REFORMATION POWERPOINT NOTES

CAUSES OF THE REFORMATIONChurch officials breaking religious promises (priests marrying and having kids, popes living in elegant palaces, etc.).

Indulgences: sinners could “buy” their way to forgiveness.

Fights between Popes and Kings

Great Schism: 2 popes (one living in France and the other living in Rome) = WHO’S THE REAL POPE?

JOHN WYCLIFFE (1330-1384)

Questioned Pope’s authority, disliked indulgences and immorality of church officials.

Believed that the Bible, not the church, was the supreme source of religious authority.

Labeled a heretic, he and his writings were burned at the stake, yet his ideas had a wide influence.

John Wycliffe

MARTIN LUTHER (1483-1546)Believed that salvation was a gift from God that people received in faith, not by doing good works.Hated indulgences given by Pope Leo X because he thought that uneducated people were “buying” salvation.

Martin Luther

NINETY-FIVE THESESLuther posted a list of arguments, called theses, against indulgences and church abuses on the church door in the town of Wittenberg.

He also sent the list, called the Ninety-Five Theses, to church leaders.

His ideas caused controversy and excitement, yet the church condemned them.

Ninety-Five Theses

LUTHERANISM

At the Diet of Worms (meeting in the German city of Worms), King Charles V declared Luther a heretic and stopped the printing of his writings.Luther escaped and started his own denomination (new branch of Christianity) called Lutheranism.

Lutheranism emphasized the study of the Bible.