The Protestant Reformation Flashcards
Who is known to have been the “father of the Protestant Reformation” in popular narratives?
Martin Luther
What did the reformation begin with?
the publication of Luther’s Ninety-five Theses
What were Luther’s 3 main points of contention with the Catholic church?
Luther criticized the clergy mediation between God and sinners, opposed the practice of the sale of indulgences, and rejected the idea of the merits of the saints in the Catholic doctrine.
What did Luther promote as a source faith?
a complete reliance on scripture
What is the concept of Sola fide, as introduced by Martin Luther?
meaning that faith alone guarantees God’s pardon for sin.
What did Luther argue regarding salvation (3 points)?
- against the mediation practice of clergy, Luther argued that individual Christians do not need the intermediary role of the clergy to achieve salvation
- humans are assured of salvation only by faith, which itself is a gift of God’s grace
- there is nothing the sinner can do to earn salvation without faith. Salvation can only be received through faith.
With reference to Luther, what was the main motive of the Reformation?
theological
Besides the theological factor of the reformation, what do social historians argue also came into play?
- the perceived corruption within the administration of the Catholic church
What happened in Germany that may have led to the reformation?
In Germany, there were concerns with the gap between the clergy who were penniless and ill-educated and bishops who were often from very wealthy families. Many of these bishops became bishops because they were willing to pay for the post.
- The sale of indulgence created a tension: only the rich could go to heaven.
True or False: Social historians also include the rise of literacy as a major cause of the Reformation.
True
How did literacy contribute to the reformation
- With the technology of printing press, religious books and pamphlets including Luther’s translation of the Bible into German, quickly spread in Germany and much of Europe (except in Italy and Spain).
- By then, ordinary people had a better access to religious knowledge
Who represented the second stage of the reformation?
Jean Calvi
Who is the french lawyer-come-theologian who represented the second stage of the reformation?
Jean Calvin
Why did Jean Calvin move to Geneva?
after he was opposed in Catholic France
What was similar between Calvin and Luther?
Like Luther, Calvin minimized the role of clergy in the Christian life, and focused on the authority of faith and scripture.
How did Calvin and Luther differ?
- Calvin and Luther differed in theology of sin and salvation
- Calvin believed in predestination. He argued that since the fall of Adam, no human could ever freely choose faith.
- Before the creation, God had predestined some of us to damnation and some to salvation
- God is absolutely omnipotence.
- By contrast, Luther believed that the death and resurrection of Christ made the give of grace available to all
Describe Calvin and theocracy.
- Calvin is known to have espoused a theocratic state: a state is ruled by God through religious authorities.
What did Calvin and his followers hope?
To convert France to follow his Reformist ideas,but the French Roman Catholic remained strong
What led to the French Wars of Religion (Huguenots Wars), the second deadliest European religious war, after the Thirty Years’ War in Central Europe.
The tension in France
What is notable about Ulrich Zwingli?
A former Roman Catholic priest, Zwingli rejected the authority of the Pope and argued about the authority of the gospels as the sole basis of truth.
How did Ulrich Zwingli differ from Calvin?
- Unlike Calvin, Zwingli rejected the projection of Christ during the Eucharist, in which the bread and wine of the Eucharist ceased being bread and wine, and became the literal body and blood of Jesus.
- For Zwingli, the meaning of the Eucharist was strictly symbolic.
True or False: The voice of reformation was not monolithic.
True
What was inevitable with the reformation?
When put in practice, concussion and conflicts resulting from the break away theological stand were inevitable.
True or False: Several reformist movements eventually gained foothold and followers and established as new denominations.
True
What are the Lutheran and Anabaptists examples of?
reformist movements eventually gaining foothold and followers and establishing as new denominations
What are the forerunners of denominations such as the Mennonites and the Baptists.
the Anabaptists
Where did Lutherans flourish?
In Germany and Scandinavia
How did Lutherans depart from Catholicism?
In their emphasize on the authority of the scripture and the guidance of the holy Spirit
Which groups encourages a deep sense of personal piety and ample scope of rational argument in the exploration of scripture?
Lutherans
How do Lutherans worship?
In terms of worship, Lutherans retained a Eucharist-like sacrament, but they celebrated in the vernacular language, not in Latin
What is the Lutheran view of Christ that differs from the Catholic doctrine?
They held that Christ’s body was present along with the bread and wine, but was not produced out of them.
Describe the Lutheran priesthood.
The Lutheran priesthood continued to be governed by bishops, but members of clergy were permitted to marry.
Which religious group settled in Penn, Ohio, Ontario, Wisconsin, and Minnesota?
Lutherans
The initial reformist ideas of___developed into a more complex system of belief.
Calvin
What did Martin Bucer encourage?
In Strasbourg, a theologian named Martin Bucer encouraged a more active role for lay people as ministers, elders, teachers, and deacons
In which way did Jacobus Arminius challenge Calvin’s teaching of predestination?
Argued that God’s sovereignty was compatible with human free will
What are Calvinist churches known as in the Netherlands and Hungary?
Reformed churches
What was the reformed tradition referred to as in Scotland?
The reformed tradition was called Presbyterian because of its form of government body by lay elder or ‘presbyter.’
True or False: Reformed churches do not have bishops.
true
Who carries out the traditional tasks of bishops in reformed churches? What are these tasks?
Traditional tasks of bishops such as supervision, examination,and ordination of candidate for ministry, are done by the representative assembly consisted of presbyters.
Which group settled in Eastern Canada, mid-Atlantic American states, Australia, and New Zealand?
Presbyterians
Which offshoot reformation ideas rejected Christians affiliation with the secular power and political establishment?
Anabaptist
What do Anabaptists believe about baptism?
They believed that baptism should be actively sought on the basis of mature personal commitment. Infant baptism was rejected.
What do the anabaptists rely on rather than trained clergy ?
lay preachers rather than trained clergy
What did the Anabaptists do that prompted a crackdown by Catholic and Protestant authorities alike?
The attempts of some to establish the kingdom of God by force
Describe the Anabaptists led by Menno Simons? Where to these people reside today?
- Some others, led by a former Dutch priest named “Menno Simons” opted a non-violent path and withdrew from societies
- The “Mennonites” migrated to Penn, Ontario, and the Canadian parries, where some of them still retained traditional modes of dress and conduct.
What did the Unitarians reject?
The doctrine of trinity
True or False: Historically, various forms of non-Trinitarian had appeared within Christianity.
True
What is important about Martin Cellars with regard to Unitarianism?
Preferred to speak of God as a single person. Then many theologians, as far as Poland and Hungary, echoed is voice.
What did John Biddle do?
In England, there emerged a Unitarian tracts published by John Biddle, “the father of English Unitarianism.”
Where was the first Unitarian congregation? Who founded it?
The first Unitarian congregation was found in 173-4 when a former priest of the Anglican Church, Theophilus Lindsey opened a Unitarian chapel in London.
What did the Unitarian Church become for many Christian families coming from different backgrounds?
Became the choice when a Christian family coming from two different religious traditions would manage to settle by becoming a follower of the Unitarian Church
What do Unitarians believe about mainline Christianity?
Does not adhere to strict monotheism
What do Unitarians believe about Jesus?
jesus was a great man and a prophet of God with supernatural capacity, but he is not God.
Did Jesus claim to be God? Did his teaching suggest the existence of trinity?
no and no
Who does Unitarian appeal to today?
Nowadays, Unitarian has appealed to many people of a humanist and rationalist bent, often in university circles.
What became the denomination of choice for Jewish-Christian couples?
Unitarianism
