Considering the
transitions of human history from the end of the Roman Empire through
the dark ages to the Protestant Reformation and beyond the
inquisition to the current era where there is an enveloping global
faithless drift toward sci-tech paradigms without moral concerns or
deep contemplation of the Bible it is useful to review select
concepts of the Bible and reformation.
The priesthood of believers is a correct form rather than a partitioned dichotomy of priests and laity mirroring that of traditional aristocracy-subjects paradigms. Developing an active priesthood of believers church structure with just three ranks of beginner, intermediate and elder will be a challenge and a renewal of reformation. In the world today the political drift is toward ad hoc neo-imperlialism of class of wealth through global networks.
Martin Luther, Zwingli and Calvin were three basic reformers of the Christian Church. Luther of a German Catholic monastic background who took a Masters and Doctorate in Theology came to represent opposition to the sale of indulgences and other practices that were not found in scripture and that seemed onerous and even conflicting with sound theology. If purgatory existed then it would appear to nullify Chrisy's atoning sacrifice, conditionally. The Roman Catholic mass seemed to present the same problem of perennially resacrificing the Lord, if I understand that problem correctly.
Luther became a professor at Frederick the Elector's new University at Wittenburg and it is there that Luther's theology instructions shone as a better way of reforming the recalcitrant Papal establishment. Posting his 95 theses against indulgences prevalently on a church door in Wittenburg the difficult process of protesting against Church corruption was a stimulus for the rise of a protestant and reformed church.
Considering the role of the Christian Church in bringing civilization to the pagan tribes of Western Europe over the course of several hundred years it is not surprising that the Church gained influence among the princely leaders of the various nations. Churchmen were also the transnationalists of the era after the fall of Rome to the Goths with an army of priests. Corruption in human social organizations including the church was of course the rule rather than the exception.
When the Muslim forces of the Abbassid Caliphate attacking Spain, Sicily and Byzantium the church had a role that naturally developed as the faith of the invaded resisting the theocratic war machine of Mohammedan votaries. With a millennium of defense military operations against the Muslim forces European nations increased their military skill. When the Byzantine Empire decreased in power due to the attacks by Muslims and Huns the church at Rome naturally increased in power and influence. Yet of course sacerdotal corruptions with concubinage and the huge problem of Papal sales of indulgences-papers-granting forgiveness of sins-that brought gold to the Vatican from all over Europe grew as uncorrected problems of the Roman Church leadership. Because some Popes asserted unlimited power over all church and state affairs a reformation was sought by the laity. Martin Luther in Germany and Zwingli in Switzerland led a rectification of the Christian Church to return to Bible basics that the word of God is primary and that there is an egalitarian priesthood of believers. That reformation accepted by many princes and governments became so controversial that wars eventually developed between the forces of the Imperial Emperor Charles the Fifth of the Holy Roman Empire and reform minded German princes. In Switzerland Roman Catholic forces fought against Protestant districts. Prussians declared ecclesiastical independence and the numbers of churches not subject to Roman Papal increased. In some ways the Orthodox Church of Russia was a spectator although Field Marshall Suvorov later chased Napoleon around Europe.
Public disputations and debates were a common way that political powers in Germany and Switzerland might here both sides of theological issues between protestant and Romanish movements in the day. Luther and Zwingli each participated in such events.
With the close relation between church and state in the 18th century princes and magistracies were able to order what form-reformed or Papish, the local churches must take. When the episcopate of bishops under the Pope was found in Protestant Germany to be inaccurate in doctrine by select princes the princes themselves replaced their roles and Luther was directed to write a list of reforms for delegated of a prince to take on visitations that they might bring the freed from post-Catholic licentiousness in the absence of authority back to the fold of Biblical truth. Protestant reforms in Germany and Switzerland developed new preachers and theologians often with converted Roman Catholic priests to a better priesthood of believers format. Unfortunately, even the electronic technologically enabling modern era has failed to upgrade to a post-set aside hierarchical ministry organization.
The priesthood of believers is a correct form rather than a partitioned dichotomy of priests and laity mirroring that of traditional aristocracy-subjects paradigms. Developing an active priesthood of believers church structure with just three ranks of beginner, intermediate and elder will be a challenge and a renewal of reformation. In the world today the political drift is toward ad hoc neo-imperlialism of class of wealth through global networks.
Martin Luther, Zwingli and Calvin were three basic reformers of the Christian Church. Luther of a German Catholic monastic background who took a Masters and Doctorate in Theology came to represent opposition to the sale of indulgences and other practices that were not found in scripture and that seemed onerous and even conflicting with sound theology. If purgatory existed then it would appear to nullify Chrisy's atoning sacrifice, conditionally. The Roman Catholic mass seemed to present the same problem of perennially resacrificing the Lord, if I understand that problem correctly.
Luther became a professor at Frederick the Elector's new University at Wittenburg and it is there that Luther's theology instructions shone as a better way of reforming the recalcitrant Papal establishment. Posting his 95 theses against indulgences prevalently on a church door in Wittenburg the difficult process of protesting against Church corruption was a stimulus for the rise of a protestant and reformed church.
Considering the role of the Christian Church in bringing civilization to the pagan tribes of Western Europe over the course of several hundred years it is not surprising that the Church gained influence among the princely leaders of the various nations. Churchmen were also the transnationalists of the era after the fall of Rome to the Goths with an army of priests. Corruption in human social organizations including the church was of course the rule rather than the exception.
When the Muslim forces of the Abbassid Caliphate attacking Spain, Sicily and Byzantium the church had a role that naturally developed as the faith of the invaded resisting the theocratic war machine of Mohammedan votaries. With a millennium of defense military operations against the Muslim forces European nations increased their military skill. When the Byzantine Empire decreased in power due to the attacks by Muslims and Huns the church at Rome naturally increased in power and influence. Yet of course sacerdotal corruptions with concubinage and the huge problem of Papal sales of indulgences-papers-granting forgiveness of sins-that brought gold to the Vatican from all over Europe grew as uncorrected problems of the Roman Church leadership. Because some Popes asserted unlimited power over all church and state affairs a reformation was sought by the laity. Martin Luther in Germany and Zwingli in Switzerland led a rectification of the Christian Church to return to Bible basics that the word of God is primary and that there is an egalitarian priesthood of believers. That reformation accepted by many princes and governments became so controversial that wars eventually developed between the forces of the Imperial Emperor Charles the Fifth of the Holy Roman Empire and reform minded German princes. In Switzerland Roman Catholic forces fought against Protestant districts. Prussians declared ecclesiastical independence and the numbers of churches not subject to Roman Papal increased. In some ways the Orthodox Church of Russia was a spectator although Field Marshall Suvorov later chased Napoleon around Europe.
Public disputations and debates were a common way that political powers in Germany and Switzerland might here both sides of theological issues between protestant and Romanish movements in the day. Luther and Zwingli each participated in such events.
With the close relation between church and state in the 18th century princes and magistracies were able to order what form-reformed or Papish, the local churches must take. When the episcopate of bishops under the Pope was found in Protestant Germany to be inaccurate in doctrine by select princes the princes themselves replaced their roles and Luther was directed to write a list of reforms for delegated of a prince to take on visitations that they might bring the freed from post-Catholic licentiousness in the absence of authority back to the fold of Biblical truth. Protestant reforms in Germany and Switzerland developed new preachers and theologians often with converted Roman Catholic priests to a better priesthood of believers format. Unfortunately, even the electronic technologically enabling modern era has failed to upgrade to a post-set aside hierarchical ministry organization.
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