In the early 1500s, the Roman Catholic Church would undergo one of the greatest changes in its history. A single man would proclaim his beliefs, challenging and condemning the corrupt practices of church. This man was Martin Luther, arguably the greatest theologian of his day. Although he ignited the fire that would spread throughout Europe, Luther was not single handed in his quest for truth in Christian practices and doctrines. The most important concept to grasp from the reformation is that it did not take place because Luther willed it to, “but rather because the time was ripe for it, and because the Reformer and many others with him were ready to fulfill their historical responsibility.” (Gonzalez, p.21)

Born in 1483, in Eisleben, Germany, Martin Luther experienced a childhood that would later prove to shape his life, attitudes, and decisions. His parents were extremely strict, believed in hard work, and raised Luther with harsh punishments. Luther’s father had his life planned out for him; he was to become successful, a lawyer, through rigorous schooling, work, and discipline. Luther’s parents held the family to the strong beliefs of being devout Christians, and Luther was an alter boy and a member of the church choir growing up. With the recurring themes of salvation and damnation reflecting themselves in both family and church, Luther’s attitude became one of servitude, passion and sincerity.

Luther would survive a near death experience during a severe thunderstorm. Overwhelmed, he felt surrounded by the fear of death and hell, which prodded him to join the Augustinian monastery. Here, Luther was one of the most diligent, hard working monks. He would put his body through the severest of punishments, as recommended by his teachers. He was convinced that God was a severe judge, and to be saved from His wrath he must use all the means of grace offered by the church.

Becoming priest and teacher himself, Luther would discover his true feelings about the church. He would be overwhelmed by terror when celebrating his first mass, thinking he was holding and offering nothing less than the actual body of Christ. These feelings of extremity would evolve, consuming his thoughts on his own sin, to the point that he had tortured himself enough to conclude that what he felt for God was not love but hatred. In his teachings of Romans, Luther would come to the conclusion that the justice of God did not mean the punishment of sinners. In fact, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” (Romans 1:17) The “righteousness” of the righteous was actually not their own but God’s. In addition to this, Luther’s pilgrimage to Rome proved to greaten his questioning of the Church. He saw the signs of a corrupt, powerful, political institution who used religion to wring money from their people and enhance their own wealth and pleasures.

With all these experiences and thoughts, the boiling point was when Pope Leo issued the sale of indulgences to bring in funds for Saint Peter’s Basilica and other lavish construction. To “buy their way” to salvation and through purgatory, the poorest people would spend their last dime on these indulgences, believing it was the only option. Luther responded with his 95 theses, attacking the sale of indulgences and their theological basis. The theses were spread by the recent invention of the printing press, gathering the fellowship of many along the way. This would spark a war between the church and Luther’s followers, one which would be influenced by political aspirations of the church and surrounding powers.