a year images such as the one above were being created which captured the imagination of those seeking reform. There just isn't a lot of evidence that Luther actually perpetrated such a dramatic challenge to the "powers that be" in this way.



Luther didn't intend to start a new Christian movement which would lead to his excommunication, political turmoil across Europe, and periods of his life where he was on the run for his safety. Yet here we are today, religious heirs of the radical changes which occurred because of the convictions of this curious, passionate, troubled man. We are the outcome of the Wittenberg door, even though that door might have little to do with our Protestant faith.

I'll say more about the legacy of Luther, the good, the bad, and the ugly, over the next few days. I'll include links to some worthwhile articles about Luther and his influence, including this one from National Geographic.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2017/09-10/history-martin-luther-religious-revolution/