Is It A New Season? - Protestant Reformation Blog 1 (PRB1)
I haven't blogged since 2015 but that's about to change for a good reason. It's time to hit the keyboard again (the laptop keyboard, that is)!
Since the last time I blogged, the world has changed some. My life has also changed a lot. In the "old-days" (the MySpace era) I was a mostly stay-at-home mom of two pre-schoolers and writing was a creative outlet for me. That's when I was last really into blogging and that has been almost a decade ago. Now, I am a mother of two teens and a grade-schooler. I serve in two part-time ministry positions, fill the role as one of the care-givers for my father and am a full-time graduate student. Needless to say, most of my writing is now much more intentional. I mostly write for school or work assignments and ministry articles. However, I look forward to a day when I will be able to write again....just because.
Today, I am prompted to re-open my Blogger page due to an upcoming assignment for an independent study course and blogging is one of my assignments.
In late October I will be traveling to Germany with my husband. We will be taking part in a celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the "start" of the Protestant Reformation. (I put the word "start" in quotation marks because it is not fair to isolate one day or moment and say that it was the start of the reformation but this anniversary is completely significant).
500 years ago on October 31, 1517, a monk named Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of a chapel in Whittenburg, Germany. After he did that, some general unrest within the church (Catholic) began to erupt and by the time of his death, there was a whole new branch of Christianity being born. Some referred to it as "Lutheran" but Luther, himself, preferred the term, "Evangelical". So, this is a pretty big deal. I am saying that most any form of Christianity excluding Catholicism can be traced back to the preaching, teaching, lecturing, writing, and activism of Martin Luther.
My assignments for my independent study course are to familiarize myself with Luther through specific reading assignments, travel to Germany and participate in several plenary sessions (lectures) and worship services, and participate in guided tours that will give me a sensory immersed study of Luther and his work. Finally, I am to keep a blogging journal of my trip.
Thanks to Jennifer Woodruff Tait, earlier this year, Chip and I were able to enjoy a terrific edition of Christian History that was dedicated to a study of Luther. Jennifer is the managing editor of the magazine and was present at the Wesleyan Theological Society meeting at Asbury Theological Seminary earlier this year. It was my very first time to attend. I got the feeling that it was definitely not her first time to attend. We enjoyed meeting her family and she sent me home with quite a few editions of Christian History to enjoy on our drive home. So, that was the beginning of our preparation for this trip and my course. Thanks, Jennifer!
Today I finished reading chapter one of Martin Marty's biography on Luther. It covered his early years all the way up to the beginning of his early debates 1517-1519. What I have appreciated most from Marty's short summary is the attention given to the socio-economic and political climate that Luther was raised in and how that affected his opportunities but also shielded him from being silenced or put to death prematurely.
As I read the story, I began to consider that it seemed Martin Luther's path was providentially paved before him - even down to the influence and execution of John Huss in the previous century and the explosion of the use of the printing press during Luther's early years. The world really did seem as if it was ripe and ready for a Martin Luther to come on the scene and change things up a bit.
As I considered this, I found myself thinking of the Greco-Roman world in the first century. I have thought that time and place was also uniquely prepared for the apostles to spread the Christian faith. Rome had conquered much of the known world and all the amazing roadway systems and trade routes had been built and well established just before the death and resurrection of Jesus. Was it mere happenstance that the land and the sea seem to have been made ready for the missionary journeys of the apostles and the first Christians? The advances made in travel opportunities made it possible for them to succeed in their commission from Jesus to go and spread the gospel. Similarly, Germany and Europe seemed uniquely poised in the 1500's to absorb and spread Luther's message of justification (before God) by grace through faith alone. In both cases, it seemed to providentially be the perfect season for significant spiritual advancements.
There has been a rumbling among scholars and revivalists alike for several years. Church historians note that great revivals and reformations in the church tend to occur approximately every 500 years. The question has been, are we on the brink of the next great shift in the church? Could we already in the thick of it? What do you think?
