The great religious revolution called the Reformation broke out in 1517, but it is necessary to go back at least one hundred years to understand what caused it. The Reformation is often seen as a response to the corruption found in the Roman Catholic Church, and while this is true to a degree, the real roots of the Reformation are grounded the Church’s official sanction of said corruption. Which is altogether an entirely different matter.
For all its ideals, piety, and art, Catholicism differed from the New Testament in doctrine, morals, and administration. Most men and women of conscience realized this, and called with increasing urgency for "reform in head and members". Some — such as Jan Hus, the Bohemian disciple of John Wycliffe — would not wait for Rome to reform herself, but separated from the unity of the Roman Catholic church for the honor of Christ and his gospel.
[tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, history, John-Wycliffe, Reformation, Wycliffe, John-Hus[/tags]
Dear Rich:
Found your blog the other day and put catholicism in your search and found this old post. As a former charismatic, evangelical christian I too believed what you wrote :
Can I politley suggest you read my blog, particularly my conversion story? Your comment that Catholicism differed from the NT in doctrine, morals etc is puzzling to me. Would you care to share what you find are the contradictions? I am not arguing that the Church at times through history needed reforming, repentance etc, but the doctrines and moral of Catholicism (not abusive practices) have never wavered from the NT. Remember Rich, for the first 350 years after Christ, there was no canonized collection of books and the Church flourished throughout the ancient world with out the Bible as you and I have come to know it. Take care, thanks for your hints about blog traffic by the way.
God bless