Q: What is Reformation Day? How is it remembered?
Reformation Day is a Christian holy
day commemorating the events of the Reformation. Traditionally, Reformation Day was celebrated
by most Lutherans, as well as some Calvinist (Reformed or Presbyterian)
churches, with an evening service, a meal, and other festivities on the evening
of October 31. On the campuses of many
Lutheran and Reformed colleges and seminaries, and in some congregations, this
is still the case. Recently, however, it
has become more common for most congregations to simplify their calendars by
celebrating Reformation Day on the Last Sunday of October instead.
This date of October 31 was chosen
because it is the day in 1517 when the Martin Luther, who was a Roman Catholic
monk and theology professor, nailed the 95 Theses to the door of his church in Wittenberg Germany
At that time, the Roman Catholic
Church was the only religion in most of Europe ,
and also held a large degree of political power. The 95 Theses were statements of belief which
opposed many practices which were common in the church at that time—most
importantly, the selling of Indulgences.
Indulgences were certificates that
could be purchased for varying amounts of money to get forgiveness for sins or
reduce a person’s supposed debt in purgatory, either for the purchaser or for
his friend or relative. In spite of many
common misconceptions, the Reformation was primarily a theological event. Although it had far-reaching results in
culture and politics, the central focus of the Reformation was Christian
Doctrine—specifically, whether sins are forgiven by God’s grace (the position
of Martin Luther and the Lutherans) or by human actions, such as charity,
financial contributions, or moral behavior (the position of the Pope and the
Roman Catholic Church).
Similarly, the Reformation was not
really about the Pope or the artistic and ceremonial practices of the Roman
Catholic Church, as another misconception portrays. Lutheran leaders were prepared to acknowledge
that the Pope could be considered the rightful leader of the earthly church by
human authority (although not by divine authority).
Lutheran leaders also did not object
to stained glass, statues, burning of incense, bowing, kneeling, making the
sign of the cross, wearing of robes by priests, or even use of the title
“Father” for clergy, although there were some fringe groups who held differing
opinions. Regarding worship, Martin
Luther intended to keep as many of the Roman Catholic worship practices as he
could, except for those which clearly contradicted Biblical doctrine. This is why a person, even today, would see
so many similarities between Lutheran and Roman Catholic services in most
congregations.
The result of the Reformation was
that there were now several different types of Christian churches, each with
its own theological ideas, in Europe rather
than only one, and the connection between church authority and government was
broken. Many things we know today, such
as individual rights, freedom of religion, and the ability to read the Bible in
our own language are direct results of the events of the Reformation, but the
central theme of the Reformation and of Reformation Day is that people are
rescued from God’s punishment for their sins “by grace alone, through faith
alone, because of Christ alone,” and not by their own ability or worthiness and
that "Scripture alone" was the only source of religious truth.
Q: Wasn’t Martin
Luther a leader in the civil rights movement?
People often confuse
Martin Luther and Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther was a German monk and theology professor who lived from
1483-1546 in Germany
Martin Luther King
Jr., who lived from 1929-1968 in the American South, was also a preacher, but
was not a Lutheran. He was a leader in
the civil rights movement during the mid-twentieth century, seeking racial
equality in America
