Reformation

The Reformation was a movement in the 16th Century in Europe. It was led by men now known as the ‘Reformers’, men such as William Tyndale, Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Luther and John Calvin. They objected to the errors and excesses they witnessed in the Catholic Church, so their purpose was to ‘reform’ the teachings of the church in order to bring it back into line with the teaching of the Scriptures. Sadly, the Catholic Church rejected the calls of the Reformers and persecuted them, which led to the formation of the Protestant church, especially in northern European countries such as Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Great Britain. The Reformers rejected the authority of the Pope and the Catholic priesthood, and called for a return to the Bible as the sole authority for life and doctrine. In contrast to Catholic teaching, they affirmed that the only way to be saved was to be justified through faith alone, by the grace of God alone, and not by good works. They also placed a strong emphasis on the ‘priesthood of all believers’, and they translated the Bible into the languages of ordinary people because they felt strongly that Christians should be able to read for themselves what God had done for them.