The Shortcomings Of The Protestant Revolution

Register to read the introduction… It is the idea “firmly embodied at the heart of the Protestant revolution that all Christians have the right to interpret the Bible for themselves.” This “idea” enabled the scholars and thinkers to do an in-depth examination of the doctrines and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church in the light of Scripture. McGrath brings to light in his study the shortcomings of the teachings of Catholicism and the abuses of the clergy hierarchy which brought about the need for change. This dangerous idea brought about questions such as “Who gave the Pope the authority to add to the plain teaching of Scripture?” In many ways the dangerous idea was empowering. It gave the scholars and theologians the “right” to censure teachings and …show more content…
Protestantism then became not one movement but several movements each with its own interpretation. McGrath goes into some detail on the theology of Martin Luther and that of John Calvin and the difference between the two. Because of the liberation that came about through this “dangerous idea” each one could pick and choose. And even others came up with a more radical Reformation. And to complicate matters, the Reformation tended to spread territorially. Local princelings expected their subjects to adopt to their chosen brand of Protestantism. The author goes to the rest of the book narrating the different facets of the Protestant movement, its development, the disagreements, debates, controversies, tension that built up throughout the five hundred years culminating into the twentieth century. McGrath’s recognizes the role the missionaries played in the spread of the gospel to the New World, to Africa, Asia, the South Pacific and to all parts of the world. His study mentions the Great Awakening and the Second Great Awakening and the impact it has made in North America and in the Christian