Evolution of Protestant Reformation

Video- https://youtu.be/hC3uqviHq9A 1:21

1. Religious Causes
At first, the Pope was powerful and over centuries, the Pope became very
powerful in the Catholic Church.
During the 1200s, the Pope was at the peak of his power: He was more
powerful than Kings.
During the 1300s, strong Kings emerged in England and France. As they grew
in power, the Pope lost power.
There was no leadership
During the 1300s, there was no Pope in Rome.
In 1309, the Pope left Rome and fled to Avignon, France.
For 70 years, the Pope
was in exile.
In 1378, the Pope moved back to Rome. Meanwhile, the Cardinals in Rome
elected a different Pope.
For 40 years, there were several men who claimed to be Pope.
The Church Ignored the individual
In just three years (1347-1350), the Black Death killed 30% of the people.
For over 100 years (1337-1453), the Hundred Years War racked England and
France.
1. Just when the average joe was feeling exceedingly religious. . .
2. Church leaders lost sight of the spiritual needs of the average joe.
Buying salvation
The Catholic Church had a giant hierarchy.
It cost a lot of money to pay all the administrators: Pope, archbishops,
bishops, priests, friars, monks.
To raise money, the Church issued pieces of paper called indulgences.
Thanks to Gutenbergs printing press of 1450, the Church printed thousands
of them.
If you paid money, you could buy forgiveness of sins...................indulgences.
If you paid money, you could buy yourself a job in the Church ........simony.
Money corrupted the Church: Popes and archbishops misspent money.
They built themselves palaces and lived like kings. Nobody liked that.
The Catholic Church said: To gain salvation, you must do good works.
(Translation: Pay money.)
Later, the Protestant Church argued: Nonsense! To gain salvation, you only
need to have faith in God.
Critics within the Church
Many people stepped forward and criticized the Catholic Church.
Most were Catholic priests inside the Church.
They read the Bible for themselves and decided that the Church was often
wrong in its practices.
Not was the main word they used. Meaning: This church practice is not in
the Bible.
John Wycliffe (1328-1384) was a religious philosopher in England.
He began as a Catholic priest, went to Oxford University, and became a
philosophy professor.
Wycliffe was outraged:
1. The 1300s was a time of horrible suffering (Black Death, Hundred Years
War)
2. The Church was full of corrupt people.
3. The Church did little to help the average joe.
Looking for solutions, he asked all sorts of questions:
Could an honest King punish a dishonest Pope?
Could an honest King overrule an unfair church law?
Wycliffe came up with some radical ideas:
1. People do not have to obey an unjust priest, bishop, or Pope.
2. Priests are not superior to regular people.
Contrary to church teachings, priests do not perform a miracle:
During communion, they do not turn bread and wine into the body and blood
of Christ.
3. The Bible (not the church) is the ultimate authority.
John Wycliffe was the first to translate the Bible into English.
He wanted people to read the Bible for themselves.
The Church put Wycliffe on trial for heresy.
But he was saved by the King of England.
He was, you see, a professor of politics.
When push came to shove, he always sided with the King of England.
Against the Pope.
The Lollards
In the 1380s, John Wycliffes followers became known as the Lollards.
They were a radical movement in England from 1380 to 1420.
They preached John Wycliffes beliefs:
1. Be obedient to God (not church leaders or the Pope).
2. Use the Bible as your personal guide (not church teachings or the Pope).
3. You can conduct the church service yourself (not by priests).
4. The service should be very simple - read the Bible and have communion.
5. Your little church does not have to be part of the Catholic Church.
The Impact
The average joe found this kind of church very appealing.
The Church of England never became as simple as Wycliffes church.
Wycliffe was a forerunner of the Reformation.
2. Cultural Causes
Humanism
During the Renaissance (1300-1600), the main philosophy was humanism.
Humanists believed in the importance of the individual.
When Martin Luther said: The individual should be able to read the Bible and
interpret it for himself.,
A lot of people said Yes.
Scholars read the Bible
During the Renaissance, scholars learned how to read ancient languages.
They read the Old Testament in the original language - Hebrew.
They read the New Testament in the original language - Greek.
Scholars were shocked to find that the Catholic Church did not resemble the
simplicity of the early Church.
Everybody read the Bible
Thanks to Gutenberg and his printing press, thousands of copies of the Bible
were printed.
This allowed regular people (non-clergy) to read the Bible.
3. Political Causes
Strong Kings decided to break away from the Pope in Rome.
In Germany, half of the German princes sided with Martin Luther and the
Reformation.
In Scandinavia, the Kings of Sweden and Denmark led the Reformation.
In England, King Henry VIII led the Reformation.
4. Economic Causes
City folks were nationalists. They gave their first loyalty to their King, not a
foreign Pope.
In London, folks loved the King of England.
They paid taxes to him.
In return, he gave them self-government.
They loved England.
Their slogan was God, King, and Country.
The King eventually said: Lets set up our own church - The Church of
England.
Londoners said: Yeah, lets do that.

Religious

Some Church leaders had become worldly and corrupt.

Many people found Church practices such as the sale of indulgences unacceptable.

Political

Powerful Monarchs challenged the Church as the supreme power in Europe.

Many leaders viewed the pope as a foreign ruler and challenged his authority.

Economic

European princes and kings were jealous of the Churchs wealth

Merchants and others resented having to pay taxes to the Church.

Social-

The Renaissance values of humanism and secularism led people to question the Church.
The printing press helped to spread ideas critical of the Church