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Role of Martin Luther in the Protestant Reformation
From history, Christian doctrines have never been fixed or stable. They have undergone
tremendous changes over time. Upon the establishment of a doctrine or practice, it called for a
subsequent doctrine to explain its meaning and elucidate the understated nuances. The Christian
doctrine and practice has evolved from medieval Christian theology all through to Western
theology, to renaissance and reformation, to counter-reformation, to revivalism, to the
Restoration Movement, to the modern Christian theology. Generally, lived experiences have been
the basis on which Christian doctrine and practice is being formed and reformed (Marshall,
Kevin, and Stanley 78).
Mysticism involves circumstances in which people experience very personal touch with
God. Some mystics experienced by early doctrine setters like St. Benedict and Simeon Stylites
categorically reject the corruption, authority, and wealth of the Catholic Church. While some
early saints were more inclined to mysticism, others took the scholastic route to connect with the
creator in overcoming much of disputes in the church. In the present church, people are divided
between mysticism and scholasticism. Some believe God can only be experienced on personal
basis and thus avoid indulging in literature to know Him. On the contrary, the present scholastics
believe studying theology is the only way drive a personal encounter with God. Therefore, today,

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Christians are divided between mysticism and scholasticism (Cunningham, Conor, and Peter
277).Martin Luthers mission was not about starting his own religion. However, he was unhappy
with the corruption and abuse of indulgences. He believed the forgiveness of sins could not be
bought with cash. Luthers role in the Protestant Reformation was to force the church to allow
Christians domination through free thinking. He demanded that the church should follow the
people and not the contrary. In his 95 theses, Martin Luther advised that preachers should marry
and bear children, and rejected the seven sacraments and such rituals as the rosary, saints, and
veneration of Mary (Marshall, Kevin, and Stanley 94).
Just like Sunni and Shia in Islam, Protestants and Catholics are two denominations of
Christianity. Both Protestants and Catholics share certain aspects of Christianity. The two
denominations believe in the trinity of God. That is, God the father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
They also have a common belief on the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The two
denominations agree on the second coming of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, Protestants and
Catholics disagree on particular aspects of Christianity. The authority of the Pope is accepted in
Catholics while denied by Protestants. Catholics are allowed to use pictures and statues at their
places of worship while Protestants are not. An outstanding distinction between the two
denominations is that Catholics confess their sins through priests while Protestants only confess
their sins through Jesus (Marshall, Kevin, and Stanley 195). The Protestant Reformation
advanced by John Calvin and Martin Luther led to the split of Christianity into Catholicism and
Protestantism. Splits within Protestantism were caused by church organizational and theological
differences. These splits resulted to such denominations as Anglican Church, Lutheran Church,
Baptist church, Presbyterian Church, and the United Church of Christ (Cunningham, Conor, and
Peter 323).

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Works cited
Marshall, I. H, Kevin J. Vanhoozer, and Stanley E. Porter. Beyond the Bible: Moving from
Scripture to Theology. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2004. Print.
Cunningham, Conor, and Peter M. Candler. Belief and Metaphysics. London: SCM Press, 2007.
Print.