Differences Between Luther And Calvinism

Question 1

Prior to the 16th century the Catholic church was struggling with disunity and discontent centering around corruption, the selling of indulgences and the abuse of power. In October of 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church and split from the Catholic Church. After Martin Luther, various other protestant (define protestantism somewhere) sects emerged, most notably, Calvinism. Both Luther and Calvin held theological emphases that made them distinct from each other and the Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Reformation and the Counter Reformation both reacted in response to both these external sects and to the internal corruption and discontent. Lutheran theology centered around the

Calvin’s theology parted from Luther’s in emphasizing the sovereignty of God, predestination and original sin. Calvin’s most central teaching, on the sovereignty of God, teaches nothing is left to free will or chance, but is determined by God. This central teaching of Calvinism flows easily into the teaching of predestination- God decides who will be saved not an individual. The teaching of predestination disagrees slightly with Luther’s teaching that man is saved by faith and vocation; however, it clashes greatly with the Catholic teaching that man is saved by faith and works. The Calvinist, Lutheran and Catholic teachings on salvation all have root in scripture. Calvin’s teaching on predestination focuses on Job 38, “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?”. Calvin emphasizes original sin and the total depravity of man. Since the fall, man is completely sinful and it is only by God’s will, not man’s will, that man can overcome that sin. Calvin’s theological emphases center around the teaching that God is responsible for all things, not

The prevalent political form of the Dual State, namely a dual headed form of government split into a central figure (like that of the Machiavellian Prince) and a representative assembly, gradually gave way to the Unitary State in the quest to clarify the source of sovereignty, manifesting as a monarchical absolutism such as France’s Louis XIV (1643-1715), the sun king, or in the representatives reigning in the monarchy with constitutionalism like that provided by Great Britain’s Glorious Revolution in 1688-9. There were four main factors that contributed to this: uniform rational administration, the subordination of church by the state, military technological revolution, and the political argument for capitalism. The subordination of church to state marked a rise in the power and subtext of government, so that the government was no longer content dwelling aside other institutions the way it had before. The Spanish Inquisition allowed the government to create a universal atmosphere of subjugation, and used the church to establish a moral and systematic set of principles to propagate that movement. Advances in military technology such as the longbow, gunpowder, and the general democratization of warfare left governments itching to test newfound power, and allowed countries that were