Please read LR, pages 336-341, 342-343, 345-372.
We will try to answer the following five questions:
1. How did Protestantism begin?
2. What forms does Protestantism take?
3. What do Protestants believe?
4. How do Protestants practice their faith?
5. What festivals do the Protestants celebrate?
How did Protestantism begin?
We will try to answer the following five questions:
1. How did Protestantism begin?
2. What forms does Protestantism take?
3. What do Protestants believe?
4. How do Protestants practice their faith?
5. What festivals do the Protestants celebrate?
How did Protestantism begin?
Protestants are a group of Christians that broke away/driven away from the “Western” Catholic Church in 1500’s and continuing to “break away” or to be “driven away” from the previous “Protestant” groups!
Lutheran reformation begins with Martin Luther (1483-1546). Luther was an Augustinian Monk who posted the 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral in Germany on October 31, 1517. Luther accused the Catholic Church for its excessive political involvement materialistic tendencies. He emphasized, in his pamphlet titled “On Christian Liberty”, the division between “political and spiritual”, “natural and supernatural”, and “the human and the divine”. For Luther the Church should maintain a critical distance from the world and retain the freedom to criticize “the political and worldly powers”. In the process he emphasized the authority of the scriptures and primacy of faith for human salvation.
Here are two others who followed Luther’s lead:
1. Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) is a Swiss priest who rejected practices not mentioned in the Bible such as “not eating meat during Lent”, “veneration of relics and saints”, “celibacy for monks and priests”, and so on. Lord’s supper should be celebrated, he insisted, only as “a memorial of Jesus’ sacrifice”.
2. John Calvin (1509-1564) is a man from Geneva who shared the reformation principles of “salvation by faith alone”, the “exclusive authority of the Bible”, and “the priesthood of all believers”. Calvin also preached “predestination” of God. But only God knew who is saved and who is damned to hell.
Church of England separated from Rome when Henry VIII declared English Church’s independence from Rome that was finalized in what is known as "the Elizabethan Settlement of 1559” leading to the evolving of the “Anglican Communion”. This Church retains many Catholic rituals, rejects the papacy, and shares some similarities with the other Protestant Churches while also outlawing some Protestant groups.
What forms does Protestantism take?
Here are some of the Protestant Churches: Anglicans (or Episcopalians), Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Reformed Churches, Amish, Mennonites, Christian Scientists, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Pentecostals, Quakers, Salvation Army, and so on.
What do Protestants believe?
Some of the aspects that were “unacceptable” to the Protestants are:
1. Use of Latin as the only language for worship.
2. Widespread corruption and excessive worldliness even among the clergy.
3. Complication in the worship – protesters preferred a simpler worship pattern.
4. Increasing the number of sacraments to seven – protesters accepted only two.
5. Salvation by works was opposed and salvation by faith alone emphasized.
6. Protesters emphasized Bible as the only authority for Christian faith and life.
7. Availability of the Bible too was another aspect the protesters wanted.
How do Protestants practice their faith?
Protesters developed simpler forms of Church Organizations that differed from group to group:
Lutheran reformation begins with Martin Luther (1483-1546). Luther was an Augustinian Monk who posted the 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral in Germany on October 31, 1517. Luther accused the Catholic Church for its excessive political involvement materialistic tendencies. He emphasized, in his pamphlet titled “On Christian Liberty”, the division between “political and spiritual”, “natural and supernatural”, and “the human and the divine”. For Luther the Church should maintain a critical distance from the world and retain the freedom to criticize “the political and worldly powers”. In the process he emphasized the authority of the scriptures and primacy of faith for human salvation.
Here are two others who followed Luther’s lead:
1. Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) is a Swiss priest who rejected practices not mentioned in the Bible such as “not eating meat during Lent”, “veneration of relics and saints”, “celibacy for monks and priests”, and so on. Lord’s supper should be celebrated, he insisted, only as “a memorial of Jesus’ sacrifice”.
2. John Calvin (1509-1564) is a man from Geneva who shared the reformation principles of “salvation by faith alone”, the “exclusive authority of the Bible”, and “the priesthood of all believers”. Calvin also preached “predestination” of God. But only God knew who is saved and who is damned to hell.
Church of England separated from Rome when Henry VIII declared English Church’s independence from Rome that was finalized in what is known as "the Elizabethan Settlement of 1559” leading to the evolving of the “Anglican Communion”. This Church retains many Catholic rituals, rejects the papacy, and shares some similarities with the other Protestant Churches while also outlawing some Protestant groups.
What forms does Protestantism take?
Here are some of the Protestant Churches: Anglicans (or Episcopalians), Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Reformed Churches, Amish, Mennonites, Christian Scientists, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Pentecostals, Quakers, Salvation Army, and so on.
What do Protestants believe?
