When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses outside the door of the campus church in Wittenberg, he had no intention of dividing the Catholic Church. But within a decade of that event, such acts of protest had gained irreversible momentum, and “Protestantism” was officially born.
Throughout the 16th century new church governments were formed, new theologies written along with new liturgies to accompany them. Church and state battled – often violently – for power as the religious freedom gave rise to calls for political freedom as well.
In this first of 5 lectures on the modern church, we explore the world of the 16th century and the formation of new denominations formed in reaction to the perceived corruptions of Roman Catholicism.
