Happy 489th Anniversary

In just one day the anniversary of the Reformation will be upon us. For those of you unfamiliar with this time in history, here's a brief lesson.

Martin Luther, a teacher within the Roman Catholic church, wanted to reform many of the major teachings of his religion, focusing mainly on indulgences. During the evening of October 31st (All Hallow's Eve), he posted 95 calls to reform or 95 theses on the door of the local church in Wittenburg. When the patron's came to church on the most sacred of days (Nov. 1st- All Saint's Day), they saw his calls for reformation posted on the door. These were later deemed heretical by the pope, but were published in mass quantities in the common language of the people. In the years to come men like those pictured above would spread the doctrines of grace, teachings of justification through faith alone, being able to come to God without the aid of an earthly priest, and a high view of the sovereignty of God throughout all of Europe. These doctrines have radically changed the way we do church and led to the formation of Protestantism.

Anyway, many times we focus so much on Halloween that we miss one of the great days in our own church history. So dress up like a reformer, enjoy a read from Calvin's Institutes or Bondage of the Will, and remember the lives of the men who gave everything to bring us a Christianity as God intended, focused on Christ, exalting God, and based on scripture.


P.S. The photo is of the Wall of Reformers in Geneva, Switzerland (quite a sight if you've ever been there). The men carved into the stone are Guillaume Farel, Jean Calvin, Theodore Beza, and John Knox, some of the the fathers of the Protestant Reformation.