RELIGION

Protestant Reformation

Introduction1

Background1

Martin Luther3

Lutheranism in Germany: the political strife4

The Spread of Protestantism6

The English Reformation7

The Impact of the Protestant Reformation on Women8

The Catholic's Counter Reformation9

Results of the Reformation and the Christian Civilization10

Conclusion11

Protestant Reformation

Introduction

During the sixteenth century, various thinkers including philosophers, scholars, politicians and theologians tried to cause profound changes not only in thought only social, political, cultural and religious mores of the people who conceived of the church as regulatory and depository salvation. The protestant reform of this century was not an isolated incident, but it was a great religious revolution that broke out in Europe in the first half of the sixteenth century and spread to other nations. This has resulted in the rupture of the hegemony of the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe, especially with regard to papal claims of dominion over all Christendom. It began with the preaching of Martin Luther, who reviewed medieval doctrines at the discretion of their conformity to Scripture. This paper discusses the Protestant Reformation in detail. It gives background information, contribution of Martin Luther, effects n Christian civilization and also on women and it also talks about Lutheranism in Germany and English reformation.

Background

The Reformation of the sixteenth century was not an isolated event as noted above, but also political: it was breaking the cord that united the church and the state, which should be the highest authority. Thus, the Protestant Reformation was supported by some civil authorities to reform the roman churches yet free from the dominion of Roman prelate over other European countries. Political leaders in the reform movement saw a way to escape the oppressive yoke Roman example of them see that the great exponents of the Reformation Martin Luther and John Calvin were protected by the emperors.

The Reform movement did not occur at any moment, but had different backgrounds that some modern historians dates back from the time of Emperor Constantine and the Edict of Milan 313, to the Arians, Gnostics, the Manicheans, Pelagians, Nestorius, as Protestant historians Justo Gonzalez believes that Western Christianity had known intentions of reform since the twelfth century. The appearance of the Waldenses and Hussites after, were the signal structure medieval church was not going to last forever. These movements then joined the Reform are often called The First Amendment. For others, however are precursors of the Reformation against the imperial church. Early reformers during the crisis that characterized the Great Western Schism are: John Wycliffe (1324 - 1384) English, professor of theology at the University of Oxford reported several irregularities committed by the clergy and the papacy, denied the power to guide papacy the church, the life of the faithful and led to the marriage of priests to serve in the church and encouraged the faithful to freely interpret the Bible. The other John Huss (1369 - 1415) Czechoslovak professor of the University of Prague was a staunch propagator of reformist ideas of Wycliffe. He preached in the region of Bohemia, until he was tried as a heretic and burned ...