So, this is my introductory blog. Subscribe if you are interested in following along with me on this pilgrimage of sorts. Let me know what topics you are interested in and/or what you would like to see. (I will try to include as many photos as possible).
Since the last time I blogged, the world has changed some. My life has also changed a lot. In the "old-days" (the MySpace era) I was a mostly stay-at-home mom of two pre-schoolers and writing was a creative outlet for me. That's when I was last really into blogging and that has been almost a decade ago. Now, I am a mother of two teens and a grade-schooler. I serve in two part-time ministry positions, fill the role as one of the care-givers for my father and am a full-time graduate student. Needless to say, most of my writing is now much more intentional. I mostly write for school or work assignments and ministry articles. However, I look forward to a day when I will be able to write again....just because.
Today, I am prompted to re-open my Blogger page due to an upcoming assignment for an independent study course and blogging is one of my assignments.
In late October I will be traveling to Germany with my husband. We will be taking part in a celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the "start" of the Protestant Reformation. (I put the word "start" in quotation marks because it is not fair to isolate one day or moment and say that it was the start of the reformation but this anniversary is completely significant).
500 years ago on October 31, 1517, a monk named Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of a chapel in Whittenburg, Germany. After he did that, some general unrest within the church (Catholic) began to erupt and by the time of his death, there was a whole new branch of Christianity being born. Some referred to it as "Lutheran" but Luther, himself, preferred the term, "Evangelical". So, this is a pretty big deal. I am saying that most any form of Christianity excluding Catholicism can be traced back to the preaching, teaching, lecturing, writing, and activism of Martin Luther.
My assignments for my independent study course are to familiarize myself with Luther through specific reading assignments, travel to Germany and participate in several plenary sessions (lectures) and worship services, and participate in guided tours that will give me a sensory immersed study of Luther and his work. Finally, I am to keep a blogging journal of my trip.
Thanks to Jennifer Woodruff Tait, earlier this year, Chip and I were able to enjoy a terrific edition of Christian History that was dedicated to a study of Luther. Jennifer is the managing editor of the magazine and was present at the Wesleyan Theological Society meeting at Asbury Theological Seminary earlier this year. It was my very first time to attend. I got the feeling that it was definitely not her first time to attend. We enjoyed meeting her family and she sent me home with quite a few editions of Christian History to enjoy on our drive home. So, that was the beginning of our preparation for this trip and my course. Thanks, Jennifer!
Today I finished reading chapter one of Martin Marty's biography on Luther. It covered his early years all the way up to the beginning of his early debates 1517-1519. What I have appreciated most from Marty's short summary is the attention given to the socio-economic and political climate that Luther was raised in and how that affected his opportunities but also shielded him from being silenced or put to death prematurely.
As I read the story, I began to consider that it seemed Martin Luther's path was providentially paved before him - even down to the influence and execution of John Huss in the previous century and the explosion of the use of the printing press during Luther's early years. The world really did seem as if it was ripe and ready for a Martin Luther to come on the scene and change things up a bit.
As I considered this, I found myself thinking of the Greco-Roman world in the first century. I have thought that time and place was also uniquely prepared for the apostles to spread the Christian faith. Rome had conquered much of the known world and all the amazing roadway systems and trade routes had been built and well established just before the death and resurrection of Jesus. Was it mere happenstance that the land and the sea seem to have been made ready for the missionary journeys of the apostles and the first Christians? The advances made in travel opportunities made it possible for them to succeed in their commission from Jesus to go and spread the gospel. Similarly, Germany and Europe seemed uniquely poised in the 1500's to absorb and spread Luther's message of justification (before God) by grace through faith alone. In both cases, it seemed to providentially be the perfect season for significant spiritual advancements.
There has been a rumbling among scholars and revivalists alike for several years. Church historians note that great revivals and reformations in the church tend to occur approximately every 500 years. The question has been, are we on the brink of the next great shift in the church? Could we already in the thick of it? What do you think?
So, this is my introductory blog. Subscribe if you are interested in following along with me on this pilgrimage of sorts. Let me know what topics you are interested in and/or what you would like to see. (I will try to include as many photos as possible).