Some of the aspects that were “unacceptable” to the Protestants are:
1. Use of Latin as the only language for worship.
2. Widespread corruption and excessive worldliness even among the clergy.
3. Complication in the worship – protesters preferred a simpler worship pattern.
4. Increasing the number of sacraments to seven – protesters accepted only two.
5. Salvation by works was opposed and salvation by faith alone emphasized.
6. Protesters emphasized Bible as the only authority for Christian faith and life.
7. Availability of the Bible too was another aspect the protesters wanted.
How do Protestants practice their faith?
Protesters developed simpler forms of Church Organizations that differed from group to group:
1. Episcopal – Eg. Episcopalian Church of Scotland.
2. Presbyterian – Eg. Church of Scotland with a Moderator.
3. Congregational – Eg. Baptist.
What festivals do Protestants celebrate?
Some Protestants do not celebrate festivals. They also do not “observe” the holy days that are observed by the Catholics! The reasons they provide are:
1. They are not “Biblical”. The Bible does not instruct Christians to observe seasons such as “Lent”.
2. Festivals such as “Christmas” and “Easter” are originally “pagan festivals”.
There are other Protestants who celebrate all those festivals celebrated by the Catholics such as Christmas, Easter, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Pentecost, etc. Lutherans celebrate the Reformation Day on October 31st.
Protestants spread their faith to “the new world” – their have been lot of persecution to the new faith in Europe so they spread all over the world and spread their brand of Christianity emphasizing – the great commission and the great commandment. 18th to the early 20th century is known as the great missionary moment of the Protestant Churches. Announcing the Gospel became the major concern.
The divisions within the Churches, many Protestant Churches realized, hindered the “spreading of the Gospel”. Hence there was the establishment of the World Council of Churches (WCC) known as the Ecumenical Movement.
Many Protestant groups saw the WCC as the “Liberal Arm” of the Protestants, particularly after the establishment of unit on “Dialogue with People of Other Faiths” in 1971 and their support for “third world concerns”.
This – the divisions among the Protestant Churches – also led to numerous “Church Union Projects” that let to the coming together of several Protestant Churches to form united churches such as the “United Church of Canada”, “Church of South India”, “Church of North India” and so on, initiating many more “bilateral and multilateral conversations”.
Growing “feminism” also had an impact on the Protestant Churches! Growing “gay and lesbian rights” also made at least some of the Protestant Churches to reconsider their “understanding of the Bible” and their way of life.
A strong sense of “conservatism” has also been on the increase within the Protestant Churches ending in the Lausanne Covenant. Please look for a 15-paragraph declaration: http://www.perspectives.org/about/lausanne.html
Questions to Explore:
1. Briefly explain the development of the Protestant Reformation highlighting the most important issues that were raised by this movement.
2. Presbyterian – Eg. Church of Scotland with a Moderator.
3. Congregational – Eg. Baptist.
What festivals do Protestants celebrate?
Some Protestants do not celebrate festivals. They also do not “observe” the holy days that are observed by the Catholics! The reasons they provide are:
1. They are not “Biblical”. The Bible does not instruct Christians to observe seasons such as “Lent”.
2. Festivals such as “Christmas” and “Easter” are originally “pagan festivals”.
There are other Protestants who celebrate all those festivals celebrated by the Catholics such as Christmas, Easter, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Pentecost, etc. Lutherans celebrate the Reformation Day on October 31st.
Protestants spread their faith to “the new world” – their have been lot of persecution to the new faith in Europe so they spread all over the world and spread their brand of Christianity emphasizing – the great commission and the great commandment. 18th to the early 20th century is known as the great missionary moment of the Protestant Churches. Announcing the Gospel became the major concern.
The divisions within the Churches, many Protestant Churches realized, hindered the “spreading of the Gospel”. Hence there was the establishment of the World Council of Churches (WCC) known as the Ecumenical Movement.
Many Protestant groups saw the WCC as the “Liberal Arm” of the Protestants, particularly after the establishment of unit on “Dialogue with People of Other Faiths” in 1971 and their support for “third world concerns”.
This – the divisions among the Protestant Churches – also led to numerous “Church Union Projects” that let to the coming together of several Protestant Churches to form united churches such as the “United Church of Canada”, “Church of South India”, “Church of North India” and so on, initiating many more “bilateral and multilateral conversations”.
Growing “feminism” also had an impact on the Protestant Churches! Growing “gay and lesbian rights” also made at least some of the Protestant Churches to reconsider their “understanding of the Bible” and their way of life.
A strong sense of “conservatism” has also been on the increase within the Protestant Churches ending in the Lausanne Covenant. Please look for a 15-paragraph declaration: http://www.perspectives.org/about/lausanne.html
Questions to Explore:
1. Briefly explain the development of the Protestant Reformation highlighting the most important issues that were raised by this movement.
2. Compare and contrast the views of the fundamentalist and the social gospel approach to Christianity.
3. Discuss the impact of “feminism” on the Contemporary Christians.
