The Halloween That Changed the World—Reformation Day

Peter Ditzel


Martin Luther is a pivotal historical figure. This is not because he was perfect. He certainly had flaws (don’t we all?). It is because he succeeded in piercing the veil of darkness that then shrouded the world. Four hundred ninety plus years ago, he nailed his famous “ninety-five theses” to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany.

Martin was the firstborn son of Roman Catholic parents. His father, Hans, was a miner who scraped up enough money to send his brilliant son to university; there Martin studied the law. He earned his bachelor of arts in 1503 and his master of arts degree in 1505 at the age of twenty-three.










Charles V pronounced Luther an outlaw. He declared, "We want him to be apprehended and punished as a notorious heretic." He also made giving food or shelter to Luther a crime and gave permission for anyone to kill Luther. Luther escaped death because of the daring, undercover operation of Frederick III, Elector of Saxony (the part of Germany where Luther lived). Frederick had Luther "kidnapped" by masked men and whisked off to Wartburg Castle, where he kept him safely hidden. During his stay at Wartburg, Luther continued to write. He also translated the New Testament from Greek into German so his countrymen could read it for themselves in their own language.

Many began to look to Scripture alone as the authority for their beliefs. They began to reject the authority of the pope and the Roman Catholic church. The people questioned Roman Catholic doctrines. Most importantly, many began to rely on faith in Christ’s atonement and righteousness for their salvation, instead of upon works, penance, and indulgences.

But while at Wartburg, Luther seems to have made a decision that he could not let the Reformation go so far that he would lose the support of Frederick and other leaders who were protecting him. He returned to Wittenberg to try to stop people who wanted to make extreme changes in doctrine and practice. Once Luther became a part of the establishment in the Protestant principalities of Germany, he considered people who went beyond his teachings to be radicals and troublemakers. Anabaptists were preaching the equality of man, the separation of church and state, and believer’s baptism. To Luther the magisterial Reformer, this was going too far.

We might wonder how Luther could think this. But it might help if we try putting ourselves in his place. He was born into an extremely dark time in history. He was a monk and priest in a church that claimed to be the only way to salvation, yet it did not understand the Gospel. And, unlike today, Luther could not just read the writings of ministers in other churches or walk out of the Catholic church and into a Bible-believing church to get help. Any churches outside of the Roman Catholic church were small, persecuted, scattered in the wilderness, and secretive. Luther was brought up in, educated in, and totally surrounded by a worldview that contradicted the Gospel. But despite this handicap, God, by His grace, opened Luther’s mind to the Gospel and used him to light a light in that dark world. The changes started by Luther had far-reaching effects on politics and society. In fact, Luther was one of the most influential men to have lived from the time of the apostles to now. The Protestantism that sprang from his movement has helped to mold our civilization.

As is often true of visionary leaders, Luther was controversial and often not consistent in his views. Luther once wrote, "Do you know what the Devil thinks when he sees men use violence to propagate the gospel? He sits with folded arms behind the fire of hell, and says with malignant looks and frightful grin: ‘Ah, how wise these madmen are to play my game! Let them go on; I shall reap the benefit. I delight in it.’ But when he sees the Word running and contending alone on the battle-field, then he shudders and shakes for fear."

Nevertheless, Luther supported violence in one of the most controversial events in his life. This was his connection to the Peasants’ War that started in 1524. At first, Luther expressed sympathy for the peasants’ complaints. But when the peasants became violent, Luther himself instigated violence by telling the nobility to treat the peasants without pity and put them down like mad dogs: "Whosoever can, should smite, strangle, and stab, secretly or publicly."


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