REFLECTIONS ON THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION AFTER FIVE HUNDRED YEARS
Abstract
The basic principle underlying the Protestant Reformation was the “evils inherent in the Roman Catholic Church”. Some of these included the corrupt papacy or the authority of the Pope, infallibility of the Pope, veneration of the Virgin Mary and other Saints, the use of sacred objects, celibacy of consecrated men/women, general Church Councils, the sale of indulgences, among several others. Meanwhile, Luther and those after him, such as Huldriech Zwingli and John Calvin believed in ‘Justification by Faith’ alone. The counter-reformation could not beat down the tide with the result that the former Roman Catholic Church segregated into Lutherans, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Methodists just to mention a few. Five Hundred years on, the Catholic Church still commands the largest in numbers, papal authority though limited still remains a force to reckon with, the Vatican’s status as a country is recognized by the world body- the UN, veneration of the Virgin Mary and saints still remains strong with many more people being canonized. Meanwhile, the schism continues and many more denominations or Churches come into being. Reforms in the Catholic Church like the Council of Trent and Vatican II have not done away with many of the things that brought about the Reformation. There is also evidence of increased persecution of Christians. Yet a sort of ecumenism seems to be taking place not only between the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestants but also Muslims. What have been some of the critical issues arising since the Reformation?
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