It was in the small German city of Wittenberg in 1517 that a local professor of moral theology is said to have nailed 95 theses to the doors of the castle church, and by that single act, changed the world.
Germans and Christians from around the world gather every year on October 31st to celebrate Luther and what he did.
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It was in the small German city of Wittenberg in 1517 that a local professor of moral theology is said to have nailed 95 theses to the doors of the castle church, and by that single act, changed the world.
Read more at:
The Test of Time: What Has Become of Martin Luther's Reformation? | CBN News
Showing posts with label Martin Luther. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martin Luther. Show all posts
7/5/16
Christianity: Almost 500 years since Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation, Germany takes another look at his legacy
He's the father of Protestantism. He's the creator of the German language as we know it. And he's even a best-selling toy.
When Playmobil came out with a Martin Luther figurine earlier this year, the German manufacturer couldn't keep the new toy on the shelves. The little plastic version of the man who launched the Protestant Reformation in 1517 was reportedly the fastest-selling Playmobil toy ever.
It's another sign of how Germany is gearing up to mark the 500th anniversary of Luther's Reformation, even with two years still left to go. In fact, planning ahead of the “2017 Reformation Jubilee" has been under way for nearly a decade. And while it's a big anniversary for Christians worldwide, it’s especially important for Germans.
"Martin Luther, I think, is one of the greatest Germans in history,” says Margot Kässmann, a Lutheran theologian with the Evangelical Church in Germany and one of the planners of the 2017 jubilee.
But looking back at Luther’s legacy also means acknowledging one of the darkest chapters of his biography: Luther wrote and preached some vicious things about Jews, comments that went even beyond the anti-Semitic pale of the time. And those comments were picked up centuries later by the Nazis, making them especially fraught for Germans.
Luther preached at Town Church in Wittenberg, about two hours away from Berlin by train. Just down the road from the church — at least according to the legend — Luther railed against Catholic corruption by nailing his 95 theses to the door of the All Saints' Catholic church.
His ideas, along with the Bible that Luther translated into colloquial German, were printed and distributed across Europe, changing history forever.
Understandably, people from Wittenberg are looking forward to the Luther anniversary. Worshippers won't give their names — Wittenberg is in the former East Germany, and memories of government intrusion run deep — but they say it feels pretty good to be the center of attention.
“Look at the buildings being renovated all over town,” one man says. “It’s unbelievable what they’ve done.”
The celebrations are already bringing tourists from all over the world to Wittenberg to see where Reformation all began. “It’s like a Protestant version of the Vatican,” says the Reverend Johannes Block with a smile. He's the pastor at Town Church, and he sometimes feels like Wittenberg is now at the center of the universe.
“Besides the tourists, the locals are talking about Luther’s life. School kids are learning about Luther,” he says — though that doesn’t mean Germans are flocking back to church.
“If only there were more,” Block says. Sociologists say former East Germans are among the least religious people in the world, but he's still hoping this moment of excitement about Luther might present an opportunity.
But Luther's dark side is also on display here, lurking high on one of the exterior walls of the church.
There you can see a statue that depicts a rabbi pulling up the tail of a female pig and looking into its backside; other Jews kneel down to suckle on the animal’s teats. The sculpture pre-dates Luther himself by 200 years, but he did allude to it in his writings — and certainly not to criticize.
To put it bluntly, says former University of Cologne professor Dietz Bering, Luther was a hardcore anti-Semite. The preacher wrote a book titled “On the Jews and Their Lies,” in which he described the Jews as the source of all evil in German society — and offered up a detailed plan to fix the problem.
“Burn the synagogues, burn Jewish homes, confiscate Jewish money. Round up Jewish people, put them into servitude, or just expel them,” Bering describes. With the anniversary approaching, those views are getting a pretty public airing in places like Bering's new book, titled “Was Luther an Anti-Semite?”
Even at the time, Luther's views were extreme. His Protestant contemporaries rejected this stuff, and the political powers of the time refused to adopt his proposals. But centuries later, the Nazis picked up on Luther’s anti-Jewish ideas. They pointed to Luther’s writings to show their own anti-Semitic ideology had historic German roots.
After World War II, the Lutheran clergy in Germany re-examined this part of its founder’s teachings.
That process of Jewish-Protestant dialogue is still ongoing, and theologian Margot Kässmann says the upcoming anniversary is another opportunity to examine Luther’s failings as well as his triumphs.
“One of the greatest achievements of Reformation was that you need educated faith," she argues. "You can ask questions. You can be critical about the church. You yourself should read the Bible and sharpen your conscience, as Luther would have said."
