1. Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, the Anabaptists, and John Calvin
The Reformation
Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, the Anabaptists, and John Calvin

2. The German Reformation
Part 1

3. Martin Luther (Background)
Background—He was caught in a thunderstorm, and promised to God that he would become a monk if God kept him safe.
Spiritual Struggle—Luther became a monk, but as he continued in this lifestyle, he came to realize that he literally hated God. In desperation, he was advised to become a Doctor in Theology, which allowed him to do something extraordinary: study the Bible.
Spiritual Breakthrough—Luther’s eyes were opened when he read the book of Romans. It states in Romans 4:5, “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.”

4. Luther vs. Catholicism
Leo X—He was the pope that raised funds for building St. Peter’s Basilica.
The 95 Theses—Luther’s 95 Theses against the Roman Catholic Church were nailed to a church’s door in Wittenberg, Germany. This was the start of the Reformation.
[Video]
Diet of Worms—Charles V summoned Luther to appear at the “Diet of Worms,” hoping the reformer would recant.

6. The Peace of Augsburg
The Peace of Augsburg—This provided a partial form of religious liberty for Luther’s followers in the 1550s.
[Map on next slide]

8. The Swiss Reformation
Part 2

9. Swiss Map

10. Ulrich Zwingli
Zwingli was a Roman Catholic priest in Zurich, Switzerland
After reading the Bible and then Luther’s writings, he became convinced that the Catholic Church had many errors and that the Bible alone has supreme authority
He was especially firm in two things:
(1) Reaching out to young people (2) Maintaining unity, even at the cost of punishing noncomformists

11. The Anabaptists “Ana” + “Baptists” = re-baptizers
Zwingli had several young students to join in on a Bible and book study. These included Conrad Grebel, George Blaurock, and Felix Manz.
They discovered the greatest problem about reading the Bible: sometimes our lives do not match up to what it says (baptism, church practice, etc.)
Turning point for Zwingli and the young students: debate over the Mass
Zwingli = Didn’t want to cause a division in the church and city of Zurich
Anabaptists = Didn’t want to disobey God’s Word in any way
The Anabaptists were called “Radical Reformers” (they wanted to make radical changes to Christianity—immediately)
[Video]

12. The Anabaptists (Continued)
Because the Anabaptists held to such strong convictions, people saw them as being threats to society.
Thousands of Anabaptists were martyred—by Roman Catholics and Protestants
Most Anabaptists were also “Pacifists” = they believe that Christians should not fight in war, and some even denounced self-defense
The Anabaptists who traveled to the Holland and England formed the spiritual heritage of most Baptists in America (including Shenandoah Baptist Church and RVCS)

13. John Calvin [Intro Video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3uJUaAwWC4
Calvin studied law and theology in France, and eventually became a “Reformer” around 1533
Having fled France back to Switzerland, he wrote one of the most important books in the history of the world: The Institutes of the Christian Religion.
A few things he loved to talk about: God’s glory, God’s sovereignty, and God’s Fatherly love
Calvin simply wanted to live a quiet, simple life as a writer. But due to the persuasion (guilt trip?) of a friend, he reluctantly became a pastor in Geneva, Switzerland—it turned out he was a great one.

14. John Calvin (extra tidbits)
His beard was fantastic!
He married a former Anabaptist widow (Idelette), who had two children
John and Idelette had three children together—tragically, all
Three died at birth
His love for Idelette was quite moving:
“I have been bereaved of the best companion of my life, of one who, had it been so ordered, would not only have been the willing sharer of my indigence, but even of my death. During her life she was the faithful helper of my ministry…From her I never experienced the slightest hindrance. She was never troublesome to me throughout the entire course of her illness; she was more anxious about her children than about herself.”

15. The Scottish & English Reformations
Part 3

16. English Reformation
While the reformation movements in other countries were mostly “doctrinal,” the English Reformation (at least at first) was mainly “political”
Henry VIII was the English king that broke off from Rome and established the Anglican Church
Why? He wanted to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, since she did not give him a son, and find a new wife that would give him a son
Lineage: Henry VIII – Edward VI – Mary I (Bloody Mary) – Elizabeth I

17. Queen Elizabeth I Video

18. Conclusions on the English Reformation
Throughout England’s Reformation, there were flip-flops between a Catholic and a Protestant reign
Elizabeth I (“The Virgin Queen”) – she tried to form a “middle- ground” form of Christianity [between Protestants and Catholics]
Puritans – They remained in the Anglican Church, but made major efforts to “purify” it (they were not arrogant, hypocritical killjoys, Nathaniel Hawthorne)
Separatists – They “separated” themselves from the Anglican Church [note: When some of the Anabaptists traveled to England, they intermingled with Separatists, forming the first true “Baptists”]

19. Scottish Reformation (John Knox)
John Knox led the Reformation in Scotland
He was a friend of John Calvin
Fearless, he stood up to the Catholic authorities, barely dodging death numerous time
From Knox and his fellow (less-known) reformers in Scotland, the “Presbyterian” church was born
His gravestone: “Here lies a man who neither flattered nor feared any flesh."