As some of you know I’m in seminary. Seminary has been an incredible opportunity to get stretched in my understanding of theology, church history, and ministry methodology. I’ve had a lot of conversations with people who wish they had the opportunity to go through seminary but it just is not a reality for them in the season of life they are in. In response to this I thought each week I would do a post called “Seminary 101”. Essentially, this will be post that covers a specific topic that I am studying in seminary for that week.

The Reformation and the Church

Currently, I am taking Church History 2 from Dr. Gerald Bray. We have been discussing the nature of the church in light of its social and political climate during the time of the reformation. The very nature of the church during the time of Wycliffe, Huss, Luther, Calvin, and the reformers was both scrutinized and being evaluated. It seems very clear that the reformers believed that the church had lost its way as time went on and therefore was in desperate need of reform. Wycliffe questioned the extravagant wealth of the church and priests. Wycliffe believed that the Bible should be accessible to everyone and therefore should be translated[1]. The church in response to Wycliffe’s outspoken beliefs responded by decreeing that no one was allowed to translate the Bible.

Internal and External Challenges

As these “internal” challenges were taking place, there was also growing dispute between the church and state. The secular government became increasingly reluctant to send troops to Palestine for the crusades, which brought upon unrest. These issues expanded even to the area of taxation as the Pope in 1298 AD decreed that the church could not be taxed on its properties, which the King of France took objection to. Eventually, after the Pope died, the King of France won; regardless, this caused further unrest and tension between the church and secular rulers. [1]

Luther and the Reformation

Roughly 100 years after Wycliffe enters a man named Martin Luther. Luther, continued the effort to see the church fall in line with the actual teaching of the scriptures. Luther was incredibly distraught over the practice of the church to take indulgences (priests taking payments in exchange for the forgiveness of sins and extended grace) and boldly spoke out against such practices. These practices made the church rich while clearly teaching a false gospel of works and not grace, which Luther despised.

All of these challenges and conversations spurred on the reformation and caused an environment for leaders within the reformation to stand up and speak out over errors within the church in regards to the interpretation of scripture, practice and ministry methodology, and the desire for growth in the area of political power. It is also important to note that Luther did not necessarily desire a revolution and separation from the church, rather a reconciliation and reform of the church to reflect what the scriptures actually taught.

How Does This Apply Today?

It’s important to look at the past to identify areas where we are prone to commit the same mistakes. Much of sin is repackaged in creative new forms throughout centuries. As we identify these areas and address them with the truth and light of the Gospel we are able to continue to reflect Christ. As we look to our practices in church it would be wise to consider if we are pursuing leadership and authority or diligently pursuing the advancement of the Gospel. Just as Wycliffe and Luther had a desire to see the church reform, we should also have that desire. We must have a desire to see an ongoing reformation that causes us to continually turn to the scriptures to ensure that our actions and practices are reflective of the Gospel.

Further Study:

If you would like to jump into some further reading and study about church history and the reformation I would highly recommend the Logos Bible Software Mobile Ed Course by Dr. Gerald Bray. At the time of this post being written, it is currently still available for pre-order. 

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[1]  lesson 5, Church History 2.  Dr. Gerald Bray.  Knox Theological Seminary.  Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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