The Reformation is one of the most significant events in the history of the European world. In turn it is one of the most significant events of the Western World. The Reformation challenged and fractured the hold the Roman Catholic Church had on its followers. Prior to the Reformation, there were only two churches the Christian Church that followed the policy set up by Rome. The other was the Orthodox church that held its leadership from the city of Constantinople.
The century prior to the Reformation Europe witnessed various famines, economic depressions, and lastly the Black Plague. Science and math from the Middle East was also reentering the continent. Supreme authority of the church was starting to be questioned. The church itself was making it difficult to fully adhere to their policies. There were many accounts of religious leaders at the village, city, and country levels committing unholy acts like gambling, sex, alcoholism, incorrect interpretations of the word of God, and entering into the arena of politics instead of staying in the world of spirituality.
The most obvious contradiction came from the act of forgiveness. The act of indulgences were as old as the Crusades. Popes would grant forgiveness of sin if a man was willing to participate in a crusade. Of the years, the concept of forgiveness was lost. The idea of forgiveness and salvation was buried out of the publics view. The church was able to make more money by having people pay for their sins and the sins of their dead relatives.
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
Martin Luther was a German priest that taught Theology at the University of Wittenburg from 1512-1546. Martin Luther was more concern with the original written word, than the modern day interpretation of the word of God. Martin had a difficult time believing that paying money would provide salvation. The Theology of the church stated that forgiveness could only be granted in the sinner is truly sorry for their actions. Indulgences eliminated this from the formula. What bothered Martin Luther also was that the church openly knew what they were doing, but still wished to make money of the ignorance of the common man and woman.
On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted 95 Thesis on the doors of Wittenburg Castle's church. A thesis is a proposition. Martin Luther was not looking for a break from the church, or to majority reform the church. Martin wished to have a debate about the merits of the direction of the church. The major point through history was the selling of indulgences, but there were other issues brought to the table.
| Issue | Martin Luther | The Church |
| Salvation | Faith alone ensures Salvation | Faith and deeds bring salvation |
| Church Authority | Read the Bible and let the reader make their own decision (For this, Luther believes the Bible should be printed in the home language) | The Bible and through the Church teaching the Bible |
| What is the Church | The Entire Community | The Clergy |
| Higher form of Church Life | All vocations are equal | The highest form is religious life |
Martin Luther's 95 Thesis were very popular because of the invention of the printing press. People were able to mass produce his ideas and many people in Germany and eventually on the continent of Europe agreed with Martin Luther. The church had a serious situation because it gave princes the ability to walk away from the church. Also church authority has not been challenged like this for many years. Martin Luther faced the punishment of excommunication. This meant he could no longer be part of the Christian church. Upon his death he could not receive the proper rituals of burial and therefore, he would never enter Heaven.
Martin Luther was given an opportunity to recant his ideas at the Council of Worms (its a city in Germany). He refused to recant his ideas and stuck to his beliefs. The church is now split and a group of Christians no longer receive their authority from the Pope in Rome. The story does not end there.
John Calvin (1509-1564)
Another man that believed that the church should go into a different direction was John Calvin. John Calvin could be said to be on the other side of the pendulum when compared to Martin Luther. Luther was a man that believed that mankind was better than what the church preached. For years man was told that they were not good enough to achieve specific heights unless you did specific things like indulgences or choose to live life inside the church. Martin Luther believed that man could achieve. John Calvin was different, he believed that mankind was weak and that man holds no real value compared to God. Because of this, John Calvin believed that man should be held to stricter standards.
John Calvin believed that mankind was predestined to do everything in their life. There is no spontaneity. At the end a person will know if they were destined for Heaven or Hell. All actions and thoughts have already been created and play out. It is man's job to follow the script. People would search for answers through their behavior if they were going to Heaven or Hell.
John Calvin's views obviously created the Christian sect called the Calvinists. Some of John Calvin's view were the model of two other Christian sects; the Presbyterian Church and the Puritans. The Puritans are known mostly for their plight from England and Europe and choosing to flee to the New World to live life they way that they wished.