Comparing the Protestant and Catholic Reformations of the Sixteenth Century
At the end of the fifteenth century and toward the beginning of the sixteenth century, reform was already under construction with the hope of reforming religious orders in the Catholic Church. There was a strong emphasis on preaching to the masses (Spielvogel, 2015, p. 371). However, not everyone was satisfied with the doctrines of the Catholic Church, and one prominent example of someone who responded with a new religious movement was Martin Luther. Although the Protestant and Catholic Reformations of the sixteenth century included political, social, and theological changes, the focus of this paper is on the theological practices and renovations between the two.
Martin Luther went into the monastic church life, instead of …show more content…
Another group were the Calvinists, who were classified under several other names. For example, they were called Calvinists in Geneva, Huguenots in France, Presbyterians in Scotland, Puritans in England and American colonies, and Dutch Reformed in the Netherlands. So in the sixteenth century, Lutherans and Calvinists were the biggest groups. Other protestant groups that were not under the Calvinist model were the Anabaptists and Anglicans. In fact, even today, the biggest Christians in U.S. are Evangelicals .
In contrast, there was less division within the Catholic Church because when the Catholics broke from the Eastern Churches, they were one group. There was a higher tendency to absorb more people in the Catholic Church because if an individual accepted the papacy and some tenets of the church, the Catholic Church was tolerant toward the people. And, even though, the Catholic Church became stricter, as will later be revealed with the creation of the Society of Jesus, the Catholics were still more accommodating than Protestant groups. For example, during the reformation of
At the end of the fifteenth century and toward the beginning of the sixteenth century, reform was already under construction with the hope of reforming religious orders in the Catholic Church. There was a strong emphasis on preaching to the masses (Spielvogel, 2015, p. 371). However, not everyone was satisfied with the doctrines of the Catholic Church, and one prominent example of someone who responded with a new religious movement was Martin Luther. Although the Protestant and Catholic Reformations of the sixteenth century included political, social, and theological changes, the focus of this paper is on the theological practices and renovations between the two.
Martin Luther went into the monastic church life, instead of …show more content…
Another group were the Calvinists, who were classified under several other names. For example, they were called Calvinists in Geneva, Huguenots in France, Presbyterians in Scotland, Puritans in England and American colonies, and Dutch Reformed in the Netherlands. So in the sixteenth century, Lutherans and Calvinists were the biggest groups. Other protestant groups that were not under the Calvinist model were the Anabaptists and Anglicans. In fact, even today, the biggest Christians in U.S. are Evangelicals .
In contrast, there was less division within the Catholic Church because when the Catholics broke from the Eastern Churches, they were one group. There was a higher tendency to absorb more people in the Catholic Church because if an individual accepted the papacy and some tenets of the church, the Catholic Church was tolerant toward the people. And, even though, the Catholic Church became stricter, as will later be revealed with the creation of the Society of Jesus, the Catholics were still more accommodating than Protestant groups. For example, during the reformation of