Martin Luther Not A Heretic?

[Aloysius]

[url="http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801347.htm"]http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801347.htm[/url]

Vatican spokesman calls rumors of rehabilitation of Luther groundless

By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Rumors that the Vatican is set to rehabilitate Martin Luther, the 16th-century leader of the Protestant Reformation, are groundless, said the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi.

News reports in early March alleged that Pope Benedict XVI was dedicating a planned September symposium with former doctoral students to re-evaluating Luther, who was excommunicated and condemned for heresy.

The story "does not have any foundation, insofar as no rehabilitation of Luther is foreseen," Father Lombardi told the Italian news agency ANSA March 8.

Vatican officials said the topic of the pope's annual summer gathering of former students this year has not yet been decided. Of the two topics under consideration, Luther is not one of them, one official told Catholic News Service.

Excesses in 16th-century preaching about indulgences and in Catholic penitential practices sparked Luther, a theologian and Augustinian monk, to seek reform in the church. His concerns started a movement that led to the Protestant Reformation.

The church excommunicated Luther for preaching a philosophy doubting the pope's infallibility.

Luther emphasized the absolute primacy of God's action in freeing people from sin and making them just, and the total sufficiency of Christ's death to expiate the sins of all.

In 1983, Pope John Paul II noted that studies by Lutheran and Catholic researchers "have led to a more complete and more differentiated image of the personality of Luther" as well as the complicated historical factors surrounding his life.

Nearly 500 years after the Reformation began in 1517, Lutherans and Catholics resolved one of the issues that began the Reformation era when they signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in 1999.

The declaration said the churches' consensus on basic truths means that the doctrine of justification is not a church-dividing issue for Catholics and Lutherans even though differences between them remain in language, theological elaboration and emphasis surrounding those basic truths.

END

what kind of CLOWN COLLEGE is passing for a journalism school nowadays? sheesh. you know that for years to come there will still be people who will say stuff like "didn't the pope say Martin Luther was right a couple years ago?"

[N/A Gone]

[quote name='Apotheoun' post='1476594' date='Mar 13 2008, 12:13 AM']The Greek patristic tradition holds that man is made [i]righteous[/i], and not simply declared [i]just[/i], by the grace of God. Moreover, there is no theory of "created" grace in the Eastern tradition; and so, the grace of God, which is poured out upon man through the mystery of the incarnation of the eternal Logos, gives man a real participation in God's own righteousness, i.e., in the very righteousness whereby God Himself is righteous.[/quote]

When I was protestant I was taught this. Justification is the initial *boom* and sancitification was the "making righteous" I honestly remember the sanctification aspect better than the Justification (perhaps that is why I like reading what you have on theosis)

I still have no idea what "created grace" is. My understanding of Grace, and its roll in theosis/sanctification is what you describe above.

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='Aloysius' post='1476768' date='Mar 13 2008, 10:10 AM']what kind of CLOWN COLLEGE is passing for a journalism school nowadays? sheesh. you know that for years to come there will still be people who will say stuff like "didn't the pope say Martin Luther was right a couple years ago?"[/quote]

The London Times article never said that either. They only said the pope was going to discuss Luther and make a case saying that he wasn't a heretic, but there were no details. So it doesn't even say the pope intends to make any kind of definite statement on the matter. Like I said before, I think the case could be made that Luther wasn't actually teaching heresy at the time he was excommunicated (but then my knowledge of this stuff isn't too thorough), but there is no way that could be said about him at the end of his life.

So, yeah, nothing much significant, but the newspapers gotta sell papers, whether there is news or not.

[Apotheoun]

Luther's views on salvation and the nature of man are clearly heretical.

That said, God only knows whether he intended to teach heresy or not.

[N/A Gone]

[quote name='Revprodeji' post='1476814' date='Mar 13 2008, 12:39 PM']When I was protestant I was taught this. Justification is the initial *boom* and sancitification was the "making righteous" I honestly remember the sanctification aspect better than the Justification (perhaps that is why I like reading what you have on theosis)

I still have no idea what "created grace" is. My understanding of Grace, and its roll in theosis/sanctification is what you describe above.[/quote]

What did you think about this Mr. Kaster?

[quote name='Apotheoun' post='1477370' date='Mar 14 2008, 03:46 PM']Luther's views on salvation and the nature of man are clearly heretical.

That said, God only knows whether he intended to teach heresy or not.[/quote]

Yes, I fully agree.

[jeffpugh]

[quote name='Laudate_Dominum' post='1474944' date='Mar 10 2008, 12:33 PM']Here is a transcript of a conversation I had with a professor back when I was a total n00b.

Me: That sounds pretty close to the views of the heretic Martin Luther.
Prof: <dumbfounded> ... <dramatic pause with blank stare> ...
Me: You don't agree?
Prof: Martin Luther was a great reformer!!
Me: ... Ok, so I guess I didn't get an A on that paper.

What should have happened:

Me: That sounds pretty close to the views of the heretic Martin Luther.
Prof: <dumbfounded> ... <dramatic pause with blank stare> ...
Me: You don't agree?
Prof: Martin Luther was a great reformer!!
Me: Martin Luther was an excommunicant!!
Prof: Why, *gaf* how dare you..
Me: No sir! How dare you!!
Prof: Get out of my office!
Me: With pleasure you unfortunate scalawag! And may God have mercy on your soul.[/quote]
Wow, you've gained a lot of chutzpa over the years...

[quote name='Revprodeji' post='1475008' date='Mar 10 2008, 03:00 PM']I assume there is a great story behind that.[/quote]

Indeed. One I'd love to hear.

[goldenchild17]

[quote name='Sacred Music Man' post='1474286' date='Mar 8 2008, 04:27 PM']And Goldenchild, don't be a chump.[/quote]

I think you mistake me for chuck norris

[goldenchild17]

[quote name='Apotheoun' post='1474679' date='Mar 9 2008, 07:36 PM']I did enough of that when I was a Protestant.[/quote]

burn

[Alycin]

[Jnorm888]

[quote name='Apotheoun' post='1474706' date='Mar 9 2008, 08:26 PM']In my opinion Luther was a theological nominalist.[/quote]

What's that?




JNORM888

[Veridicus]

[quote name='mortify' post='1474402' date='Mar 8 2008, 08:36 PM']Don't worry, Luther is a heretic and he wont be rehabilitated.

Apparently it was a case of poor reporting: [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=77828"]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=77828[/url][/quote]

Bad Reporting????? NOT Possible!

[Veridicus]

[quote name='Veridicus' post='1569954' date='Jun 12 2008, 06:25 PM']Bad Reporting????? NOT Possible![/quote]

BTW, I think Martin Luther was a heretic...and a tool.

[Justin86]

A tool of the devil I would agree.

I bet my great-great-grandaddy is rolling over in his grave right now.

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='Veridicus' post='1570283' date='Jun 13 2008, 12:57 AM']BTW, I think Martin Luther was a heretic...and a tool.[/quote]

When exactly did Luther become a heretic?

[KnightofChrist]

Whenever he rejected outright the truths of the Catholic Church, so perhaps officially on 31 October, 1517 when he on the vigil of All Saints', affixed his Ninety-five Theses to the Castle Church in Wittenberg. He was excommunicated by Pope Leo X on January 3, 1521.

Edited June 16, 2008 by KnightofChrist