The Classic Pamela Positive: Faith Is A Living, Daring Confidence

\”Faith is a living, daring confidence in God\’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times\”

－Martin Luther

Priest, Author, Composer,

Augustinian Monk, Professor

Faith is a living, daring confidence. Wow! What language from Martin Luther. And his life certainly had to thrive off of daring. It\’s not often we think of someone having to take a stand, and in this case, he took a stand to create a new branch of Christianity, Lutheranism.

When the Roman Catholic church solicited more funds for building St. Peter\’s Basilica, Luther wrote 95 Theses to protest and foment discussion. He felt it was using money to excess, and disagreed that the pope was the only liaison to God. And due to the recent printing press, it spread all over Europe in two months, a communications miracle!

He meant it for discussion, but he was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic church, and ostracized by thousands. But he kept going.

Still, Martin Luther\’s life had challenges. He felt distanced from God, separated from inspiration. He was always searching for the Truth, and it was a struggle. He became a monk, a theologist, leader of a church, and always, a sincere seeker of Truth.

So what is the point for us? Well, it\’s not really about being Roman Catholic or Protestant. But it is about Claiming Rights For Yourself and Others Where You Can.  And, it is about Being Yourself. It is also about Using Technology to Spread The Word!

Those are some incredible lessons!

What do you need to take a stand for today? How can you really be you? Be yourself, take a stand for yourself. You are a courageous leader.

With Gratitude For The Truth,

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Born in Germany in 1483, Martin Luther became one of the most influential figures in Christian history when he began the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. He called into question some of the basic tenets of Roman Catholicism, and his followers soon split from the Roman Catholic Church to begin the Protestant tradition.

Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Saxony, in modern southeast Germany.  In 1501, Martin Luther entered the University of Erfurt, where he received a Master of Arts degree (in grammar, logic, rhetoric and metaphysics). However, in July 1505, Luther had a life-changing experience that set him on a new course. Caught in a horrific thunderstorm where he feared for his life, Luther cried out to St. Anne, the patron saint of miners, “Save me, St. Anne, and I’ll become a monk!” The storm subsided and he was saved.

The first few years of monastery life were difficult for Martin Luther, as he did not find the religious enlightenment he was seeking. Upon his return to Germany, he enrolled in the University of Wittenberg in an attempt to suppress his spiritual turmoil. He excelled in his studies and received a doctorate, becoming a professor of theology at the university. Through his studies of scripture, Martin Luther finally gained religious enlightenment.

In 1517, Pope Leo X announced a new round of indulgences to help build St. Peter’s Basilica. On October 31, 1517, an angry Martin Luther nailed a sheet of paper with 95 theses on the university’s chapel door. Though he intended these to be discussion points, the Ninety-Five Theses laid out a devastating critique of the indulgences as corrupting people’s faith. Luther also sent a copy to Archbishop Albert Albrecht of Mainz, calling on him to end the sale of indulgences. Aided by the printing press, copies of the Ninety-Five Theses spread throughout Germany within two weeks and throughout Europe within two months.

Luther publicly declared that the Bible did not give the pope the exclusive right to interpret scripture. In January 1521, Martin Luther was officially excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. Miraculously, he was able to avoid capture and began organizing a new church, Lutheranism. He gained many followers and got support from German princes. In 1525, he married Katharina von Bora, a former nun who had abandoned the convent and taken refuge in Wittenberg. Together, over the next several years, they had six children.

Martin Luther is one of the most influential and controversial figures in the Reformation movement. His actions fractured the Roman Catholic Church into new sects of Christianity and set in motion reform within the Church. A prominent theologian, his desire for people to feel closer to God led him to translate the Bible into the language of the people, radically changing the relationship between church leaders and their followers.

Bio Source: Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica.  Fig¹.  Photo by Zo on flickr  Fig².  Photo by Leon Macapagal on Pexels  Fig³. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels Fig⁴. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels

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