1. The Protestant Reformation 1517
Martin Luther:
The Rebel
One Shot.
One Opportunity.

2. Background – a loss of confidence
The Catholic church- THE church in Western Europe
Black Plague had devastated Europe – people thought God was punishing them & Church couldn’t stop it
Indulgences- pay money in order to get into heaven.
The Church was extremely wealthy
Taxes
Church officials- many not very concerned with spiritual matters
Pope Leo X was trying to raise money to build a big new church in Rome (selling indulgences)

3. Pope Leo and his crib
St. Peter's Basilica

4. The Protester
Martin Luther was a strange person plagued by the idea that he could never be good enough for God to love
Became a monk when he was frightened by being caught outside during a thunder storm
Was very worried about his soul’s salvation – confessed his sins for hours, fasted, went without sleep, trying to make up for sins

5. Luther’s cell as a monk
Cell sweet Cell

6. Luther’s Breakthrough
Developed the idea of justification by faith
Have faith in God-all that was needed to get to heaven
Luther wanted to share this information with everyone
Thought Pope would agree, but he didn’t
The Pope just wanted $$ for his cathedral in Rome

7. The Conflict
A Catholic agent was in town, selling indulgences (get out of Purgatory free cards), giving people guilt-trips
“As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs” – John Tetzel’s selling slogan
Signed by John Tetzel, with whom Luther has his disagreement

8. The 95 Theses
Luther saw the church as corrupt, especially in selling indulgences
Wrote 95 complaints about indulgences and the church’s power
Nailed them to the castle church door in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517 causing a debate to begin
#6. “The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring and showing that it has been remitted by God...”

9. Spread of Luther’s Ideas
“Unless I am proven wrong by the Bible and by plain reason, I cannot and I will not go back on anything, Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”
Spread of Luther’s Ideas
Diet of Worms- Meeting where the HRE insisted that only the Pope had the authority to say what the Bible means – not Luther, or anyone else.
Told Luther to take back what he’d said
Luther refuses to take back what he said and is forced to go into hiding
German princes use Reformation as a rallying cry to free Germany of Papal interference
Printing press let Luther’s ideas spread quickly – Luther becomes even more radical and gains popular support
Pope condemns Luther
Luther burns the Pope’s excommunication in the public square

10. The Results
People soon take up Luther’s ideas, sparking wars and religious/political problems all over Europe
The church in Europe would never reunify – it would remain split between Catholics and Protestants
Luther’s protector, Frederick the Wise

12. Protestant Reformation Task
Create a comic strip (at least six slides) depicting the stages of the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther is the main character and should be included on every slide.
For each slide, write a short
explanation (at least two sentences
each).
Last, go view the 95 Theses on
the door. Write one down and
explain what it means.