2. Learning Objectives
• Summarize the factors that encouraged the
Protestant Reformation.
• Explain the impact of the printing press on the
Reformation.
• Analyze Martin Luther's role in shaping the
Protestant Reformation.
• Explain the teachings and impact of John Calvin.
The Protestant Reformation
3. Causes of the Reformation
During the 1500s, European villages were busy places, with markets, artisan shops, and homes. The
church was the center of village life.
4. Causes of the Reformation
During the Renaissance, Christians from all
levels of society grew impatient with the
corruption of the clergy and the greed of the
Roman Catholic Church. In the words of one
unhappy peasant, “Instead of saving the
souls of the dead and sending them to
Heaven, [the clergy] gorge themselves at
banquets after funerals . . . They are wicked
wolves! They would like to devour us all,
dead or alive.”
5. Causes of the Reformation cont.
Protests against the Church continued
to grow. In 1517, these protests
erupted into a full scale revolt. The man
who triggered the revolt was a German
monk and professor of theology named
Martin Luther.
8. 95 Theses
• A list of arguments (complaints) against
Church corruption.
• Mainly about the selling of indulgences and
simony.
• Invited church officials to discuss these issues.
The church ignored him.
9. 95 Theses cont.
• The newly invented printing press
helped spread copies throughout
Europe almost overnight.
• Many people agree with Luther.
12. So don’t marry your cousins or your
kids might look like this
13. Indulgences
• In the Roman Catholic Church, pardon for sins
committed during a person’s lifetime.
• They originally could only be earned through
good deeds, but Church began selling them.
• Reduced the amount of time someone would
have to spend in purgatory.
14. Simony
• The act of buying and/or selling church offices
(jobs).
15. Diet of Worms
• Meeting held between Martin Luther and Holy
Roman Emperor Charles V.
• Luther declared an outlaw and goes into
hiding.
• Wealthy and powerful friends protect him.
17. John Calvin
In the wake of Luther’s revolt against
the Church, other reformers challenged
Church authority. The most important
was John Calvin, who lived in what is
today Switzerland.
18. John Calvin cont.
• Followers called Calvinists.
• Believed in predestination(the events of your
life have already been decided by God).
• Created a theocracy in Geneva which many
people tried to imitate.
19. Theocracy
• Government run by religious leaders.
Sharia Law:
Afghanistan, Iran,
Mauritania, Saudi
Arabia, Somalia,
Sudan, and Yemen
20. John Calvin Challenges the Church
The Calvinist belief in simplicity is reflected in the design of this Calvinist church in Nuremberg,
Germany. No images of saints or religious leaders decorate the church, and the preacher's pulpit is the
center of focus.
