It was October 31, 1517, in Wittenberg, Germany. A monk and professor walked out into the street and straight to the church, and with a hammer in one hand and a long piece of paper in another the world would be changed forever.
That monk was Martin Luther and what he nailed was his 95 Theses. Luther spent much of his time studying the Bible. The more he studied, the more he began to disagreed with the doctrine of the Catholic Church. The paper he nailed were his 95 points of disagreement.
The primary point of disagreement was the matter of salvation - how man could have his sins forgiven and be restored to a right relationship with God. At the time, the church taught that people could purchase forgiveness of sins. Luther, along with other reformers at the time, taught that God alone could grant forgiveness. Along with that teaching, the reformers also taught that religion and good deeds could not save but only through faith in God's Son, Jesus Christ.
Ever since that October day in 1517, the world has been feeling the affects of the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation not only birthed the Protestant movement, but also brought about social, political, and economic change.
Protestantism taught that work was a gift from God, and so people worked hard which led to scientific discovery, inventions, and wealth.
Politically, the movement spurred on the Eighty and Thirty Years Wars that changed the face of Europe forever.
Much of this article was adapted by an article on Reformation Day written by Jim Eliff which can be read in its entirety here.
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