Quincentenary. Not the sort of word that features in a regular, everyday conversation. It signifies a five-hundredth anniversary. I predict we will hear it often in the lead-up to October this year, when Martin Luther’s historic protest will be commemorated. But what is the message of the Reformation for us in 2017? It is, of course, the message of the Gospel – of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. That message needs to be heard plainly right now. It must be sounded forth, for ‘how shall they hear without a preacher?’ (Romans 10:14). By our words and our walk, we must present Christ to a lost world. The message of the Reformation is also one of courage to stand f

Sometimes a speaker or author drops a phrase that instantly embeds itself in the memory. In effect, it acts like one of those prickly burrs that stick to a walker’s socks in a wild field. Just as this seed case clings like super velcro to the clothing, so the idea sticks in your mind and won’t let go. • For many Christians, William Carey’s admonition is of this variety: “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.” • Or that famous line that could be seen on a postcard on the desk of C.T. Studd – a ready answer to all who questioned the wisdom of his missionary actions: “If Jesus Christ be God, and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” • Int

As they addressed journalists about the Pope’s ecumenical visit to Sweden in October 2016, Rev Martin Junge (General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation) and Cardinal Kurt Koch (head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity) waxed lyrical about how this event represented such a big step forward, “because Catholics and Lutherans are ‘no longer defining themselves in opposition to each other,’ but in communion with one another.” They noted how the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s launch of the Reformation would give them an opportunity to send out strong signals that their two churches were moving “from conflict to communion.” Junge and Koch seemed extremely cosy in t

Print is deeply associated with the Reformation. It fuelled the scale of the Protestant cause. For the new Protestants, print was the way of opposing Church and State power. It was the medium used to spread ideas, disseminate beliefs, circulate the Word of God and shape public opinion. Between 1517 and 1520, Luther’s publications sold over 300,000 copies. Woodcuts - or 'engraved pamphlets' – became a chief means of spreading messages during the 'propaganda wars' that raged at the time of the Protestant Reformation. • It was common to see the Pope identified with the Antichrist in Reformation literature. Philip Melanchthon's “Pasional Christi und Antichristi”, illustrated by Lucas Cranach the

The Kirk Session of Martyrs Memorial Free Presbyterian Church formally approved the concept of the Reformation Room project as soon as it was proposed to them in the latter months of 2016. I am delighted to report that, when presented with the updated plans for this venture, plus details of the significant expenditure that it will most likely entail, both Session and Committee unanimously approved the release of funds to realise the total project. It may have been possible to obtain funding from outside sources, or generate some monies by means of a variety of fundraising activities, but to receive this level of solid support with the accompanying statement, "No, this is a fantastic opportun

Encouraged by the cartoon above, I decided to scan over the list of Luther's 95 Theses to ascertain which ones would be suitable for tweeting without any editing. Constrained by the limit of 140 characters, a surprising number managed to squeeze into this space. For example: #1: Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said “Repent”, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance #6: The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it has been remitted by God and by assenting to God's remission ... . #10: Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penances for purgatory. #21: Therefore those preachers of

As part of our Luther Exhibition we aim to show a child friendly, but historically accurate and biblically challenging film on Luther's life and ministry. We have one in our sights at present that seems to 'tick all the above boxes.' More about this at a later date ... . Meantime my attention was drawn today to another film about Luther that is currently 'in the works.' This is being produced by Stephen McCaskell, an independent filmmaker based in Manitoba, Canada. Stephen is already well known on account of his first documentary, Through The Eyes Of Spurgeon, which has been seen more than 200,000 times. His latest effort will not suit our purposes as it targets an older audience. This is no

The Vatican office charged with issuing stamps, known as the Philatelic and Numismatic Office, confirmed (Tuesday, 17 January 2017) to LifeSiteNews that the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther will be celebrated with a postage stamp in 2017. It must be said that the article posted on the Roman Catholic website LifeSiteNews seems far short of enthusiastic at the sound of this proposal: “The Vatican regularly issues such memorabilia for special events, including papal trips and holy years. Honoring Luther and the Protestant Reformation is an unlikely choice, trumping other significant events in the Catholic Church such as the 100-year anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima and the 3

Further posts are planned for this blog on the huge point of controversy between Roman Catholicism and New Testament Christianity – the doctrine of Justification. As a primer, this is a brief summary of the divergent views.

