Claimed, gathered and sent

Reform #4 from the 16th century. Public Education Available for All In Luther’s time, education was not for the common person. There were two classes, the learned and the unlearned. With the reformation and reorganization of the church, the educational system was also reorganized. As early as 1520 ( Address to the Christian Nobility ), Luther proposed that education should be for everyone, including the poor and girls. It was no longer only for the rich or for those going into the ministry or law. Luther saw that educated leaders and citizens, clergy and laity were essential for society to function. Education and the ability to read books were a way to learn of Christ . Books became a means of evangelism. One must be educated in order to read them however. Public schools did not originate here in America, but are something we can give thanks for from the 16th century reformers. picture

Reform #3 Teaching of Justification by Grace through Faith This was not a new teaching discovered by Luther. There were reformers prior to him that spoke and wrote of God's work of grace of being something outside of us, something we ourselves cannot effect. Rather than a discovery, it was a rediscovery of this truth of God's Word. For Luther , this was the chief article, upon which everything depended. Freedom in our Christian lives and forgiveness of sins is all a free gift that we cannot do anything to earn. We are justified by grace without any merit or work of our own. God makes us God’s own. “On this article stands all that we teach practice…” ( The Smalcald Articles, Lull, p. 357). It is well explained by Luther ’s explanation of the third article of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him.” God does the work, not us. flickr foto

This is the second installment on a series on reforms from the Reformation that we enjoy today. Prior to the Reformation, worship was in Latin, no matter the native language of the people. Most did not understand what was being said and were unable to participate in any meaningful way in the mass. Any singing that was done was also done in Latin and by a choir. There was little, if any, lay participation in the service. The people were passive observers. Those of us who were raised Roman Catholic and are old enough to remember the Catholic Church prior to Vatican II may well remember that time. With this reform came understanding of the service and of the gospel because of hearing it in the vernacular. German chorales and hymnody were also written for use in the service (with parts sung by the people) so that by still another means the Word would be declared and more easily learned by parishioners. Worshipers moved from being passive observers to active particip

The door on the right is the door of the Wittenburg church in Germany. The 95 Theses were nailed here which spelled out church abuses during the Renaissance. Is any of this relevant for the church today? This is the beginning of a short series on some of the main reforms and why we should care. Clergy marriage Prior to the Reformation and even in today’s Roman Catholic Church, clergy were/are not allowed to marry. The choice was clear; you could either get married or serve God in the church as a priest. This excluded a number of people with genuine calls of God, yet who did not have the gift of celibacy. It was a requirement the church had put upon candidates for the priesthood that scripture did not. Even before Luther ’s time, there were those who were against this prerequisite. Those who were already priests, but lacked the gift of celibacy, because they could not marry, often had mistresses and children by them. Though this ran counter to their vows, it was overlooked.