life. This, of course , included sending Martin to school and later to the university rather than having him stay at home to work the land or oversee one of the family’s foundries. The education that Luther gained at the university proved to be a true turning point in the way that he looked at philosophical and Theological issues. If it hadn’t been for Luther’s father’s determination and encouragement Martin’s success, there may have been no great revolution in thought leading to the reformation. The explosion finally came around the matter of the lavish building program of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. As an untended spokesman for this critical mindset, in 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the Whittenburg castle church protesting, for theological reasons, the sale of indulgences to finance the pope’s schemes. Behind this defiant action was a long personal, one based on a deep desire to unburden himself of a profound sense of guilt and personal condemnation before God’s judgment. For Luther, a personal breakthrough occurred as the message sank into the head of this Augustinian professor concerning Paul’s teaching (Galatians and Romans) about divine Grace and forgiveness received through the simple faith of the believer. Not through the demands of any religious law or requirements of a religious system. So “liberated” he felt that his discovery had to be brought to the rest of the world. The occasion of sales of indulgence brought this desire to the fore. With this action of challenging papal authority, Luther, unaware of where this would eventually take him, unscrewed an explosion force among fiery Christians. It also excited the political interests of the German princes who saw in this theological revolution an economic/political opportunity they could not pass up. The pope’s ability to reply was challenged by prot...
