Ping!
“Each of these Catholic Reformers retained the unity of Christ’s Church, submitted to church leadership, and patiently brought about renewal”
Hypothetical: Would it be possible for the Roman Catholic Church to reach such a level of corruption that it was cut off or discarded by God?
Bookmark.
Really? That's a bit hyperbolic. At the Diet of Worms, he said, "Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (..), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen."
Martin Luther was a flawed man, as are we all. All of the characters in this story are from a time long ago. But to condemn Luther because he didn't wallow in pig sh## while absolving his supposed betters of their arrogance is plain silly.
Stating that Martin Luther burned the Papal bull, while ignoring that Martin Luther's works were burned first. I'm not saying that Martin Luther was justified in burning the bull, just noting the double standard. Arrogance in the Catholic Church is accepted, expected, and justified.
Stating that Martin Luther was arrogant, while ignoring the fact that those at the Diet of Worms treated Martin Luther as a deviant child, ignored any attempt at reason, and gave anyone the legal right to kill Martin Luther without recourse.
My main problem with this whole article is the same as my problem with the Catholic Church. People at the top can be arrogant (even when they're wrong), but people on the bottom are to be subservient. The Catholic Church stinks of man's desire to have power over other men. It stinks of abuse of power. It stinks of the attitude that lower men should know their place.
The point of this article seems to be that reformers in the Catholic Church should tread carefully because those higher up in the church are arrogant and have a right to demand blind devotion without question or thought. I saw no regret or complaint about the structure of the Catholic Church, just an acceptance of elitism. Maybe that's why people kiss the pope's ring while he sits on an earthy throne: it makes sense them in their world view.
Protestants didn’t “reform,” they rebelled, or revolted.
I would add that, perhaps, at best, the term “reform” can loosely apply to Luther in his earlier years. A reformer, however, would not call the Pope anti-Christ or desecrate monasteries. These were acts of someone who lost his faith and not a reformer.
What went on from then on in Protestantism had nothing to do with reform altogether.
Obviously this was written for Catholics who don't read anything non Catholic...
Looking around the world, it's readily apparent that God used Martin Luther to the fullest, all across the earth...
And by reading the last of your sentence, God clearly chose someone who actually believed what He said...God is not leading His church into righteousness...He is not leading your Church into righteousness...Your religion is trying to lead it's members into it's own perception of righteousness...
We as Christians are righteous already...Have been since the day we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior...
God revealed this truth to Martin Luther when Martin succumbed to God's written words and made them available to the masses...