She also points out that some of Luther's other theological battles have long since healed. He rebelled against the Roman Catholic Church, Kässmann says, but "today we can say we are not enemies anymore. Especially in a very secular society, we see that there’s much more that binds us together, that we have in common, than what separates us."
And that message of tolerance is the one she's hoping to display during the anniversary celebration in two years — by making sure all of Luther's history is displayed and reckoned with.
Read more: Almost 500 years since Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation, Germany takes another look at his legacy | Public Radio International
When Playmobil came out with a Martin Luther figurine earlier this year, the German manufacturer couldn't keep the new toy on the shelves. The little plastic version of the man who launched the Protestant Reformation in 1517 was reportedly the fastest-selling Playmobil toy ever.
It's another sign of how Germany is gearing up to mark the 500th anniversary of Luther's Reformation, even with two years still left to go. In fact, planning ahead of the “2017 Reformation Jubilee" has been under way for nearly a decade. And while it's a big anniversary for Christians worldwide, it’s especially important for Germans.
"Martin Luther, I think, is one of the greatest Germans in history,” says Margot Kässmann, a Lutheran theologian with the Evangelical Church in Germany and one of the planners of the 2017 jubilee.
But looking back at Luther’s legacy also means acknowledging one of the darkest chapters of his biography: Luther wrote and preached some vicious things about Jews, comments that went even beyond the anti-Semitic pale of the time. And those comments were picked up centuries later by the Nazis, making them especially fraught for Germans.
Luther preached at Town Church in Wittenberg, about two hours away from Berlin by train. Just down the road from the church — at least according to the legend — Luther railed against Catholic corruption by nailing his 95 theses to the door of the All Saints' Catholic church.
His ideas, along with the Bible that Luther translated into colloquial German, were printed and distributed across Europe, changing history forever.
Understandably, people from Wittenberg are looking forward to the Luther anniversary. Worshippers won't give their names — Wittenberg is in the former East Germany, and memories of government intrusion run deep — but they say it feels pretty good to be the center of attention.
“Look at the buildings being renovated all over town,” one man says. “It’s unbelievable what they’ve done.”
The celebrations are already bringing tourists from all over the world to Wittenberg to see where Reformation all began. “It’s like a Protestant version of the Vatican,” says the Reverend Johannes Block with a smile. He's the pastor at Town Church, and he sometimes feels like Wittenberg is now at the center of the universe.
“Besides the tourists, the locals are talking about Luther’s life. School kids are learning about Luther,” he says — though that doesn’t mean Germans are flocking back to church.
“If only there were more,” Block says. Sociologists say former East Germans are among the least religious people in the world, but he's still hoping this moment of excitement about Luther might present an opportunity.
But Luther's dark side is also on display here, lurking high on one of the exterior walls of the church.
There you can see a statue that depicts a rabbi pulling up the tail of a female pig and looking into its backside; other Jews kneel down to suckle on the animal’s teats. The sculpture pre-dates Luther himself by 200 years, but he did allude to it in his writings — and certainly not to criticize.
To put it bluntly, says former University of Cologne professor Dietz Bering, Luther was a hardcore anti-Semite. The preacher wrote a book titled “On the Jews and Their Lies,” in which he described the Jews as the source of all evil in German society — and offered up a detailed plan to fix the problem.
“Burn the synagogues, burn Jewish homes, confiscate Jewish money. Round up Jewish people, put them into servitude, or just expel them,” Bering describes. With the anniversary approaching, those views are getting a pretty public airing in places like Bering's new book, titled “Was Luther an Anti-Semite?”
Even at the time, Luther's views were extreme. His Protestant contemporaries rejected this stuff, and the political powers of the time refused to adopt his proposals. But centuries later, the Nazis picked up on Luther’s anti-Jewish ideas. They pointed to Luther’s writings to show their own anti-Semitic ideology had historic German roots.
After World War II, the Lutheran clergy in Germany re-examined this part of its founder’s teachings.
That process of Jewish-Protestant dialogue is still ongoing, and theologian Margot Kässmann says the upcoming anniversary is another opportunity to examine Luther’s failings as well as his triumphs.
“One of the greatest achievements of Reformation was that you need educated faith," she argues. "You can ask questions. You can be critical about the church. You yourself should read the Bible and sharpen your conscience, as Luther would have said."
She also points out that some of Luther's other theological battles have long since healed. He rebelled against the Roman Catholic Church, Kässmann says, but "today we can say we are not enemies anymore. Especially in a very secular society, we see that there’s much more that binds us together, that we have in common, than what separates us."
