Читать книгу The World's Christians - Douglas Jacobsen - Страница 58

Martin Luther (1483–1546) was a German Catholic monk who broke with the Catholic Church and helped to launch the Protestant movement. Luther lived in Wittenberg, Germany where he taught at the local university. In the fall of 1517, he posted 95 Theses (academic assertions) on the door of the university church, inviting debate about several crucial ideas related to Catholic theology. His critique of the Catholic Church was not well received, and he was soon excommunicated by the Pope. Instead of being silenced by this act, Luther pushed forward, and his writings eventually nurtured a whole new Protestant religious option for Christians across Europe. Luther’s key insight was that salvation was obtained by faith alone without any human effort. The following excerpt, composed thirty‐five years after the 95 Theses, still exudes the confidence and joy Luther experienced when he first received this insight.