Importance Of Counter Reformation

Reformation and Counter Reformation Views of the Church Martin Luther, though he was vital in bringing reform to the many travesties of the Church, created a divided within the Catholic Church based on a radical understanding and interpretation of what “church” was. Luther believed that the Catholic Church was the “historical church” which has existed in time but not necessarily always with God. It was filled with corrupt clergy, especially the pope, who were godless men, whose positions were man-made and without divine authority. Thus for many years the “true church” arose out of the mess of historical church. It is a Christian community, rather than a church, “defined by the Apostles’ Creed as a ‘communion of saints’” (The Theology of Martin Luther, 288). Luther’s personal interpretation of the Scriptures led him to dispute three aspects of the Catholic Church, which sparked the Reformation. First, the Catholic Church should submit to civil authorities, who he saw had more authority. “Since secular authorities are ordained by God to punish evil-doers and …show more content…
Frances de Sales refutes Luther and additional reformers in his The Rule of Faith. De Sales argues against based on the necessity for any institution to be one and united through a leader. In order to have any form of community, church, family or gathering of people there must be at least one person to be the head. No great organization has existed without a leader for without, there is “no head upon earth to address yourselves to in your difficulties” (The Rule of Faith, 173). de Sales refutes the reformers with the Scriptures that state that Jesus gave Peter the duty of being the head of the Church when he told him to “feed my sheep” and gave Peter the keys to the kingdom. Furthermore, throughout the bible there is references to the rock which is the foundation of kingdom. This is the same rock Jesus spoke of when he changed Simon’s name to Peter, meaning