Martin Luther
...his ecclesiastical career as an Augustinian Monk in the
Roman Catholic Church. Consequently, Luther was initially
loyal to the papacy, and even after many theological
conflicts, he attempted to bring about his reconciliation with
the Church. But this was a paradox not to endure because in
his later years, Luther waged a continual battle with the
papacy. Luther was to become a professor of biblical
exegesis at Wittenberg where, in 1957, he posted his
critique of the Roman Catholic Church's teachings and
practices. This is otherwise known as The Ninety-Five
Theses, which is usually considered to be the original
document of the Reformation. Basically, this document was
an indictment of the venality of the Roman Catholic Church,
particularly the widespread practice of selling indulgences in
association with the sacrament of penance. Luther's beliefs
on the matter was that after confession, absolution relied
upon the sinner's faith and God's Divine Grace rather than
the intervention of a priest. At this point, Luther did not
advocate an actual separation from the Roman Catholic
Church. Instead, Luther felt his suggested reforms York-3
could be implemented within Catholicism. If this had taken
place, the Protestant Reformation would probably not of
ever seen the light of day--nor would it have been necessary.
But the theological practices being what they were in the
Roman Church, there was little chance at that time for any
great variations to occur within its folds. The Church of
Rome was thoroughly monolithic and set in its ways and was
not about to mutate into something else. If a metamorphosis
had occurred within the Roman Catholic Church, Luther
would have had a different destiny. But Luther's fate was
sealed, and his job was cut out for him. Concerning Luther
and the Reformation, Paul Tillich states: "The turning point of
the...
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