There are many aspects to the Luther story, one of which is his theological extremism: contrary to popular belief, he didn't start out as a critic of corruption in the church and eventually became more radical. No, his "sola fide" doctrine came first. It is the idea that only Grace can save you, which Luther took to such extremes as to s…
There are many aspects to the Luther story, one of which is his theological extremism: contrary to popular belief, he didn't start out as a critic of corruption in the church and eventually became more radical. No, his "sola fide" doctrine came first. It is the idea that only Grace can save you, which Luther took to such extremes as to say that all moral actions are sins if unilateral Grace isn't present. Hence the later abolishments of monasteries etc. It was diametrically opposed to fundamental aspects of the church from the very beginning. Luther based most of that on his reading of Paul.
Now, there is a kernel of truth to it, because Paul speaks of the union with the Christ spirit we need to achieve, and that merely following the law to the letter, while beneficial as a sort of childminder, ultimately leads to sin. But Luther misunderstood that and thought "works" are entirely useless or worse, whereas for Paul "faith of Christ" is all about works in communion with the spirit, and certainly not about "belief". (Later protestant theologians have to a degree tried to rectify Luther's errors based no doubt on their common sense, but his shadow still looms large.)
IMO, this "faith vs. works" dispute has kind of stifled theological discourse on both sides. I highly recommend the mentioned book "Paul's Necessary Sin" for more on Paul's real theology.
There is so much more - to appreciate the sheer extremism and destructiveness of Luther's thoughts, I recommend reading some original quotes. After studying this a few years back in some depth, my theory is that he was utterly obsessed with his own salvation despite him being a sinner who can't help it, and desperately tried to come up with some doctrine that would mean he's gonna be saved. It's kind of manic, and did plunge Europe into chaos for sure.
Now, I'm not saying the Catholics were all saints. But the story we've been told - the Reformation as sort of a proto-Enlightenment heroically fighting against the superstitious and corrupt church - is a fabrication, a myth.
That's interesting. I've never dived too deeply into Luther, but given the sheer barbarity of the early protestants during the 30 Years War for instance, none of that surprises me. The tree is known by its fruit.
There are many aspects to the Luther story, one of which is his theological extremism: contrary to popular belief, he didn't start out as a critic of corruption in the church and eventually became more radical. No, his "sola fide" doctrine came first. It is the idea that only Grace can save you, which Luther took to such extremes as to say that all moral actions are sins if unilateral Grace isn't present. Hence the later abolishments of monasteries etc. It was diametrically opposed to fundamental aspects of the church from the very beginning. Luther based most of that on his reading of Paul.
Now, there is a kernel of truth to it, because Paul speaks of the union with the Christ spirit we need to achieve, and that merely following the law to the letter, while beneficial as a sort of childminder, ultimately leads to sin. But Luther misunderstood that and thought "works" are entirely useless or worse, whereas for Paul "faith of Christ" is all about works in communion with the spirit, and certainly not about "belief". (Later protestant theologians have to a degree tried to rectify Luther's errors based no doubt on their common sense, but his shadow still looms large.)
IMO, this "faith vs. works" dispute has kind of stifled theological discourse on both sides. I highly recommend the mentioned book "Paul's Necessary Sin" for more on Paul's real theology.
There is so much more - to appreciate the sheer extremism and destructiveness of Luther's thoughts, I recommend reading some original quotes. After studying this a few years back in some depth, my theory is that he was utterly obsessed with his own salvation despite him being a sinner who can't help it, and desperately tried to come up with some doctrine that would mean he's gonna be saved. It's kind of manic, and did plunge Europe into chaos for sure.
Now, I'm not saying the Catholics were all saints. But the story we've been told - the Reformation as sort of a proto-Enlightenment heroically fighting against the superstitious and corrupt church - is a fabrication, a myth.
That's interesting. I've never dived too deeply into Luther, but given the sheer barbarity of the early protestants during the 30 Years War for instance, none of that surprises me. The tree is known by its fruit.