As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Interlacing representative, essential, mostly brief passages from Confessions with a breezy but incisive ongoing commentary… Dr. Kreeft navigates us through the mind of a man who, in changing his own world, helped lay the foundations for our own.” - Imaginative Conservative
“The sound of the eight bells in Notre Dame’s northern belfry came a month before the cathedral is to reopen following five years of painstaking restoration work in the wake of the blaze.” - France 24
“Despite the dire warnings of an imminent and existential threat from Christian theocrats, it’s important to note that this kind of discussion, of the limits of the religious influence on the state, could only happen in a culture widely shaped by Christianity.” - Breakpoint
There was nothing remarkable about that day in October, 1517, when a Roman Catholic priest by the name of Martin Luther fastened his now famous ninety-five theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenburg, Germany. He certainly did not expect to ignite a religious revolution. As a loyal son of the established church, Luther merely wished to engage his university town in theological discussion about certain church doctrines that troubled him. His goal was to try to rein in some of the most grievous abuses of the Church by discussing them openly.
Little did he know that his theses would be copied, printed, and distributed across Europe within days. In the providence of God, Luther’s modest debate propositions ignited a fire that is still burning today. On this five-hundredth anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, it is fitting to remember how it all began, and more importantly, why.
There are some today who question the validity of this great schism with Rome. They believe that the Reformation, though probably warranted in its day, is no longer necessary. They assure us that the abuses of Luther’s day have been addressed, and it’s time to acknowledge the mistakes of the past and join hands as fellow members of Christ’s body.
“though the divide between mainstream American life and traditional Christianity is growing, we are not at the point where the Early Church started. Cultural hostility and social media cancellation campaigns aren’t the same as systematic persecution.” - 9 Marks
“Of all these 95 affirmations and concerns, the main point was simple: you can’t buy God’s grace and you can’t trump the Bible. The Church missed this, and that’s a dangerous place to be.” - Credo
Was Tyndale’s translation heretical? Did secular authorities kill Tyndale or was it the Roman Catholic Church? - Truth Unites
If you had asked me, as a young boy, what holiday we celebrate on October 31, I likely would have responded, “Reformation Day.”
Sure, I was intrigued by ghosts, ghouls and goblins as much as the next kid—but not for their own sake. I, instead, preferred to think of them as the backdrop, set in place by hundreds of years of darkness, against which the light of Reformation shone crystal clear from the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany.
“Evangelical worship services often feel kind of shallow. A lot of times it’ll feel like a concert and a TED Talk about Jesus.” - Gavin Ortlund
“C.H. Spurgeon introduced the first volume of the New Park Street Pulpit, an annual volume of his weekly sermons that would be published beginning in January 1855. Over the years, Spurgeon’s weekly sermon became a staple in evangelicalism.” - 9 Marks
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