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Section 3

The Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation

The Big Idea

Efforts to reform the Roman Catholic Church led to changes in society and

the creation of new churches.

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I can list and explain the internal problems in the Catholic Church.

I can explain the reasons for the growing

unhappiness with the Catholic Church.

I can explain the main ideas of the following men; John Calvin – predestination

Desiderius Erasmus – Free Will William Tyndale – translating the Bible into English

Main Idea 1: Reformers called for change in the Catholic Church

and some broke away to form new churches.

By the late Renaissance, people had begun to complain about problems in the Catholic Church. They called on its leaders to end corruption and focus on religion. Their calls led to a reform movement against the Roman Catholic Church called the Reformation.

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Unpopular Church Practices

People felt that the clergy and the pope had become too political. The way the church raised money was also considered unfair. The sale of indulgences was unpopular.

An indulgence was a document given by the pope that excused a person from penalties for sins he or she had committed. The idea that the church was letting people buy their way into heaven made Christians angry.

These unpopular practices weakened the church, and people began calling for reform.

Tax policies: the Catholic Church collected taxes from subjects and sent a large portion of those revenues to the Pope in Italy. Churches did not pay taxes to the nation that the church was in, frustrating monarchs.

Henry VIII wanted to leave his marriage. The pope refused Henry’s request, so he left the Catholic Church and created his own church.

The Church of England, or Anglican Church, was much like the Catholic Church, but it opened the door for other churches to form.

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Martin Luther Martin Luther nailed a list of complaints

to the door of a church in Wittenberg. This list was called the Ninety-five Theses.

The printing press allowed this list to be spread to neighboring states.

Luther thought that anyone could have a direct relationship with God. He did not believe that priests had to speak to God for the people. Beliefs should be based on the Bible, not interpreted by priests or the pope. Luther translated the Bible into German so that Europeans could read it for the first time. http://www.biography.com/people/martin-luther-9389283

John Calvin

John Calvin believed that God knew who would be saved even before they were born. This is called predestination. Nothing that people did during

their lives would change God’s plan, but it was

important to live a good life and obey God’s laws.

http://www.biography.com/people/john-calvin-9235788