Posted by xprotestant on August 12, 2008 at 18:00:53:
Will the Real Martin Luther Please Stand Up
Martin Luther (1483-1546) is one of the most important persons in history. He fearlessly opposed Roman Catholic teachings and practices that ran counter to what is found in the Bible and early Christianity. His rebellion against Rome was the greatest single event leading to the Reformation and the establishment of Protestantism.
Ironically, the Reformation, with its emphasis on scripture and rejection of long-standing tradition, led to schisms within Protestantism itself. In many cases, this was because some Protestant leaders emphasized some things, while others emphasized different ideas. John Calvin, for example, emphasized the concept of predestination, an idea also advanced by Luther. The Baptists emphasized the necessity of immersion baptism (though many Baptists today believe that no rites, including baptism, are needed for salvation). The Presbyterian Church got its name from the fact that the early Christian Church was led by elders (Greek presbuteroi). The Church of England stressed the equality of all bishops and rejected the pope as universal pontiff of the church; ironically, it led to the British monarch being considered the head of the church. After the American Revolution, the Anglican Church in the United States renamed itself Episcopalian, from the Greek episcopos ("overseer"), origin of the title "bishop."
Protestants generally look to Martin Luther as the one who introduced such concepts as the inerrancy and all-sufficiency of the Bible (sola scriptura, "only scripture") and salvation by faith alone (sola fide, "only faith"). However, the great reformer would not recognize himself in the dogmatic way in which such ideas are taught today. Indeed, some of his teachings are much closer to those of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints then to those of today's Protestant denominations. We shall examine some of these.
To be continue...