21st Century Reformation
It’s deja vu! It seems the church has been here before. Lutherans can sometimes focus so much on Martin Luther himself that we overlook the historical context that ushered in the movement. While so much of his theology was on point, the stars were certainly aligned for the Protestant Reformation to ignite across Europe. Luther did not simply wake up one morning and decide to post the 95 Theses on the Castle Church door (think, social media post gone viral). What made his message possible was deadly disease, political corruption, and technological advancement.
By 1517, the Black Death had killed nearly 30% of Europe’s population. Without the knowledge of bacteria, priests were routinely visiting the sick. It’s estimated that half of the clergy population died. The church, scrambling to find priests, was forced to lower their theological education standards in order to fill pulpits. Lo and behold, a wave of men with political ambition seized the opportunity to gain power. The church and the state became one in the same and corruption had taken over. Making Luther’s skin crawl, this gave him the fire and passion to bring about change. He became a thorn in Pope Leo’s side, and Lutherans have been challenging authority ever since.
One major criticism Luther had was the church practice of selling indulgences, which is a piece of paper stating that someone’s loved one was now in heaven because they purchased this indulgence (think, Jesus and the money changers). And lest we believe this kind of corruption doesn’t exist today, we have televangelists convincing parishioners to buy them their third private jet. As I mentioned, deja vu.
Today, online capabilities have changed the ballgame for the church. Messiah’s message, but more importantly, the Gospel message can now be in living rooms across the globe in seconds. In Luther’s day, the equivalence was Gutenberg’s printing press. In truth, no one batted an eyelid at Luther’s work until it was mass printed and sent out across Europe. While the task of embracing technology may come with trepidation, it is essential to the church’s survival.
Books could be written about the similarities between the Protestant Reformation and the 21st century reformation that we are living in now. I would be lying if I told you that I wasn’t afraid or skeptical. All I know is, God is moving on with, or without, the church. I invite you to step into the unknown with me. Channeling the Lutheran spark that unabashedly speaks-out against corruption, come reform this thing with me. The Holy Sprit will work through us, God will be beside us, and we will have one another to carry us through. I believe in the church because I have faith in you. I believe in you because I have faith in God. Ultimately, it is God that does the building and reforming. “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). Did you catch that? YOU are Peter.
Being a thorn,
Pr. Lucas McSurley
Photo by Matt Meiler