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John Wycliffe: The Morning Star Of The Reformation

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By the end of the Middle Ages, the church was sorely in need of reform. The papacy was corrupt and church leaders were more dedicated to living luxurious, powerful lives than to preaching the gospel of the Lord. Change eventually came about through courageous people, “shining lights,” as Stiansen puts it, who were unafraid of being ridiculed and even martyred for their convictions. Pre-Reformers like John Wycliffe and Jan Hus prepared the way for the Reformation through their writings, lifestyles, and deaths.
John Wycliffe One of the most well-known and controversial Pre-Reformers was John Wycliffe. Known as “The Morning Star of the Reformation,” Wycliffe devoted much of his time to reform within the church and to developing logical philosophical arguments regarding church doctrine. He also was deeply involved in translating the Bible into the language of the common people. Although Wycliffe was an English priest who held four parishes …show more content…

One of Martin Luther’s greatest heroes, Hus was a Roman Catholic priest turned protestant theologian who lived in Bohemia at the turn of the fifteenth century. During his preaching commitment at Bethlehem Chapel in Prague, he began to seriously study the Bible. His study led him to believe that much of what went on in the church was unbiblical and in need of reform. Hus then began in earnest to preach the truth and inerrancy of the Scriptures, while teaching that ultimate authority belonged only to God, not to a pope or earthly ruler. He was greatly influenced by Wycliffe’s writings, and shared the truths contained therein with the Bohemian church. Hus also preached faithfulness and dedication to God, whereas the church preached faithfulness to the pope. Hus’s idea of strict personal piety and devotion was a large part of the Reformation and was reflected later in the Puritan churches of the American

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Martin Luther was a Catholic monk at the University of Wittenberg in Germany. Luther was unhappy with the practice of selling indulgences (a pardon releasing a sinner from performing a penalty in exchange for money), so, on October 31, 1517, he nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. These Theses were intended to encourage discussion about indulgences, but, with the help of the printing press, Luther’s 95 Theses gave rise to the Protestant Reformation (Document B).

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