Does Christianity Need Another Reformation?

Five hundred years ago the foundations of Christianity were shaken to their core by a well-meaning Augustinian monk named Martin Luther who was armed with 95 theses written in the hopes of sparking a theological debate over the validity of selling eternal salvation. Tradition tells that Luther nailed his theses to the door of the local Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, but this detail is debated and it does not really matter.What does matter from these events that transpired half a millennium ago is the legacy that remains to this day. Luther translated the entire Bible into the spoken vernacular, which decentralized the power and control of interpretation from the Catholic Church and placed it in the hands of the general public.In addition, he developed a theology that emphasized free grace given by a God who steps down into humanity's lives, thereby setting us free to love one another and moving the work of God out of the institutionalized church and into the lived experiences of human lives. Luther and the reformers set into motion a complete and totally new understanding of Christian life and identity that this year celebrates its 500th year of existence.  Continue reading...