Luther Is a Reactionary (Contentions)

Reactionary: “Ideology that opposes change or progress in society and seeks a

return to a previous state.”
Though generally taken to
- He introduced no policy not backed by the mean “positive change”,
church’s leading founders progress merely means
◊ In his three walls, he backs his positions almost “moving forward”; if one
entirely with quotes from St. Paul, St. Peter, and Scripture. believes past conditions
were good, they would be
SHOW THREE WALLS ON SCREEN (AND LATER against progress, but for
THE CATECHISM) change, a change back to
abandoned conditions.
- He only opposed new thought on the church
◊ Celibacy of priests was new; Christ never mandated
that his followers be celibate; the closest he got was a warning
○ Matthew 19:12 – (Here, eunuchs means “celibate”) For there are eunuchs, that
were so born from their mother's womb: and there are eunuchs, that were made eunuchs
by men: and there are eunuchs, that made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of
heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

- He agreed with the church on his most important supposed “divergence”

◊ He thought works were necessary, but only to complete one’s penitence and faith;
this was the position of the church, and is.
○ Martin’s 1st-3rd Theses: “1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, in saying " Repent
ye," intended that the whole life of believers should be penitence. 2. This word cannot be
understood of sacramental penance, that is, of the confession and satisfaction which are
performed under the ministry of priests. 3. It does, not, however, refer solely to inward
penitence; nay such inward penitence is naught, unless it outwardly produces various
mortifications of the flesh.”
○ Church’s Catechism: (Part 3, Sec. 1, Chap. 3, Article 2)
◊ The only ones not observing this teaching were the current Christian regime, so he
merely went back to the church’s previous beliefs in starting his church
○ “Justification by faith alone implied for Luther the freedom of the Christian to
dispense with a priestly system mediating between people and God.”
◊ Luther didn’t actually disagree with Aquinas
○ “In 1517, Luther wrote his Disputation Against Scholastic Theology, in which his
former teacher Biel bore the brunt of his wrath. Unfortunately, Luther was misled by
interpretations of Thomas Aquinas by Biel and others. He thought that Thomas's
anthropology was essentially Pelagian [A type of doctrine which is viewed by Catholics
as heretical], but there is no substantial disagreement between Thomas and Luther on
these anthropological issues.”
http://www.heritage.villanova.edu/vu/heritage/allthings/1999Wa.htm

Luther Is Not a Radical (Responses)

“Saint Paul compared the diversity of roles in the Church
to the different parts of a body—all being important
to enable the body to function.”
Doesn’t this prove he was against St. Paul?
No, just the opposite. Luther agreed with Paul – he thought everyone was EQUALLY
important in the church, and that to exalt one member above another was foolish. He did
not rebel against the idea of a pope, but against the worship the popes received; this
pertains to higher clergy’s worship as well.

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