The Reformation began in the 15th-16th centuries as reformers like John Wycliffe, John Huss, and Martin Luther spoke out against corruption and doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. Wycliffe produced the first English language Bible and taught that salvation could not be revoked. Luther wrote the 95 Theses arguing against indulgences and realized salvation comes through faith alone, not works. The Reformation spread across Europe through reformers like Zwingli and Calvin and led to common Protestant doctrines like sola scriptura and sola fide. In response, the Catholic Church launched the Counter Reformation to combat heresy through means like the Jesuits and Inquisition.

1. Reformation

2. John Wycliffe
• England
• Felt everyone should have access to the Word
of God
• Produced first Bible in English language
• Taught that once a part of the Body of Christ,
no one could take that away.

4. John Huss
• Bohemia
• Spoke out against the papacy and corruption
of the Roman Church

7. Martin Luther
• Germany
• Became angry when indulgences were being
sold in his church
• Wrote the Ninety Five Theses to argue the
indulgences
• Realized that salvation is a gift from God that
cannot be earned

9. Katharina Bora

10. • Roman Church threatened to excommunicate
him (dismiss him from the church)
• Translated the Bible into German

11. Ulrich Zwingli
• Switzerland
• Wrote Sixty-Seven Conclusions that rejected
the Roman Catholic doctrines

13. Anabaptists
• Rejected infant baptism.
• Anabaptist (those who baptize again)
• Among the first to support separation of
church and state

14. John Calvin
• France
• Wrote Institutes of the Christian Religion
– A defense of the Protestant movement to the King
of France
• He is associated with predestination – God’s
deciding one’s destiny before birth

16. Common Doctrines between all the
above men
1. Scripture Alone – Scripture is the only
authority on anything it speaks of
2. Faith Alone – salvation cannot be earned, but
is a gift received by faith
3. Priesthood of the Believer – Each believer
has direct access to the saving benefits of
Christ without the need of priests or
sacraments

17. Results of the Reformation
1. Religious Freedom – people sought the right
to worship according to one’s own
conscience no matter where one lived.
2. Citizenship – encouraged Christians to work
hard at their occupation
3. Family Life – Knew families were a gift from
God
4. Education – placed a high priority on
teaching everyone to read and to diligently
study

18. What did the Roman Church do in
Reaction?
• It was called the Counter Reformation and
consisted of 4 parts:

19. 1. Society of Jesus – called Jesuits
– Founded to stop the spread of the Reformation
– Used any means necessary to gain converts for
Rome
2. Inquisition – assumed anyone accused of
heresy was guilty
3. Index of Prohibited Books – most versions of
the Bible and Protestant literature

22. 4. Council of Trent – meeting of high officials to
make changes in the Roman Church
– Wrote a statement of Roman Catholic beliefs and
practices
– First written statement that contained all
Catholic doctrines

25. Religious Wars
• France
– French Protestants (called Huguenots)
– 20,000 Huguenots were massacred in their homes
in 1572
• Europe
– Thirty Years’ War
– Between Catholic and Protestant forces
– Protestants won