I.

Abuses in the Church

A. Problems
1. Church became increasingly caught up in worldly
affairs
2. The Pope competed with Italian princes for
political power
a.) They fought long wars to protect the Papal
States against invasions by secular rulers
3. Popes were patrons of the arts and hired painters
and sculptors to beautify the churches
a.) To finance these projects, the Church
increased fees for marriages and baptisms
4. Some clergy promoted the sale of 
  Ȃ a
lessening of the time a soul would have to spend in
purgatory ( a place where souls too impure to enter
heaven atoned for sins committed during their
lifetime)
5. Many Christians protested such practices
II. Lutherǯs Protests
1. In 1517, protests against Church abuses erupted into a
revolt
2. Martin Luther (a German monk) led this revolt
A. The 95 Theses
1. In 1517, a priest named Johann Tetzel offered indulgences to
any Christian who contributed money for the rebuilding of the
Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome
a.) He assured the purchasers and their dead relatives
entry into heaven
2. Luther was outraged and wrote 95 theses (arguments)
against indulgences. He posted it at the door of Wittenbergǯs
church. They included:
a.) Indulgences had no basis in the Bible
b.) The Pope had no authority to release souls from
purgatory
c.) Christians could be saved only through faith
B. Luther Versus the Church
1. Copies of Lutherǯs 95 Theses were printed and distributed across
Europe where they stirred furious debate
2. The Church called on Luther to p
(give up) his views
3. He refused and developed even more radical new doctrines
4. In 1521 the pope excommunicated Luther
5. He was later ordered by the Holy Roman emperor, Charles V, to
the assembly of German princes at Worms
a.) He was ordered to give up his writings
b.) He refused and was declared an outlaw, making it a crime for
anyone to give him food or shelter
6. Throughout Germany, thousands hailed him as a hero and
followed his teachings
C. Lutherǯs Teachings
1. Luther rejected the Church doctrine that good deeds were necessary
for salvation
a.) He argued that salvation was achieved through faith alone
2. He upheld the Bible as the sole source of religious truth
a.) He denied other authorities such as the Church councils and
pope
3. He rejected the idea that priests and the Church hierarchy had
special powers
a.) He believed that all Christians had equal access to God through
faith and the Bible
4. He rejected 5 of the 7 sacraments because the Bible did not mention
them
5. He banned indulgences, confession, pilgrimages, and prayers to
saints
6. He simplified the mass and emphasized the sermon
7. He permitted the clergy to marry
III. Spread of Lutheran Ideas Ȃ By 1530, the Lutherans were using
the name DzProtestantdz
A. Widespread Support
1. Many clergy saw Lutherǯs reforms as the answer to
Church corruption
2. Some German princes saw his beliefs as a way to
throw off the rule of the Church and the Holy Roman
emperor
B. The Peasantsǯ Revolt
1. Many peasants took up Lutherǯs banner and hoped to
gain his support for social and economic change
2. In 1524, a Peasantsǯ Revolt erupted across Germany
a.) The rebels called for an end to serfdom and
demanded other changes in their harsh lives
3. Luther favored social order and respect so he
denounced the revolt
C. The Peace of Augsburg
1. During the 1530s and 1540s, Holy Roman emperor Charles V
tried to force Lutheran princes back into the Catholic Church
2. After a number of brief wars, Charles and the princes
reached a settlement
3. The Peace of Augsburg allowed each prince to decide which
religion Ȃ Catholic or Lutheran Ȃ would be followed in his
lands
4. Most northern German states chose Lutheranism while the
south remained largely Catholic
IV. John Calvin Ȃ born in France and trained as priest and lawyer
A. Teachings
1. 1536 published the 

 

  
a.) He set forth his religious beliefs and provided advice on how to
organize and run a Protestant Church
2. Like Luther, he believed that salvation was gained through faith
alone
3. He also regarded the Bible as the only source of religious truth
4. He preached Ôp
    Ȃ the idea that God had long ago
determined who would gain salvation
5. To Calvinists the world was divided into 2 parts: saints and sinners
B. Calvinǯs Geneva
1. In 1541, Protestants in Geneva, Switzerland asked Calvin to lead
their community
2. He set up a p Ȃ government run by church leaders
3. Calvinists stressed hard work, discipline, thrift, honesty, morality
4. Citizens faced fines or other harsher punishments for fighting,
swearing, laughing in church, or dancing
5. Calvin closed theaters and frowned on elaborate dress
6. He believed in religious education for girls as well as boys
7. Also believed that women should read the Bible (in private) and
allowed them to sing in church
C. Spread of Calvinism
1. Spread in Germany, France, the Netherlands, England, Scotland
2. Caused many bloody religious wars