Martin Luther Not A Heretic?

[LouisvilleFan]

Well, I'm reluctant to say the Reformation came directly from God because God doesn't bring division and confusion, but I do think the Church finally harvested what she sowed over hundreds of years. I'll also don't think it's any coincidence that virtually every "bad pope" was pre-Reformation.

As for Luther, there is no question he was a heretic. I was surprised, though, to find out how quickly he fell into heresy following his posting of the "95 Theses." I think someone mentioned even a few of the Theses were heretical, though at that point he hadn't committed to believing them and was actually doing the right thing by seeking answers from the Church.

Luther fascinates me though, just as a study in psychology and how a fatal character flaw can bring down a person, as you see in several Shakespeare plays. He could've been one of the greatest saints in Church history and maybe the Lutherans would've been a Catholic religious order!

Edited June 24, 2008 by LouisvilleFan

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='LouisvilleFan' post='1581468' date='Jun 24 2008, 12:02 PM']Well, I'm reluctant to say the Reformation came directly from God because God doesn't bring division and confusion, but I do think the Church finally harvested what she sowed over hundreds of years. I'll also don't think it's any coincidence that virtually every "bad pope" was pre-Reformation.

As for Luther, there is no question he was a heretic. I was surprised, though, to find out how quickly he fell into heresy following his posting of the "95 Theses." I think someone mentioned even a few of the Theses were heretical, though at that point he hadn't committed to believing them and was actually doing the right thing by seeking answers from the Church.

Luther fascinates me though, just as a study in psychology and how a fatal character flaw can bring down a person, as you see in several Shakespeare plays. He could've been one of the greatest saints in Church history and maybe the Lutherans would've been a Catholic religious order! [/quote]
Yea, you're probably right. Probably not directly from God. I think everyone can agree that it was necessary though. Luckily the Holy Spirit didn't desert the church, even at the height of abuse, and we managed to remain God's institution.
that's a really cool way to look at it, that he could have been a saint. That would have been so much better. If he had stuck with the Church just a little bit longer, he could have seen these problems worked out, and the schism wouldn't be nearly as great as it became.