Effects of the Protestant Reformation on Christianity

In the text, “Christianity and Modernity,” by authors Esposito, Fasching, and Lewis gave a thorough analysis of the development of Christianity throughout history and its emergence of modernity. According to the text, by the 16th century, “Europe had transformed from [farmland] to [notable] urban centres.” During that time, “one of the most defining [moments] of modernization was the emergence of self-governing institutions that operated independently of both direct religious authority and traditional medieval political authority.” In addition to this, education had also been distanced from religion and to secular ones. As so, it was during this era that was the pivotal and central moment in which “intellectual secularization first appeared in Europe,” that went on to change people’s belief systems as well as their lifestyles forever. Many reformed forms of Christianity emerged into the society, notably; the Protestant Reformation that was led by monk Martin Luther in the 16th century, which had developed after the abuses of the Catholic Church and its traditions, and Luther set out to reform such traditions. Next, the Anabaptist Rebellion focused on rejecting both the Catholic Church and the State, which led to their persecution for their beliefs. The development of secular movements had also made its way into the world, notably; Millennialism, Via Moderna, and Devotio Moderna. These three religious reform movements have immensely shaped Christianity and modern Western society.

According to the authors, Millennialism of historical progress had begun as a form of modernity that had relation to Italian monk Joachim of Fiore and his visions in the 12th century. Joachim, in his gospel, compared the three ages of history to the three persons of the Trinity; the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.” As so, Joachim believed that he was in “the beginning of the Millennium where there would no longer be any purpose for the institutional church or its members.” He saw history as progress and believed that there would not be any need for any form of institution, and this would bring peace and harmony in the world between people. This movement followed into the 18th century during the Enlightenment period. Scholar Gotthold Lessing believed that the “autonomy of reason would lead to a rational harmony among individuals rather than the Holy Spirit.” Via Moderna of autonomous reason soon led after in the 13th century. It separated reason from faith and religion from science and vice versa. Finally, the Devotio Moderna of emotional transformation, this was especially important regarding Luther being born again and helped him become a more spiritual individual. These three forms of secular movements brought about change in the European society that mainly focused on spirituality and autonomy.

Martin Luther grew up as a Catholic; however, after having a near-death experience, he became a spiritual Augustinian monk. In the 1500s, after the Pope of St Peter Cathedral in Rome made vows to the public saying God would forgive their sins if they donated to the Church, Luther believed that the Church was taking advantage of people and expressed to the public his views. He urged individuals to have stronger faith and to not rely on the Church more than the religious texts. This incident had become the pivotal moment that led to the Protestant Reformation of Catholicism. According to the authors, Luther had only wanted to fix the issues that he found within the Church, and not develop a new one, however, “it led to the formation of Protestant Christianity which focused on faith through the religious texts.” This modern form of Christianity focused on trying to recover the scripture of Christianity and reject the Church’s traditions, and additionally, it paved the path for individuals to have rights and freedoms. Next, reformer John Calvin was committed to instilling the ‘Protestant ethic’ that focused on working hard and looking at such tasks as holy. This ethic had a significant influence on the public, and as it assisted them in becoming financially stable and prosperous in life. It also led to the development of democracy that we now know today in Western society.

Moreover, the Devotio Moderna movement prioritized individuals all being equal in the eyes of God; as such, they focused on living simple lives, while critiquing the practices of the Catholic Church and its traditions. Other reform movements followed, such as the Anabaptist Rebellion, which rejected both the Church as well as the State. The Anabaptists rejected Christian practices such as baptism as they believed that the tradition was not noted in the Holy texts, as so, their rejections of such traditions had made them outcasts that soon led to their persecution by both the Protestants and Catholics. Many sects arose from Anabaptism, such as Mennonite, Amish, as well as Hutterite groups. One notable information about the Amish group today is that they refuse to partake in any modern form of technology as it does not align with their beliefs.

In conclusion, Christianity has gone through many forms of modernization. It brought on many hardships for those who were involved, such as the Anabaptists that were oppressed and persecuted for their differences in beliefs, which eventually led to the murders of many that go as high as fifty thousand. However, it had also benefited people, such as the Via Moderna and Devotio Moderna, that helped individuals become more spiritual and autonomous with open hearts and minds. The most notable reform movement was the Protestant Reformation that was first initiated by Luther that later became a denomination of Christianity had helped the Christian community rely more on their original Holy Scriptures and God himself rather than religious institutions. Such forms of Christianity reform movements have helped Christians either embrace the traditions of the Church, or make new ones altogether rejecting the Church and instead focusing on the Holy Scriptures, or reject both. All in all, these movements have greatly influenced Western society that we know today.