The 500th anniversary of the Reformation is such a milestone that even the Catholic birds are celebrating. Why, just today I saw some gardens eating a Diet of Worms! And then there is the Reformation Polka.
But seriously, how is your church highlighting this 500th marker? Nothing. A little bit of something. Or an extravaganza?
Most of us who embrace a fundamentalist or conservative evangelical outlook are about Bible. We tend to look at the Lutherans or the infant-baptism Reformed church as not quite in line with Biblical practice. I am among that number. Yet I realize that a return to truly Biblical theology and church life is not something that could ever happen all at once. We might argue that we still are not quite there. And the Reformers made giant leaps in that direction!
If you understand the Baptists (and Grace Brethern and most Bible churches) to be a mix of Chruch of England Calvinists hybridized with the Anabaptists, we have a definite connection to the Reformation, even though MOST of the churches represented at SI do not bear the name “Lutheran” or “Reformed” (some do have the word “Reformed” in their name).
Poll Results
How Is Your Church Celebrating the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation?
We are doing nothing in particular or maybe mention in a sermon. Votes: 8
Dancing the Reformation polka! :) Votes: 1
A sermon series (5 Solas, salvation by grace through faith, etc.) Votes: 5
Video of Luther’s life (or another Reformer) or video series Votes: 1
Church “Reformation” Dinner Votes: 0
Service segment dedicated to the Reformation. Votes: 1
Special Reformation Service Votes: 0
Sunday School or other class/elective about church history/reformation Votes: 1
Several of the above. Votes: 5
Other Votes: 2
Discussion
NewWe have a reformation service
We have a reformation service every year. The kids that want to give speeches about something in Reformation history and the pastor gives a lesson and opens it up for questions. It’s not a regular church service so it’s pretty relaxed. We even have reformation jeopardy.
NewReformation
We did indeed have a 10-sermon series this summer, 2 messages each on the 5 solas (solae?). That was the theological side.
On Wednesday evenings during this series, we dealt with the more historical side of the reformation (e.g. one lesson was on reformation hymnody, one was on the good/bad sides of Luther, one was on what Christians today can learn both from the Anabaptists at the time and the Reformers, pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of both groups, etc.)
Our congregation really enjoyed this emphasis and found it quite interesting/helpful.
Dave Barnhart
NewJEALOUS!
Of Dave & Josh. Will have to do something at home like we always do, greeting the trick-or-treaters with “Happy Reformation Day” and the 95 theses. And it should probably include the Reformation Polka, too. Well done, Ed.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
NewNothing
As far as I know, we’re doing nothing. I appreciate the Reformers. However, the way some people talk about them, it reminds me of idolatry. I see James White gushing on social media about how he got to preach from Luther’s pulpit. I get it; it’s cool to have done that. But, my goodness, it seems weird to me to make a defacto shrine out of the thing.
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
NewHow about
“Nothing not even a mention in the message.”
Hoping to shed more light than heat..
NewAppreciation
NewWhat we are doing
Tyler R, making a big deal of the Reformers every 500 years is pretty moderate! The only thing we sometimes do for Reformation Sunday is sing “A Mighty Fortress.” And we don’t even always even do that!
But a 500th anniversary, we just couldn’t let that go by.
I began a sermon series last week on the 5 Solas of the Reformation. On the 22nd, we will have someone do a “Reformation Moments” read, dividing the information linked HERE in two, completing it on the 29th.
On the 22nd evening, we will show a movie about Luther. On the evening of the 29th, we will have a carry-in. People need to bring in a dish from Italy (Savanarola), Germany (Luther) Switzerland (Zwingli), the Czech Republic (Hus), France (Calvin or Waldo) or England (Wycliffe, Tyndale). The English produce some great Reformers, but food? Anyhow, we will then have volunteers do 300 word reports on each of these Reformers.
During our morning service, on the 29th, one of our members who has several doctorates including one in music and has written books on hymnology (Dr. Peter Roussakis) will do a special presentation on the history of A Mighty Fortress.
We are not doing anything all that big, just a lot of small things.
"The Midrash Detective"
NewFunny
I see stuff about the Reformation all over the internet, and have read many books on the Reformation. But, until I saw this survey, I quite literally hadn’t given one single thought to mentioning it or celebrating it at church at all! Not sure what that means …
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
NewSantayana
I understand the concern about creating new icons and idols—Rome has done well at that, and there is a hint of it in our circles as well—but I cannot get past Santayana’s dictum that “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” In the same way that I can honor the contributions of early fundamentalists while acknowledging their weaknesses, I can do the same for Hus, Luther, Calvin, and the rest. My world is immeasurably better because of Luther’s contributions—without someone like him to throw the yellow flag, we’d theoretically be greeted by Tetzel on the streets even today, because indulgences were good business. Just ask anyone who’s ever been in St. Peter’s Basilica, which is what was being built with that money.
For that matter, we might suggest that payments to prosperity “gospel” preachers and their churches serve pretty much in the same way as did Tetzel’s wares, no? It’s not as if adherents to that false “gospel” are known for their personal holiness, after all.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
NewGood Comparison
Bert said:
Those are good thoughts. In many ways it is the same sort of thing, the difference being that the people before the Reformation owned no copies of the Bible in their language, and some could not read, whereas those who follow prosperity teachers usually have Bibles and should know better.
Tyler said:
I can understand that. We did a chruch history series on Sunday nights in early 2016, and that’s when I connected “Oh yeah, 500 years soon.” I would probably not thought of this otherwise.
"The Midrash Detective"
NewJust realized my original
Just realized my original post had a typo. It should read:
The 500th anniversary of the Reformation is such a milestone that even the Catholic birds are celebrating. Why, just today I saw some Cardinals eating a Diet of Worms!
"The Midrash Detective"