By the start of the 16th century, all of Western Europe was still part of the Roman Catholic Church, which instilled a hierarchy within in, i.e., pope, bishop, priest.2 By that time, the Catholic Church was playing a prominent role in the politics of many countries. Many people have also begun to notice the corruption that existed at the higher levels of the church. Throughout history, people looked to the church as a way of guidance and inspiration – so their soul can achieve heaven. However, during the 1500s, popes started to sell indulgences, “a remission of the punishment still due for sins that had been forgiven through confession,”3 to profit themselves and the establishment. The selling of indulgences along with simony, “sale of Church offices and benefits, and pluralism,”4 became extremely common. Along with all of the church services and the wealth that explorers were bringing back, the Catholic Church became a wealthy establishment with its officials often living in luxury, while their followers remained poor. With all of these issues combined, certain religious leaders began to rise against the Catholic authority in an attempt to reform it. Ultimately, a movement called the Protestant Reformation formed which rebelled the long-established Catholic Church ruling.
During all of the chaos that was happening, a German monk, Martin Luther, started to preach a new interpretation of Christianity. Martin Luther was set out to redefine one’s self in society. For centuries, it was the Pope who was seen as the ultimate interpreter of the religion. He had to guide his followers to salvation. To achieve salvation, Catholics were supposed to have faith in the religion and practice good works. They had to attend 7 Sacraments and not question the title of the Pope.5 Martin Luther rejected the hierarchal establishment that presided within the Catholic Church; the Pope was not supreme through his point of view. With the support of his followers, Lutheranism started to become a prominent Christian movement that was seen as a threat to the Catholic Church. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther took it upon himself to publish his “Ninety-Five Theses,” a list of reforms that needed to happen within the Catholic Church. In the document, Martin Luther stated his direct opposition to the sale of indulgences, “21. Hence those who preach indulgences are in error when they say that a man is absolved and saved from every penalty by the pope’s indulgences.”6 The sale of indulgences is the cause of corruption that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades. Moreover, in the document, Martin Luther rebuffs the idea of having a Pope have the same authority as God, “5. The pope has neither the will nor the power to remit any penalties… 6. The pope himself cannot remit guilt.”7 In the Lutheran Church, there is no Pope to guide followers. Another issue that Martin Luther tried to resolve was the lack of people reading the Bible for themselves. The Catholic Church firmly defended their stance on the Bible only being available in Latin, which did not allow everyone in Western Europe to read it. By the 16th century, the printing press was fully functional, which Martin Luther utilized to his advantage, by printing the Bible out in German. He encouraged everyone to read the Bible in their language because it is through faith, and faith alone, that one can achieve salvation. Performing good works for the church is irrelevant as only corrupt church officials benefit, and, “45. The true treasure of the church is…the grace of God.”8 Martin Luther’s involvement in the Protestant Reformation was a pivotal moment in history because the role of the Catholic Church declined in many Western European countries. More and more Protestant Churches began to form, e.g., Anglican and Calvinist, and new biblical scholars emerged, e.g., John Calvin. Martin Luther slowly deemphasized the importance of the church and the role of one’s self in society changed as only practicing faith became a path towards salvation.