Martin Luther: Ninety-five Theses

Questions for Further Study

• 1: What were the intersections between politics and religion in the context surrounding Luther's theses? What were the intersections between money and religion in the same context?
• 2. What were some of the church abuses to which Luther objected? On what specific grounds did he object to them?
• 3. Luther's beliefs, and the actions he took on those beliefs, might seem almost tame today. He did not deny the existence of God, the divinity of Christ, or most other fundamental church doctrines. Yet his actions attracted a great deal of attention from Rome, led to the Diet of Worms, and caused his excommunication from the church. Why was the church so troubled by the teachings of one priest in Germany?
• 4. Why do you think Catholics in Europe and North America were held in such suspicion in the centuries following the Protestant Reformation?
• 5. In the modern world, there are numerous Protestant denominations, among them Methodists, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, various Reformed churches, and Anabaptists (including the Amish, Mennonites, and Quakers). Additionally, there are numerous small sects, such as the Churches of Christ, the Zion Christian Church, and the Free Apostolic Church of Pentecost, among many others. What do you believe Luther would have thought about this proliferation of Protestant denominations and sects? What do you believe he would have thought about the prominence of nondenominational televangelists in the modern world?