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Martin Luther: the man who split from the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century and created his own church in the name of reform. For him, all Christians possessed the Holy Spirit, so they could interpret the Bible contrary to the pope. This has resulted in hundreds of divisions and denominations within Christianity. Unfortunately, many do not know Luther’s story, so this article will analyze the lead up to 1517. First, there are some important details that influence our understanding of Luther’s context of Wittenberg, Germany. Professor Mickey Mattox says that that city constantly contested religious authority even before Luther. He cites the recent book by Natalie Krentz, who said, “Between 1500-1510 little Wittenberg had been placed under interdict by its bishop at least five times, usually because of conflicts over monies allegedly owed to the bishop.” This helps make some sense out of why the German people followed Luther’s rebellion so quickly. Not only that, but prior to Luther, some Germans wanted more religion, a fresh energy or improvement in it, and better sermons. This is catalogued in the books Imperial Cities and the Reformation and Luther and the Reformation of the Later Middle Ages. This helps make sense out of why Germany listened intently to Luther’s cry for reform. This brings us to Martin Luther's life. He was born in Eisleben, Germany, in 1483 to some harsh parents. Luther says of them, “The serious and austere life that they [his parents] led with me caused me to enter a monastery and become a monk” (92). Martin remembered taking a walnut from the kitchen and his mother subsequently beating him until she drew blood. On another occasion, his father whipped him to the point that he ran away from home (17). This might have influenced him later on. In 1501, Martin left his parents and went to the University of Erfurt, where he was awarded his Master’s degree in 1505. After graduation, Martin enrolled in law school. However, he suddenly quit and went to the monastery the same year, which displeased his father greatly. Legend has it that the reason Martin did this was because, while he was traveling, a lightning storm erupted (7). Martin thought he would die, and he promised God that if he did not die, then he would become a monk. When he survived, he chose to enroll with the Augustinians. Continue reading: bit.ly/4esSAkU

Answering Mother Teresa SLANDER by Joe Rogan guest:

Seven reasons St. John Paul II was a great pope: 1. He provided an extraordinarily large body of orthodox, articulate, intellectually rigorous teaching in his encyclicals and other documents. 2. He helped reestablish stability in many Catholic circles during the turbulence following Vatican II. 3. He promulgated the 1983 Code of Canon Law (for the Western rite) and the 1990 Code of Canons for the Eastern Churches (for the Eastern rites), the latter being the first time that the Eastern Catholic churches have had a complete code of canon law. 4. He promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the first catechism of its kind since the Roman Catechism in the 1500s. 5. He personally helped bring about the fall of Communism and the destruction of the Iron Curtain. 6. He served as a staunch pro-life, pro-family advocate–among other ways, by standing up to attempts made at the Beijing Women’s Conference and the Cairo Population Conference (both by the United Nations) to force anti-family, anti-child policies on the nations of the world. 7. He was remarkably holy and a man of deep prayer who set a great example for others. BONUS: He had a deep friendship with another great 20th-century saint, Mother Teresa. Learn more about them in our new book, Icons of Mercy: bit.ly/4dVGoJj