So I listened to a lecture on Martin Luther by Warren Carroll, former president of the Catholic liberal arts institution Christendom College. Dr. Carroll doesn't mince any words when it comes the Protestant "Revolution," as he terms it. Most of his lecture is actually focused on the life and times of Martin Luther, for whom he expresses particular disdain, although Dr. Carroll does grant Luther one good: that his railing against monetary payment for indulgences resulted in the condemnation of this abuse by the Council of Trent.Ever since I decided to openly pursue the claims of Catholicism, I've been troubled by this particular episode in history. Though there is some degree of Catholic-Protestant detente in our day, Luther nevertheless remain one of the most divisive figures in history. Specifically, the Diet of Worms has troubled me non-stop. It remains of one of my own personal "roadblocks" because no other moment so exemplifies the Protestant "paradigm" that I've believed all my life to be correct.
For Dr. Carroll, Emperor Charles V is the hero of the Diet of Worms, standing strong as a defender of the faith. Up until now, Charles V has only appeared to me as an incidental figure who did not understand Luther and commanded him to recant on the truth (though at this point I of course don't necessarily agree with Luther on all the truths he was standing for).
I guess the question that really bugs me is this: What should Martin Luther have done? Was the problem with Luther that he was wrong about his interpretation of scripture, or that he went about his objections in the wrong way, or both? Should Luther have quietly backed down at the Diet of Worms and agreed to pursue the matters in a different manner? When must a good Catholic stop objecting and simply accept the teaching of the church?
These are complicated issues, I know, but for all the questions I ask, let me re-frame my question this way: How might this troubled Augustinian monk have become a Catholic saint rather than a Catholic heretic?
Currently listening to: Thurston Moore, Trees Outside the Academy
John,
ReplyDeleteLuther had his opportunity to work for reform within the Church when Adrian VI was elected Pope in 1522. Had Luther submitted, he would have found in Adrian VI a man ready and willing to heal the Church's ills. However, Adrian met much resistance in the Church as well as outside the Church, and died the next year (1523) broken hearted over what he must have seen as his failure.
Luther could have made a real difference in the Church. He chose to make a real difference outside of the Church.
Blessings and Peace.
Kevin Branson
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment on our blog.
It is interesting that you mentioned Dr. Carroll, as I have been reading through his books on the History of Christendom and am just about to reach the Reformation--I highly recommend these to you to read, because...
Reading the history of Christendom, including Christ's Church, is at times appalling, stupefying, amazing, disgusting, inspiring, and hopeful. In reading through every century since Christ came, I realized that there was "reason" to start a Reformation in every single one of them! There were abuses, there were murders, there were priests taking concubines, there were bishops who bought their ecclesiastical office (simony), there were ineffectual popes, popes who acted rashly, imprudently, even stupidly and pridefully.
The choice that every Christian has had within Christ's Church since the beginning is to either 1) reform from within it, or 2) schism from it and start "another church".
The saints (like St. Francis of Assisi, to whom God said "Repair my Church", and St. Catherine of Siena, who wrote boldly to the popes, admonishing them to do what was right in God's sight), faced horrific scandals and heresies in their days, but they responded to God's call by reforming the Church from within.
I have to go now, but I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts on this.
Dear Brethren in Christ,
ReplyDeleteAs a former Roman Catholic, and current Evangelical Catholic (High Lutheran) I must point out that Fr Luther did attempt to change the Church from within, but instead of hearing him out The Holy Father excommunicated Fr Luther as a Heretic because he did not want to face the reality of his greed. In my mind and that of my contemporaries Fr Martin Luther IS Saint Martin of Wittenberg, Priest and Doctor.
Yours in Christ,
Brett A Merlina, DD