And that message of tolerance is the one she's hoping to display during the anniversary celebration in two years — by making sure all of Luther's history is displayed and reckoned with.
Read more: Almost 500 years since Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation, Germany takes another look at his legacy | Public Radio International
2/25/15
Turkey gets first Christian TV station: by Julia A. Seymour
For the first time, millions of people in Turkey watching
government-regulated satellite television will be able to find Christian
programming.
“We are overwhelmed and truly believe it is a miracle that we can
finally broadcast on Türksat,” SAT-7 Executive Director Melih Ekener
said in a press release. Ekener also said the company had been hoping and praying satellite access since 2006, when it began airing SAT-7 ARABIC.
Note EU-Digest: As Christian TV Comes to Turkey, Martin Luther the great Christian reformer from the 1500's, who modernized Christianity and broke away from the hardline Orthodox Vatican Catholic Church, did away with Latin "only" being spoken from the Pulpit (which no one could understand}, fought for women's rights and abolished celibacy for nuns and priests, comes to mind.
Martin Luther made many profound statements. On what we would today consider freedom of speech he said: "If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” On faith he said::“We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.” .
Turkey today is a Muslim Nation, but 100 years ago Turkey’s Christian minority made up 25 to 30 percent of the population, this has now dwindled to between 100,000 and 200,000 believers, mostly from the Syrian, Greek, Russian, and Armenian Orthodox traditions.
Christians around the world hope and pray that this first Christian TV station in Turkey will not only reflect truly modern biblical interpretation and teaching, but also inspire their Muslim Brothers and Sisters to follow Martin Luther's footsteps in seeking refreshing non violent ways to also modernize Islam and may God bless them in these efforts.
Read more: WORLD | Turkey gets first Christian TV station | Julia A. Seymour | Feb. 23, 2015
Shows created by SAT-7 TÜRK, a satellite
TV ministry reaching the Middle East and North Africa, began
broadcasting on Turkey’s most-watched satellite, Türksat 4A, in recent
weeks, Mission Network News announced. The new channel airs dramas, documentaries, and worship programs, as well as content for women and youth.
Note EU-Digest: As Christian TV Comes to Turkey, Martin Luther the great Christian reformer from the 1500's, who modernized Christianity and broke away from the hardline Orthodox Vatican Catholic Church, did away with Latin "only" being spoken from the Pulpit (which no one could understand}, fought for women's rights and abolished celibacy for nuns and priests, comes to mind.
Martin Luther made many profound statements. On what we would today consider freedom of speech he said: "If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” On faith he said::“We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.” .
Turkey today is a Muslim Nation, but 100 years ago Turkey’s Christian minority made up 25 to 30 percent of the population, this has now dwindled to between 100,000 and 200,000 believers, mostly from the Syrian, Greek, Russian, and Armenian Orthodox traditions.
Christians around the world hope and pray that this first Christian TV station in Turkey will not only reflect truly modern biblical interpretation and teaching, but also inspire their Muslim Brothers and Sisters to follow Martin Luther's footsteps in seeking refreshing non violent ways to also modernize Islam and may God bless them in these efforts.
Read more: WORLD | Turkey gets first Christian TV station | Julia A. Seymour | Feb. 23, 2015
1/10/15
Paris Terrorist Attack – Muslims need to find their own Martin Luther – by RM
 |
| Islam needs a Martin Luther |
a) There is a struggle going on
for power in the Islamic community between three major radical
groups, including: Al-Qaeda
, ISIS, Boco Haram, and these terrorist attacks are now mainly “side
shows” by these different factions to demonstrate the capabilities
of their organizations around the world. In essence all these
factions want to turn back the clock to feudal times where there was
Sharia law, women had no rights what-so-ever, and corporal
punishment, including beheadings, was the rule of the day
b) Muslims living in Western
Communities at large, of which more than 80% have never read the
Qur'an, are getting more and more frustrated being labeled Muslim and
associated with terrorism, consequently they are leaving the Islam
religion in droves.
More and more intellectual and Western
educated Muslims are calling for a Muslim version of Martin Luther,
whose 16th-century movement in Christianity, known as the Protestant
Reformation rejected several teachings and practices of the Catholic
Church, which were very similar to present day Muslim Sharia laws.
The Catholic doctrine at that time also
called for nations to be Catholic theocracies.
