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The Protestant Reformation. Church Corruption. During the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the corruption of the Christian Church became increasingly overt Prominent Examples of Church Corruption Popes and other church officials lived and acted exactly like secular rulers:
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Church Corruption • During the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the corruption of the Christian Church became increasingly overt • Prominent Examples of Church Corruption • Popes and other church officials lived and acted exactly like secular rulers: • Lived in huge palaces • Feasted on lavish meals • Entertained with expensive banquets • Consorted with prostitutes and fathered multiple children • Sales of Indulgences—pardons for sins, typically paid for in cash • The Inquisition—Church panels who sought out any teachings or writings that did not agree with Church doctrine, and forced people to recant their beliefs
Martin Luther and the 95 Theses • Martin Luther was a German monk who was offended by a particularly offensive indulgence salesman, Johann Tetzel • Luther wrote “95 Theses” about Church practices, and posted them to the door of his chapel in Wittenberg in 1519 • Arguments in the 95 Theses • 1) Indulgences have no basis in the Bible • 2) The pope has no authority to release souls from purgatory • 3) Christians can be saved only through Faith • The 95 Theses made Luther famous, and he began to teach his own beliefs: • Salvation can be achieved through faith alone • The Bible is the sole source of religious truth • Priests and church officials have no special powers
Spread of Lutheranism • Lutheranism quickly spread through Germany, with some German princes embracing the “new” religion • (Mainly as a way to free themselves from Church authority) • Luther encouraged all Christians to read the Bible, and abolished the elaborate ritual of the Catholic mass, emphasizing the sermon instead • The Peace of Augsburg (1555)—allowed German princes to decide whether Catholicism or Lutheranism would be the official religion in their realm • Germany split evenly, with the North becoming mainly Lutheran and the South remaining mainly Catholic
Spread of the Reformation • Once Lutheranism became an acceptable alternative to the Catholic Church, other reformers began to implement their own ideas • “Protestantism” quickly splintered into a number of different sects • Examples • Calvinism (John Calvin)—emphasized predestination • Established a theocracy based on his teachings in Geneva, Switzerland • Calvinism eventually became Presbyterianism • Anabaptists—taught that the rite of baptism should be a knowing, voluntary commitment • Evolved into Baptists, Quakers, and Menonites • King Henry VIII—removed England from the Catholic Church when the Pope refused to annul one of his marriages • The English Church became the Anglican Church; in the U.S. it is the Episcopal Church
The Counter-Reformation • Faced with a major crisis, the Catholic Church reformed itself in order to survive • The Council of Trent • 1545 – 1564 • Leader: Pope Paul III • Major Reforms: • 1) Established strict penalties for worldliness and corruption in the clergy • 2) Created new schools, in an attempt to make the clergy better educated • Results of the Counter-Reformation: The Catholic Church was reformed, at least to some degree, and was able to survive
