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In 1515, Martin Luther’s entire doctrine on the Christian faith changed. Before long, his new theology would put him at great odds with the established Roman Catholic Church. When he openly rejected the teaching and tradition of the church, his fervor was met with little more than a yawn.
But when Luther’s doctrine impacted the pope’s pocketbook, all hell broke loose.
At the outset of the 16th Century, the economic environment of Germany was an undesirable one, to say the least. Conditions for the poor were at an all time low, and peasants were continually being exploited by the wealthier landowners. Making matters worse was a corrupt leadership within the papacy, and overall church. Thus, the poor began to believe they no longer had the support of the church.
Enter Martin Luther.
He was the reluctant professor on Scripture at the University of Wittenberg. In this position, Luther began to study the Bible as never before. His life changed – and the world would soon follow – when he discovered Paul’s writing in Romans 1:17 which states “The righteous will live by faith.” If this passage was to be believed, thought Luther, then salvation hinged on faith, not works.
This simple truth stood at odds with much of Luther’s Catholic upbringing and practice. Until that moment, forgiveness rested in the hands of popes and priests, not in the cross of Christ. Luther knew this needed to change.
So he did the natural thing: he jotted down 97 theses and nailed them to the door at the Church of Wittenberg. These doctrinal points attacked several aspects of Catholic theology, but instead of an academic debate about these matters, Luther’s bold stance went largely unnoticed.
Knowing he needed to change his strategy, Luther went back to the drawing board. What he did next would reverberate through the world.
He re-drafted his 97 thesis into 95 and on October 31, 1517, nailed them to the same door on the same church in Wittenberg. These theses would be different; they attacked the Catholic Church’s sale of indulgences.
Sellers of indulgences promised the uneducated masses that money given to the church would shorten their time spent in purgatory. Very quickly, salesmen allowed the living to even give on behalf of the dead (for the same purpose). Sales skyrocketed! In short, it was a racket of the worst kind that reminds modern Christians of far too many televangelists.
John Tetzel, an unscrupulous salesman in Germany was known for saying that the indulgences he sold made the sinner “cleaner than when coming out of baptism,” and “cleaner than Adam before the Fall.” This religious leader even had a helpful – if hellish – jingle to help boost his sales:
As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.
Luther’s 95 Thesis staunchly condemned these egregiously misleading acts on the part of religious leaders. Luther’s beliefs cut deep into Pope Leo X’s bottom line…and he didn’t like it. Luther was soon excommunicated and had his life threatened on many occasions.
It seems money, not truth, was the motivator of Luther’s enemies.
The same can be said about the enemies of Jesus. Granted, the religious leaders disliked much of Jesus’ teachings, but the effects of His teachings were more than they could bear. Not only did Jesus teach that He was greater than the temple, but He overturned the moneychangers’ tables in it.
It’s really sad when religious leaders – even corrupt ones – only take action after their financial interests are threatened.
Resource’s Origin:
The Story of Christianity Volume 2: The Reformation to the Present Day by Justo L Gonzalez. Harper and Row, 1985, Pages 15-22.
Topics Illustrated Include:
Abuse
Catholic
Church
Corrupt
Enemy
Greed
History
Martin Luther
Money
Pope
Taking a Stand
Truth
Unethical
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)
