The ‘Accidental’ movement 500 years ago that changed the world forever

November 6, 2017 126 Views No Comment

On Oct. 31, 1517, Martin Luther had no idea that he was about to become a world-changer. He wrote his 95 Theses simply to spark an intellectual debate among church scholars.

What he did was ignite a movement, after which the church and the entire world would never be the same. It is this crucial moment in history we celebrate today—the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

**Martin Luther changed the world with his 95 Theses in 1517. (Ferdinand Pauwels/Public Domain)**

On what was more than likely an ordinary day 500 years ago, Luther nailed his 95 Theses, written in Latin, to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. He intended them to be read only by church theologians.

Without Luther’s permission, someone took the 95 Theses, translated them into German and printed them. To borrow a modern phrase, Luther’s ideas went viral, spreading like wildfire throughout the whole of Germany and causing a tremendous stir within the church and with the common people.

“Ordinary people didn’t know their Bible because they didn’t have Bibles,” says prolific author Dr. R.T. Kendall whose book titled Whatever Happened to the Gospel, is due to be out in February.“The Roman Catholic Church did not want you to have Bibles. They just told you what the Bible said. Your faith [was] whatever the church believed. For Luther, it was deeper than that”, says Kendall an admirer of Luther’s and a student of Luther’s life and ministry.

In 1520, Luther stood trial before the German emperor, Frederick the Wise, and Cardinal Catejan, and was asked to recant his words. He didn’t, and while awaiting a possible execution, Luther was “kidnapped” by a group of friends, who took him to Wartburg, where he spent 10 months translating the Bible into the common German language.

“Martin Luther began to teach the Bible, and it really began to turn things upside down,” Dr. Kendall says. “People had never heard the Bible explained to them the way he did. They came in droves to hear him preach. And now, 500 years later, people have Bibles, but they don’t read them.”

Martin Luther changed things. He changed the world. The Protestant Reformation has affected an infinite number of lives, including those of modern-day believers.

“He challenged the religious system of his day by posting his 95 Theses on a church door in Wittenberg. This one act ignited a flame that set things in motion to reform the Christianity of his day, thus beginning the Protestant Reformation. This Reformation paved the way for us to experience the religious freedom we have today”, says JENNIFER A. MISKOV in an article titled ‘Reformation Fire: Why This 500th Anniversary Is Significant for Us Today’.

The article further goes on to state that Luther’s 95 Theses were not initially intended to be a refined amendment to the pope. Originally, this was an act of inviting people to debate over these issues within the Catholic Church. “However, God breathed on his declaration for justice and it served to be the catalyst to set things in motion for the Protestant Reformation which in turn transformed a religious system”.

JENNIFER A. MISKOV in her article goes on to say that this reformation brought religious freedom and freedom from the religious spirit. It transformed a religious system and freed people to be able to worship God in spirit and in truth.

Compiled by The Naga Republic with inputs from ‘Reformation Fire: Why This 500th Anniversary Is Significant for Us Today’ by JENNIFER A. MISKOV and The ‘Accidental’ Movement 500 Years Ago That Changed the World Forever by Steve Strang