Ecumenism is trying to ensure that every wheel on its vehicle is turning in this Reformation year. Those who are currently in the front seats of this vehicle – the Roman Catholic Church and the World Lutheran Federation – seem determined to spend these next 12 months consolidating moves towards greater cooperation and dialogue. • In Germany, leaders of the Catholic and main Protestant churches have issued a joint text calling for a “healing of memories” of past divisions. • Ecumenical pilgrimages to the Holy Land aimed at highlighting common roots have been conducted; more are planned. • And to prove that the 'controller in chief' is fully committed to this ecumenical bandwagon, Pope Francis

From the beginning of the year until now we have been using the free web domain provided by WiX. However, to increase our visibility on the web and make it easier to find us on Search Engines, a new, straightforward domain has been purchased. Simply log in to: www.thereformationroom.com Regular updates will be provided here by means of our daily blog. Additions to the "Resources" section of the site are also in preparation. Please circulate news of this site among friends that you think may be interested – and let's join together to carry forward our Reflections on the Reformation during this 500th anniversary year. Many thanks, Ian Brown.

Under the headline, ‘Protestant reformer Martin Luther's 16th Century notes found,’ the BBC reported on 21 May 2015 how, “A first edition of one of the most important works of the man who inspired the Protestant Reformation has been discovered in a library in France.” The publication called ‘On the Freedom of a Christian,’ dates back to 1520. This was a year before Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X and declared an outlaw and a heretic by the Roman emperor at that time, Charles V, for criticising the Roman Catholic Church. It includes around 50 notes written in red by Luther himself, indicating changes he wanted for a second edition. The American who made the discovery, James Hirsten, s

Symptomatic of how this ‘Reformation Year’ is being abused by ecumenical clergy to forge closer unity with Rome is a statement from prominent figures in the Church of England that has attracted media attention today. The BBC has reported: “The Church of England has said Protestants should ‘repent of their part in perpetuating divisions’ – 500 years after the Reformation began the split from the Catholic Church in Europe. A statement from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York has said the split caused ‘lasting damage’ to the unity of the Church – something that contradicted the teaching of Jesus and left a ‘legacy of mistrust and competition.’ It went on to say: ‘Such repentance needs to be

It was nothing short of a masterstroke by Dr. Ian R. K. Paisley when he ensured that the new building for Martyrs Memorial Free Presbyterian Church featured some of Martin Luther's 95 Theses. Rendered in embossed metal plate, the words which effectively sparked the Protestant Reformation in October 1517 appear on the front doors of the Martyrs' church. Visitors may read: "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said repent He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance." "The pope cannot remit any guilt." "To say that the cross emblazoned with the papal coat of arms and set up by the indulgence preachers is equal in worth to the cross of Christ is blasphemy." "They preach only

"Luther was looking now at the Greek word that was in the New Testament, not the Latin word. The word dikaios, dikaiosune, which didn’t mean to make righteous, but rather to regard as righteous, to count as righteous, to declare as righteous. And this was the moment of awakening for Luther. He said, 'You mean, here Paul is not talking about the righteousness by which God Himself is righteous, but a righteousness that God gives freely by His grace to people who don’t have righteousness of their own.' And so Luther said, 'Woa, you mean the righteousness by which I will be saved, is not mine?' It’s what he called a justitia alienum, an alien righteousness; a righteousness that belongs properly

A very insightful article dating back to 17 December 2011, showing how Luther's message spread via the equivalent of social networking in his day: http://www.economist.com/node/21541719 HIGHLIGHTS: "Although they were written in Latin, the “95 Theses” caused an immediate stir, first within academic circles in Wittenberg and then farther afield. In December 1517 printed editions of the theses, in the form of pamphlets and broadsheets, appeared simultaneously in Leipzig, Nuremberg and Basel, paid for by Luther's friends to whom he had sent copies. German translations, which could be read by a wider public than Latin-speaking academics and clergy, soon followed and quickly spread throughout the

I was much encouraged through listening to Rev. Patrick Baker (London) as he delivered the closing message at the Free Presbyterian Ministers' Week of Prayer today. He had selected Jeremiah 23:22-29 as his text and though he made several allusions to Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation in earlier points, it was during his final point that he issued a challenge to all who preach God's Word this year. This is 'the gist' of his comments: "We must have confidence in the Sufficiency of the Word of God. Consider how Jeremiah 23:28 draws a contrast between the chaff and the wheat. The wind drives the chaff away. The wheat remains and is revealed. It is our Reformation year; in Luther's day

Those who defend the Roman Catholic teaching on Justification often accuse Martin Luther of adding the word "alone" to the text of Romans 3:28 to facilitate his own theological view on this vital subject. They allege that Luther was so careless and outrageous with his translation of the Bible in that he simply supplied his own extra words in order to make the Bible say what he wanted it to say. In this instance, they maintain that Luther's translation of Romans 3:28 was an innovation and an unjustified (pardon the pun!) one at that. "So halten wir nun dafür, dass der Mensch gerecht werde ohne des Gesetzes Werke, allein durch den Glauben" (Literally: "We therefore conclude that a man is just