Martin Luther in his writings denounced
that the Pope was in fact the de-facto representative of God on earth
and also noted that celabacy requirements for priests and nuns were
unnatural and even married a nun, Katharina von Bora on June 13, 1525
His refusal to retract all of his
writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman
Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his
excommunication and condemnation as an an outlaw by the Roman Emperor
who put a price on his life – dead or alive.
An interesting side-note about Martin
Luther's life is that during the wars between the Ottoman Empire and
(Habsburg) later the Austrian Empire Martin Luther was actively
urging Emperor Charles V and the German people to fight a secular war
against the Turks at the battle of Vienna in 1529. He made clear,
however, that the spiritual war against an alien faith was separate,
to be waged through prayer and repentance and not by bloodshed.
In 1542,
Luther read a Latin translation of the Qur'an He went on to produce
several critical pamphlets on Islam, which he called "Mohammedanism"
or "the Turk". Though Luther saw the Muslim faith as a tool
of the devil, he was indifferent to its practice: "Let the Turk
believe and live as he will, just as one lets the papacy and other
false Christians live." He also opposed banning the publication
of the Qur'an, wanting it exposed to scrutiny instead.
Martin Luther died on 18 February 1546
(aged 62) of a stroke in Eisleben, Saxony, the present Germany.
The Catholics are still around, and so
is the Pope, but they have lost most of the iron grip they once held
over Governments and peoples lives back in the 16th
century. thanks to revolutionary theologians like Martin Luther, and
other Protestant Christians.
The Catholic Church. which during the
past ten years has been losing members in large numbers recently
elected a more “PR” oriented Pope at the helm of their Church.
And it must be said that since coming
to power Pope Francis has been doing his best to project a more
friendly and benevolent face of the Vatican.
Unfortunately, regardless of all the
crowd pleasing statements made by Pope Francis, the Catholic church
still remains a closed secret cult, with little transparency and
continued global aspirations of power.
D) Concluding, however, one
should be optimistic and note that despite the increased violence and
unrest around the world - with “fanaticism, religious tensions,
terrorism, extremism, corporate greed” - being the headlines of the
day, something very positive is happening. One can only call this
“united people spiritual power ”. Yes indeed a people's
revolution is in the making.
People are not accepting everything and
anything they are told at face value anymore, be it from Government,
religious leaders, political leaders, pundits, the press. Instead,
they are relying on one of our greatest human assets, the inner
spiritual soul, which tells us what is right and wrong, and acting on
this accordingly, without fear of reprisals.
We can see this movement slowly taking
hold at demonstrations around the world. Specially following horrific
events involving accidents, acts of terrorism. political and economic
unrest and natural calamities.
People, no matter what their color,
creed or faith, are coming together as one in expressing grief and
best of all solidarity.
Yes indeed behind every cloud there is
a silver lining and the best is still to come.
1/7/15
Christianity: German Protestants to revise landmark Luther Bible
Martin Luther ignited the Reformation of the Church and impacted the
German language. Now, Germany's Protestant Church plans to revise the
Luther Bible, making it even closer to the reformer's original
translation.
Martin Luther, the man who sparked the Reformation in the early 16th century, was not only an astute theologian but also a clever wordsmith. In addition to shaking up Europe's religious thinking by preaching salvation based on faith rather than works, he also helped shaped the German language.
Luther's German translation of the New Testament was first published in 1522, while the entire Bible was printed in 1534. The text helped streamline the German language of the time and included expressions that continue to be used to this day - such as "casting pearls before swine" and "separating the wheat from the chaff."
The standardization of the German language led in turn to a stronger sense of common identity among German speakers, which would not be united into a nation-state until much later in 1871.
Luther's translation of the Bible was not the very first into German, but is still considered to be the definitive edition in the language.
Read more: German Protestants to revise landmark Luther Bible | Culture | DW.DE | 06.01.2015
Martin Luther, the man who sparked the Reformation in the early 16th century, was not only an astute theologian but also a clever wordsmith. In addition to shaking up Europe's religious thinking by preaching salvation based on faith rather than works, he also helped shaped the German language.
Luther's German translation of the New Testament was first published in 1522, while the entire Bible was printed in 1534. The text helped streamline the German language of the time and included expressions that continue to be used to this day - such as "casting pearls before swine" and "separating the wheat from the chaff."
The standardization of the German language led in turn to a stronger sense of common identity among German speakers, which would not be united into a nation-state until much later in 1871.
Luther's translation of the Bible was not the very first into German, but is still considered to be the definitive edition in the language.
Read more: German Protestants to revise landmark Luther Bible | Culture | DW.DE | 06.01.2015
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