Our Theological Heritage: The Reformation

Contents

Assignment No. 13

Christian Theology3

Reformation Theology3

Relevance of Reformation Theology to Religion & Sociology5

Assignment No. 26

Protestant Reformation in the Sixteenth Century6

Narrative History of Protestant Reformation in Sixteenth Century6

Assignment No. 39

Luther and Calvin's Reforming Insight9

Martin Luther's reforming insights9

John Calvin's Reforming Insights10

Assignment No. 412

References14

Religion and Theology

Assignment No. 1

Christian Theology

The methodical study of the nature of God and relationship of God with World and humankind is termed as Christian theology. Jesus Christ has been the ground for Christian theology and it is eventually Christ-centered.

The need for educated Christians to convey their notions in terminology recognizable in current ideas led to the development of theology in Christianity. The teachings of St. Augustine, who was a Latin Father and an eminent theologian, presented his theologies in a standardized form that has got a fundamental basis in Christian theology. Origen has got the parallel status of Augustine in east. Among Christians, the writings of Origen are said to be instituted the first applications of the term theology to knowledge of the believed God. The common characteristic subsections of theology are historical, dogmatic, and pastoral theology though different traditions exist among the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant communions.

Reformation Theology

In the sixteenth century, the churches that revolted against the Roman church are generally said to be reformed. However, more specifically, Reformation theology represents the theories and ideas emerged from the Western church Reformation originally differentiated by a characteristic theology of non-Lutheran, Augustinian sacramental having less consideration to ecclesiastic tradition but a high regard for ecclesiology. The shared theological doctrines and convictions of Protestant reformers, including Martin Luther, Uldrich Zwingli, Philip Melancthon, Bucer, John Calvin, Beza and various others instituted the foundation of Reformation theology. Though they have varying dissimilarities in their beliefs in certain domains but against the philosophy of the Roman Catholic Church in some very basic dogmas, they were all united. According to McGrath, To McGrath, the Reformation period was a rediscovery of Augustine's doctrine of grace.

The characteristic principles of Christianity including the rightful divinity and true humaneness of Jesus Christ, the Trinity, the obligation of Jesus' expiation for sin, the inspiration of the Bible, the requisite that Christians live their lives with moral values, the church as an ordained institution by divine means and resurrection of the body. Some of the doctrines of evangelical Christians like vindication by faith only, the personal and observable come back of Jesus Christ, the necessity for the new birth, and the Great Commission are also existed in Reformation Theology.

Reformed theology is usually regarded as substitutable with Calvinism and is particularly connected, more often, in United States and England, with the theology of the historic church confessions like the Three Forms of Unity or the Westminster Confession of Faith. The Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession of Faith, and the Canons of Dort comprise the three forms of unity. Both three forms of unity and Westminster Standards reveals the theology and doctrine of the Reformation. There are five points of Calvinism that are hold by Reformed ...