THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION

III. Protestant Reformation

A. Abuses in the Church1. Pope competed with princes for political

power

2. Sold indulgences – lessening of the time a soul would have to spend in purgatory

B. Luther’s Protest (German Monk)1. Wrote 95 Theses against indulgences

A. No basis in the bible

B. Pope had no authority to release souls from purgatory, Christians could be saved only through faith.

C. He was excommunicated from the church.

2. Luther’s Teaching

A. Argued salvation was achieved through faith alone

B. Bible the sole source of religious truth

C. Rejected the idea that priests had special powers

D. Translated bible to German vernacular

C. Spread of Lutheran Ideas1. Used the name Protestants to show that they

protested papal authority.

2. People believed Lutheranism was an answer to Church corruption.

C. John Calvin1. Preached predestination- God

already determined who would gain salvation

2. Two groups of People, saints and sinners

3. Set-up a theocracy – government ran by the church