October 31st

While many of us celebrate Halloween today I want to focus on another event that happened on October 31st which deserves equal attention. On October 31, 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther decided that several of the church's practices were incorrect and he decided to challenge the church on these practices. Specifically he opposed the payment for indulgences. Back in his day, the church believed that you had to achieve a certain level of good works to get into heaven. However, it was almost impossible to meet required number of good works so the church decided to create the idea of indulgences. Essentially, instead of doing the work you could pay the church and they would do the work for you but you would still get credited with it. I know this sounds like a ridiculous system but this was very commonplace in the medieval church.

Luther was so fed up with this practice that he decided to post on the door of his local church a list of 95 reasons why indulgences were not in compliance with the scriptures. His posting is often called the 95 thesis and is considered by most to be the beginning of the protestant reformation. Since I have a lot of time on my hands lately, I decided to actual read the 95 thesis and while the translation is a little stiff I noticed one key point that stuck out to me. While Luther was opposing indulgences he was actually using that practice as a way of challenging the entire notion of linking good works with salvation. He often went back and reemphasized that it is by grace that people are saved and not by works. Needless to say, the church did not respond too kindly to his posting and was driven from the church as a heretic. But nonetheless his message and courage reshaped the religious landscape in Europe and ultimately America.

So why should we care about what happened almost 500 years ago. Here's why; The church today has drifted back towards being more about rules and regulations than about God's grace for a dying world. People inside and outside the church both receive the same subliminal message that if you want to be a good Christian you have to comply with a certain set of lifestyle requirements. You should go to church, pay your tithe, read your bible, pray and maybe take an occasional missions trip. You should always avoid having sex before marriage, getting drunk, taking drugs, stealing, lying and a whole list of other activities depending on what type of church you go to. Complying with these behavioral traits is something that all Christians should strive to do but they don't define our Christianity or save us from our sins any more than buying an indulgence did.

Thankfully, there is a new emerging reformation going on in the church today. Many people in my generation have learned that adhering to a doctrine of works has left them unfulfilled spiritually. We want more out of church and our relationship with God. Instead of works, the emerging church is focusing on how to really connect with God and experience the grace and joy that he wants to offer us. Does this mean that a person can then do anything they want? No. But instead of focusing on works, the focus is on changing people's hearts so they will want to do what is pleasing to God. Not because they have to but because they want to please him.

While this movement is still fairly small and below the surface it is gaining momentum especially among younger post modern thinkers. Changing institutions and traditional practices is difficult to accomplish. We need to be patient and steadfast. If we compare it the reformation again, it should be noted that while historians date the beginning of the reformation in 1517, the seeds of reform were already spreading across Europe as early at the 1300's. Hopefully it will not take today's church several hundred years to reform itself but change takes time. I am thankful that at least there are those in the today's church that are posting their own critiques and that is what I will be celebrating today.