Introduction
The Reformation period of the sixteenth century in Europe is associated with the emergence and spread of the Protestant Church, which later became one of the main branches of Christianity. The founder of the new tradition was Martin Luther, who sought to establish Scripture as the ultimate source of faith. For him, salvation was a matter of individual conscience, not church practices. Gradually in Europe, there was a split between the Protestant and the Catholic Church. Ethos was the result of increased local authority and the nation-state movement. Protestantism and its various types made it possible to establish a secular authority in Europe, as well as to fulfill the need for local religious practices.
Martin Luther and Protestantism
The main issue with the church that moved Martin Luther was the primacy of authority over Scripture. He believed that Scripture offered the truth about human nature and the Christian life, while church officials had erased the true foundations of the faith. Thus, Luther believed that the Catholic Church was overly formalized and used its own rules rather than true Christian postulates as the basis for its church. Moreover, the power of the pope and the church was extremely broad, which also suppressed civil power. Luther underlined the importance of individual conscience against the authority of church councils.
The central conviction of Martin Luther and the Protestant movement became the Bible. Luther was sure that a person could achieve salvation only through their faith and not through actions. Thus, true Christianity for him was opposed to the ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church. Luther was convinced that individual conscience and accountability to God are the foundations of the Christian life. Additionally, the Bible is the only source that describes faith and human nature. Protestantism also rejected the conviction that monastic life offered a higher level of spirituality than ordinary life.
According to the author, Luther was a spiritual person. Noll states that “Martin Luther understood the heart of the Christian gospel as well as anyone in the history of Christianity since the age of the apostles.” He devoted time directly to his perception and interpretation of Scripture as a personal moral guide. Luther actively studied the sacred texts and tried to apply them to himself as part of his reflections on his own Christian life and sinfulness. Thus, a “spiritual person” term for Noll suggests Luther’s true immersion was not in the church structure but in the foundations and sources of the Christian faith.
Concerning the theology of the cross, Noll argues that Luther considered this concept or theology of glory as damaging to the true faith. The author cites two points of criticism that Luther noted in his writings. The first is that the theology of the cross makes people think more about what they have done for God than what God has done for them. Thus, this concept makes people believe that discipline as an ultimatum can lead to a righteous life. The second is that the theology of the cross allows people to believe in their perception and understanding of God as the basis for righteousness. Noll further argues that while these views were seen as revolutionary and undermining by the church, Luther respected the practice of the church. However, he rather criticized the perception of church practices and traditions as the basis of the Christian life and a way to salvation. Only faith in God and the covenants of Christ can bring grace to a person, and the traditions and practices of the church are not the basis for Christian righteousness.
Noll goes on to explain that for Luther, the cross was not a symbol of Christian salvation but a reminder of humanity’s sinfulness. Luther emphasized that the cross shows the depth of human sinfulness, which can only be redeemed through the death of the incarnation of God. Thus, Noll notes that for Christians, the cross must be the most scandalous. Luther stressed that this was especially true for those who sought God through the exercise of mind. Thus, the cross for him became a symbol of the fact that no human work to know God can make them wise or righteous.
Reformation
The rejection of England of the Catholic Church resulted from the actions of several forces, including political, social, and economic. First of all, the growth of local authority, as well as the need for greater autonomy and independence of religious rulers, became the basis for the elevation of Protestantism. For the Catholic Church, these changes and the growth of nation-state movements meant a distance from Rome and a weakening of its power. Economic development and the growing control of local rulers over finances, as well as the development of trade, also became the reason for the rise of Protestantism in England. With the growth of urban areas and the development of the economy, the social structure also began to change, which resulted in a revision of the social structure of English society. Together, all these factors led to the need for changes in intellectual life and church traditions.
From the author’s point of view, all theological speculations are the result of sociological and political grabs for power and influence, which is typical of the Reformation Period. Noll notes that the growth of the nation-state movement became the basis for the separation of the Catholic Church and the Protestant one. Moreover, “the persistent fascination for over two centuries with political power, wealth, dynastic influence, and temporal advantage eventually began to tell on the entire church.” Thus, the focus of the Pope and the Catholic Church on questions of authority led them away from the spiritual issues that were becoming increasingly important. However, Europe of that period needed the development of local religious traditions that would be associated with local authorities and not with the universal church.
Gradually, separate Protestant churches began to emerge in the West, which at their core had different interpretations of Christian teaching. In particular, Protestant churches began to differ in the degree of secular support they received in different regions. Noll notes that the Anabaptists had the most radical views on the church. This branch rejected almost everything between the coherent and the secular that existed in the European Christian tradition. Thus, the Anabaptist notions of the need for a separation of church and state were seen by both Catholics and Protestants as a threat to the European Christian tradition. Reformed Protestants also assumed that church life should be regulated exclusively by church officials. The main difference between Lutheranism and the more radical Protestantism was that Luther regarded Scripture as the foundation of the Christian faith. He also emphasized that if church practices and traditions do not contradict Scripture, they can be used as ancillary. Radical branches, on the contrary, rejected any elements of the traditional church.
Conclusion
Protestantism marked the end of the unification of the Western Church. In particular, this branch of Christianity has placed a focus on loyalty to the nation rather than the universal church and church practices. Protestantism and its various branches were associated with local situations and responded to local needs, in contrast to the Catholic tradition. Thus, the rise of Protestantism marked a turning point in the history of Christianity, as it also allowed for the secularization of authority in Europe.