This quick study on Reformation History was given at the end of service at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on October 8, 2017. The text of the study is included and you may play the audio of the study here.
Luther had intended to start a dialogue on indulgences and how they should be treated with a little more respect that just obtaining them through money. But once his 95 Theses got into the hands of the pope, there was no little dialogue. All-out-war would begin, and I don’t just mean that symbolically. It would be 30 years before actual war broke out, but there would be revolts, there would be violence and threats of violence, there would be kidnappings and murders. This is the dark side of the Reformation.
To be fair, much of the violence of the Reformation was against the Lutherans, but no one escaped unscathed or without causing violence in some way. It all began in 1518. Luther received a summons from the pope to appear in Rome. However, since he knew that he had no people really friendly to his arguments there, he was quite hesitant since it was likely that, if he didn’t give in to the pope, he’d be tortured then burned at the stake. So, his elector, kind of like a governor within the Holy Roman Empire, wrote to the emperor and and persuaded him to have the hearing move from to Augsburg, a city 300 miles south of Wittenberg. There, Luther would meet, not with the pope, which may either have ended or made worse all the strife to come, but with Cardinal Thomas Cajetan.
Cajetan was an interesting man. Highly trusted by the pope and greatly respected in the courts of the emperor, Cajetan was sent to Augsburg to examine Luther’s theology and writings, and then the man himself. This, in and of itself, wasn’t really a problem. Any theologian worth their salt wants, desires, needs to have their doctrines examined. We should all want to remain faithful.
But Cajetan came to Augsburg with an agenda. His mind had already been made up. Since writing the 95 Theses, Luther had been prolific in his other writings. The man was a machine, really. He could put out books and tracts and pamphlets with seemingly great ease. Luther’s mind was incredible, and there really hasn’t been anyone like him since. Cajetan had a great deal to draw from, and the pope had already made it clear that he expected Luther to be confronted with all his works and say one word, and one word only: “revoco,” I recant.
So, in September, Luther’s elector, Frederick the Wise sent Luther to Augsburg. If Luther would not recant, Cajetan was authorized to put Luther in chains and bring him to Rome. If Luther did recant, well, everyone knew there wasn’t much chance of that happening. Luther, his friends, even his elector began to fear for his life.
Luther came before Cajetan then, not knowing what would happen. When Cajetan gave him the opportunity to repent of his errors and never teach them again, Luther, instead of saying “revoco,” instead asked what his errors were. Strike one. They got nowhere. The next day, Luther and Cajetan debated about the authority of the pope. Strike two. Luther wanted to finish the rest of his argument in writing, where he would present his understanding to Cajetan and Cajetan agreed. Yet, Cajetan knew he couldn’t just let Luther go; the pope would not be pleased. He demanded Luther recant, but Luther could not. To do so would be to against everything he had learned from the Word of God. Strike three.
So, now, Luther had a new problem: if he didn’t recant, he’d be stripped of his monastic standing, put in chains, and sent to Rome. But if he did recant, he’d forsake the truth of the Gospel. What’s a man to do? We’ll find out next week.
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