Christianity's Caus IDEA: The Protestant Revolution
CHRISTIANITY’S DANGEROUS IDEA:
The Protestant Revolution – A History from the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty - First
Keith Travis
Church History 525
Dr. Simon Goncharenko
February 3, 2013
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Background 2
Purpose 2
The Shape 3 Origination 3 Manifestation 4 Transformation 5 Perspectives………………………………………………………………………………..6
Conclusion 7
CHRISTIANITY’S DANGEROUS IDEA
INTRODUCTION
It is understood in the realm of microbiological science that there are two main reasons for a nucleus to be unstable. First, if a nucleus is too large, it will become unstable. Secondly, if it has too many neutrons or too many protons, it …show more content…
The first part explains the birth of Protestantism. It describes when the dangerous idea “Christians can interpret the Bible for themselves” by Martin Luther and others were first conceived. Interestingly, he emphasizes that this is done using a “broad brush approach that aims to identify and interpret what turns out to have been significant rather than to chronicle everything that happened.”7 He highlights the idea that Luther believed in the right of individual interpretation of the Bible and that it was not required to have ecclesiastical intervention and even more radical, that there is no longer any need for intermediaries (i.e. intercessions of Mary or the saints).8 Along with this idea was the concept of “the priesthood of all believers”. Not only could individuals interpret the Bible on their own, but they were no theological grounds for the concept that the clergy were more superior than the laity. It can be argued easily that Luther had grounds for support because he built this theology around 1 Peter 2:9. He viewed the clergy as the same as political office holders in regards to their being recognized as being gifted and elected into a particular position, they are not, in any way, more elite than any of the laity. Furthermore, and probably the most recognized position Luther took was that of “justification by faith”. McGrath rightly points out that this was “central to Luther’s reforming agenda”.9 There is no serious scholar today that would disagree with this assertion. What McGrath calls a “dangerous idea”, Justo Gonzalez calls, the “great discovery”10 when recounting the story behind Luther’s epiphany, but both agree that this was one of the fundamentals of Luther’s reform. Finally, McGrath attempts to drive home the assertion that Protestantism was not unified or cohesive as a movement, as mentioned earlier. He makes it appear as though it
The Protestant Revolution – A History from the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty - First
Keith Travis
Church History 525
Dr. Simon Goncharenko
February 3, 2013
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Background 2
Purpose 2
The Shape 3 Origination 3 Manifestation 4 Transformation 5 Perspectives………………………………………………………………………………..6
Conclusion 7
CHRISTIANITY’S DANGEROUS IDEA
INTRODUCTION
It is understood in the realm of microbiological science that there are two main reasons for a nucleus to be unstable. First, if a nucleus is too large, it will become unstable. Secondly, if it has too many neutrons or too many protons, it …show more content…
The first part explains the birth of Protestantism. It describes when the dangerous idea “Christians can interpret the Bible for themselves” by Martin Luther and others were first conceived. Interestingly, he emphasizes that this is done using a “broad brush approach that aims to identify and interpret what turns out to have been significant rather than to chronicle everything that happened.”7 He highlights the idea that Luther believed in the right of individual interpretation of the Bible and that it was not required to have ecclesiastical intervention and even more radical, that there is no longer any need for intermediaries (i.e. intercessions of Mary or the saints).8 Along with this idea was the concept of “the priesthood of all believers”. Not only could individuals interpret the Bible on their own, but they were no theological grounds for the concept that the clergy were more superior than the laity. It can be argued easily that Luther had grounds for support because he built this theology around 1 Peter 2:9. He viewed the clergy as the same as political office holders in regards to their being recognized as being gifted and elected into a particular position, they are not, in any way, more elite than any of the laity. Furthermore, and probably the most recognized position Luther took was that of “justification by faith”. McGrath rightly points out that this was “central to Luther’s reforming agenda”.9 There is no serious scholar today that would disagree with this assertion. What McGrath calls a “dangerous idea”, Justo Gonzalez calls, the “great discovery”10 when recounting the story behind Luther’s epiphany, but both agree that this was one of the fundamentals of Luther’s reform. Finally, McGrath attempts to drive home the assertion that Protestantism was not unified or cohesive as a movement, as mentioned earlier. He makes it appear as though it