Renaissance+Religion


 * John Wycliffe || Sermon in the 16th Century Given by a Calvinist Preacher || Martin Luther ||
 * [[image:mirandahmuseum/John_Wycliffe.jpg width="260" height="380" align="center"]] || [[image:mirandahmuseum/Sermon_Given_by_a_Calvinist_Preacher.jpg width="360" height="288" align="center"]] || [[image:mirandahmuseum/Martin_Luther.jpg width="238" height="388" align="center"]] ||
 * John Wycliffe was an Oxford professor who attacked Church corruption. Wycliffe insisted that the Bible was the true source of Christian truth, not the Church and its popes. Known as the "Morning star of the Reformation," Wycliffe was a leader in trying change and reform the church. He shared his teachings with others and gathered a strong following. His followers would later name themselves the Lollards. One of the most notable things Wycliffe and the Lollards are credited with is translating the Bible into the vernacular, or everyday language of the people. Together Wycliffe and his followers translated the Bible so that people were able to read it themselves. People did not have to depend and rely on the clergy to read it because they could now do it on their own. Wycliffe gave the opportunity for people to interpret the Bible how they saw fit instead of blindly following whatever the clergy told them. His actions did not go unpunished though, the Church persecuted Wycliffe and the Lollards. With a bit of luck Wycliffe was able to avoid persecution and continued to preach to his followers until his death. John Wycliffe would later come to inspire other reformers like Martin Luther. || The image above depicts a sermon given by a Calvinist preacher. The founder of Calvinism was John Calvin, a French priest who preached reforms in the 1500's. Calvin was knowledgeable in the fields of law and theology and also had a logical and razor-sharp mind. Like Martin Luther, he joined the reformation movement. He wrote the book The Institutes of the Christan Religion which told of his interesting beliefs. Calvin's book was soon considered the handbook on Protestantism. It told of how the Bible was the only source of religious truth along with numerous other ideas. However, the most unique idea he and his follower preached was Predestination. Predestination was the concept that one's faith was already determined by God. Predestination also stated the one's faith could not be changed while on Earth. People were either saints or sinners, it was that simply to him. People obviously felt the same way since he gained a large following which settled in Geneva. Calvinism soon spread to places all over Europe and inspired many others though. John Calvin's radical ideas inspired many to covert from the Roman Catholic Church to Calvinism. His teachings truly affected the lives of his many followers. || The image above depicts Martin Luther posting his famous 95 theses. Martin Luther was a famous priest who was fed up with the practice of indulgences. He believed that one could achieve salvation through faith alone. Luther also believed that everyone was equal before the eyes of God. In the 95 theses that he hung on the door of the Witteneberg church, Luther condemned the practice of indulgences among many other things. Luther's bold actions triggered a series of results that shook the Catholic church to its core. Luther even wrote numerous books outlining his beliefs so others could learn about his ideas and spread them. The Catholic church soon started to divided with Luther at the helm. The Catholic was even so scared that they excommunicated him since he would not take back his beliefs. The church however was too late in their actions, Luther had already made a lasting affect. German princes broke away from the Catholic church and reformers started their own Protestant sects. The Catholic Church lost many followers. Martin Luther truly sparked a religious revolution that changed the way many people thought about religion. ||

[|Bible Answers]