Lutheranism

Luther Catholic Church

Luther did not start out aiming to break away from the Catholic Church. On the contrary, Luther began as a devout Catholic priest. He joined a monastery aged 21 despite his family's disapproval. But despite his strong sense of faith, or perhaps because of it, Luther soon witnessed corruption within the Church and could not help speaking out about it.

Martin Luther Indulgences

His first target of criticism was the Catholic Church's sale of indulgences.

Luther saw indulgences as a corrupt way for the Church to profit off religion. He argued that by selling salvation to the rich, the pope was profiting off something only God could control.

But what started out as suggestions for reform soon snowballed into a movement for a new type of Christianity. This would be Lutheranism.

Lutheran Beliefs

What did Luther believe in, other than not selling indulgences? Here are some core beliefs of Lutheranism.

Luther worked with his colleague Philipp Melanchthon to develop the Protestant doctrine which formed the basis of the Protestant reformation. The recent invention of the Gutenberg Printing Press in 1440 allowed the two to distribute their theology quickly and widely. Lutheranism soon gained traction amongst critics of the Catholic Church.

Lutheranism became especially popular with the various princes who ruled the German lands. This was partly due to their faith, but partly due to the power they could gain by breaking off from the pope and the Roman Catholic Church. It meant religious taxes and affairs would be in their hands. It allowed them to indirectly reduce the power of the Holy Roman Emperor, then Charles V, who was appointed this title by the pope. As Emperor, he ruled over Germany as its monarch.

Fig. 1 Portrait of Charles V.

In 1555, after many years of fighting, Charles V was forced to tolerate Protestantism in his domain. He signed the Peace of Augsburg which allowed local princes or rulers to decide what religion their territory would follow. This helped Lutheranism spread across Germany, though the southern regions remained firmly Catholic.

Calvinism vs Lutheranism

Luther's radical message - that anyone could read and interpret the Bible - had unforeseen consequences. Other reformers agreed with Luther's message but came to very different conclusions about what the Bible said. This led to many splits within Protestantism, namely Calvinism in Switzerland.

Fig. 2 Portrait of John Calvin.

John Calvin was invited to lead the Swiss reformation in Geneva in 1541. Calvin’s preaching earned the Swiss branch of Protestantism the name of Calvinism. Calvin and Luther differed in their beliefs and so the Protestant cause in continental Europe was split between Calvinism and Lutheranism.

One of the key differences between Calvinism and Lutheranism was the issue of predetermination. Luther argued that everyone who was faithful to God could obtain salvation (meaning they could reach heaven). Calvin, however, took Luther's argument that salvation was not in the pope's hand but God's and took it further. If only God had the power to determine salvation, then human action had no consequence. Calvin believed that those who could be saved were pre-determined by God and no human action could change this.

It took much longer for Calvinism to become accepted by the Holy Roman Empire. While Lutheranism was permitted by 1555, it was only in 1648 with the Peace of Westphalia that Calvinism was tolerated. Lutheranism spread across Europe, mostly in Germany, the Baltics and Scandinavia. By contrast, Calvinism spread mostly to France, the Netherlands, England, Scotland, Poland, Germany and Eastern Europe.

Anglican vs Lutheran

In many ways, the story of Protestantism in England was similar to Germany. The various German princes were drawn to Luther's ideas partly because it removed the power of the pope and boosted their own authority. Similarly, Henry VIII was drawn to Protestantism as it allowed him to get a divorce, which the pope had refused to grant him.

In 1534, Henry VIII outlawed Catholicism in England because the Pope would not grant him an annulment for his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Henry was desperate for a male heir and so wanted another wife to produce a son. Henry VIII appointed himself the Supreme Head of the Church in England, starting the Anglican faith.

Fig. 3 Portrait of Henry VIII.

The Anglican church had similar Protestant beliefs as Lutheranism but came to be known as only half a Reformation in England. England had deep-rooted Catholic traditions and some of them remained, such as bishops and elaborate Church clothes.

Calvinists in England wanted to eradicate all traces of Catholicism in the Anglican church. When Henry VIII died in 1547 and was succeeded by his son Edward VI, these religious radicals became the Edward VI's guardians. This allowed the influence of Lutheranism and Calvinism to enter the English Church.

So how Lutheran was the Anglican Church? Throughout this tumultuous period, Lutheranism was a model in Europe to observe but ultimately was not the starting point of Anglicanism. The English cultural adherence to Catholic traditions meant that the Anglican church was a reformation relatively separate to Europe at the time. The deep divisions between Protestant and Catholic Englishmen forced Elizabeth I to make a compromise between both traditions, shaping a church that was unique to England.