Was Martin Luther Wrong?

antithesis.com ^ | 10/31/01 | R. C. Sproul

[RaceBannon]

Baptists are not protestants, they existed before the Protestant reformation

[Petronski]

Yes.

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

Western Europe was entirely Roman Cathoic before 1517--otherwise you got burned at the stake.

Not entirely true.  In theory, at least, pagans, as well as Jews, were tolerated before this time.  Of course, sometimes they were tolerated more than at others...

[zest for life]

We shouldn't let Luther's zealous overstatements cloud the clear and wonderful things he found in scripture about the gospel of justification by faith in Christ alone.

I don't think I was letting "Luther's zealous overstatements" to cloud my opinion of him, I just wanted to point out what can happen when any of us allow satan a foothold in our lives.

However, William Tyndale, was another man who also had as much do with the Reformation as Luther did. (Albeit, the English Reformation) Yet, the remarkable account of his life and his extraordinary accomplishments (including martyrdom)are little known or appreciated.

[maestro]

Your#1) Correction!!
1. Sola Christos
2. Sola Scriptura
3. Sola Gracia
4. Sola Fide
(Thanks for posting)
:-)

[maestro]

Your#1) Correction!!
1. Sola Christos
2. Sola Scriptura
3. Sola Gracia
4. Sola Fide
(Thanks for posting)
:-)

[maestro]

Your#1) Correction!!
1. Sola Christos
2. Sola Scriptura
3. Sola Gracia
4. Sola Fide
(Thanks for posting)
:-)

[maestro]

Your#1) Correction!!
1. Sola Christos
2. Sola Scriptura
3. Sola Gracia
4. Sola Fide
(Thanks for posting)
:-)

[AnalogReigns]

bump

[SEA]

Was Luther wrong?

Yes.

[Charles Henrickson]

Regarding the oft repeated but little examined cliche that Luther somehow was responsible for the atrocities committed by the Nazis, see the definitive challenge to this charge:

The Fabricated Luther: The Rise and Fall of the Shirer Myth, by Uwe Siemon-Netto (CPH, 1995).

See also:

Modern Fascism: Liquidating the Judeo-Christian Worldview, by Gene Edward Veith, Jr. (CPH, 1993).

The Rev. Charles Henrickson
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

[AnalogReigns]

I read your link. Unless you want to call all persons or (small) groups who dissented from Roman doctrine in any of myriad ways, "Baptist," there is no unbroken link of people who believed in immersion baptism. Some who believed in immersion, also believed what any believer would call heretical beliefs too. Wickliffe, Hus, Tyndale, were all heroes in faith in Christ--but not Baptists, sorry. Baptism became an issue AFTER Luther, as the Anabaptists were the left wing of the Reformation. Luther saw their "fanaticism" as destructive as the Roman corruption. Luther himself allied his church with the state, but in no way allowed it to be controlled by the princes. It took later Lutherans to do that.

The Roman church always had dissenters, but until the Reformation, their beliefs were not uniform, nor were they anything but few. The Church and King burned anyone alive who would dare openly criticize Rome's hegemony.

While I believe there has always been a faithful remnant in the Church, they weren't necessarily Baptist in belief. The only scholars who teach that there is an unbroken chain of Baptists are, ummmm, fundamentalist Baptists, for some reason.

[freemama]

This life-long Lutheran thanks you for the thought provoking reading on this day we celebrate the Reformation. From my perspective Luther was right in his 'faith alone' view. But, once again, I am a (Missouri Synod no less) so that isn't a stretch for me.

[sendtoscott]

From another Luther thread:
Indulgences were payments of money to the church for the forgiveness of sins.

Now we pay taxes for the forgiveness of sins. How many people forgive Kennedy (any of them) and Clinton because they 'give' my tax money to the poor. At least church indulgences were bought with the sinner's own money - I had to pay for the Toon's indulgences.

[Charles Henrickson]

In honor of Reformation Day, I'm posting a hymn stanza I wrote back in 1996 for the 450th anniversary of Luther's death (February 18, 1546). It is to be used as the second stanza of "By All Your Saints in Warfare" (Lutheran Worship, Hymn 193/194).

MARTIN LUTHER, DOCTOR AND CONFESSOR
(Tune: "King's Lynn," LW 193/194)

All praise for blessed Martin,
Our teacher in the faith,
Confessor of the gospel
That saves from sin and death.
You were his mighty fortress,
Though devils filled the land.
Now may we say with Luther,
"God help me. Here I stand."

© Charles M. Henrickson, 1996

[brewcrew]

One of the coolest things I ever learned about Luther was that, in a portion of his writings, he talks about the relief he felt when it dawned on him that it is utterly and solely through God's grace that we are saved. This sense of relief hit him when he was auf diese cloaca besetzt - when he was sitting on the crapper.

Quite a relief, I'm sure.

[Rum Tum Tugger]

Was Martin Luther Wrong?

Uh, yeah! Duh!

[skraeling]

Soli Deo Gloria!

[AnalogReigns]

I have found that my beliefs are essentially the same as those of orthodox Roman Catholics.

Billy Graham

I am an evangelical Christian, and I too believe this.

Salvation from Christ alone, known from scripture alone, through grace alone, by faith alone (the "solas").

These are the distinctives by which evangelicalism is, and has always been defined. The Roman church doesn't accept any of these. The article posted explains why this is so worrisome.