I. The Protestant Reformation and the Puritan background
a) Martin Luther -- Wittenberg, Germany
1. Marks beginning of Protestant Reformation
♣ 1517 - 95 Theses nailed on door of Wittenberg's cathedral
− denounces authority of church hierarchy
− sola scriptura = scripture alone: the scriptures are the only source of God's word (not the Church)
− sola fides = faith alone is the source of salvation (not sacraments or good works)
♣ Marks the beginning of a wave of new denominations--each moving further from Catholic forms
b) John Calvin -- Geneva, Switzerland
1. Expounds on ML's teachings: Calvinism
♣ the root of Puritanism, Scottish Presbyterianism, the French Huguenots, and the Dutch Reformed church
2. 1536 - Institutes of the Christian Religion
♣ Principles of Calvinism:
− God is all-powerful and all good
− Humans are weak and wicked
− Predestination:
− from the moment of creation, the elect had already been chosen for heaven--the rest are bound for hell.
− Visible saints: demonstrate their membership in the elect by living holy lives
b) The Church of England (Anglicanism)
1. King Henry VIII
♣ Breaks with the Catholic Church in England
− Anglican Church maintains most of the Roman Catholic rituals and creeds
2. Dissenters within the Anglican Church...