Who was Martin Luther?
Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, Germany in 1483. He went to school in Magdeberg and Eisenbach, and was accepted to the University of Erfurt in 1501, graduating with a BA in 1502 and an MA in 1505.
His father wanted him to be a lawyer, but Luther was drawn to study of the Scriptures. Luther was ordained a priest in 1507, and went to the University of Wittenberg, where he lectured on philosophy and the Scriptures.
But Luther became increasingly concerned over the corruption he found in the Roman Catholic Church. Papal emissaries of the era sought to raise funds for the rebuilding of St. Peter's Basillica in Rome by the sale of indulgences (forgiveness of sins in exchange for alms to the church). In 1512 Luther used his teaching position at Wittenberg to speak out against this practice, and on 31 October 1517 he drew up a list of 95 theses on indulgences denying the Pope any right to forgive sins, and nailed them on the church door at Wittenberg.
The posting of the 95 theses at Wittenberg ignited a flurry of debate between Pope Leo X and the early 'reformers' such as Luther, Philip Melanchthon, and Johann Eck, who continued to publicly question some of the practices of the Church. The schism climaxed in 1520 when Luther was ex-communicated and charged with heresy.
Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, summoned Luther to appear before the Diet (formal assembly of regional princes) of Worms in 1521. When ordered to retract his statements criticizing the church, he replied that he could retract nothing except what was disproved by Scripture or reason: "Here I stand; I can do naught else; so help me God." He was condemned by the Diet for heresy, but was hidden by friends for over a year before returning to Wittenberg to continue teaching and preaching.
Luther believed that people could be better Christians if they better understood the teachings of God as given in the Bible. Prior to Luther's time, church services were spoken in Latin, a language that the commoner did not understand. Luther and his contemporaries undertook the task of translating the Bible into German; in addition he wrote the Small Catechism, which explained the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Sacraments in terms the layperson could memorize and take to heart.
Luther was a strong believer in the power of music to aid in Christian life. Again, he believed that a congregation singing its favorite hymns would more readily remember the lessons of Jesus' teaching in daily life. To that end, he wrote lyrics to go with melodies ranging from plainsongs to popular tunes of the era (most notably sung in taverns and rooming houses). Several of Luther's hymns -- A Mighty Fortress is Our God, Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord, and From Heaven Above to Earth I Come -- are included in the Lutheran Book of Worship.
At the heart of the gospel, in Luther's estimation, was the doctrine of salvation by faith rather than works -- in other words, the teaching that Christ's own righteousness is imputed to those who believe, and on that ground alone, they are accepted by God.
For more on Martin Luther visit his bibliographical web site.