What The Reformation Did For Christianity - Bruce Atchison

It seems that almost everybody forgets the significance of the revolution which Martin Luther started on October 31, 1519 with his ninety-five theses. Ask any churchgoer about what the last day of October means and that person will most likely say, "Halloween." I feel this is a pity since the Reformation gave us Christians so much.

First of all, the Reformation gave the Bible back to the congregation. The heads of the Catholic church feared that a flood of iniquity would be unleashed if each person could interpret Scripture themselves. While it has spawned hundreds of denominations and sects, having the Bible in the hands of the people restored the gospel and placed Scripture in its rightful place as the yardstick of truth.

It also showed the people what a cash cow indulgences were. Christians indwelt with the Holy Spirit are supposed to be dead to sin. Therefore, they shouldn't be buying permission to practice it.

The Reformation likewise  broke up the monopoly which the church had on spiritual leadership. Instead of being dominated by traditions and fiats from Rome, Christians were free to appoint their own pastors and teachers. They could also pray directly to their Lord and Saviour instead of to the saints. Sins could be confessed directly to God as well.

This new freedom didn't come without a price. History records hundreds of years of bloody Catholic-Protestant wars and campaigns of slander. Additionally, the level of detestation of sacrimentalism has become so severe in some quarters that churches neglect Holy Communion and believer's baptism. Worse yet, cults have sprung up to lead naive believers astray and indoctrinate them with blasphemous lies. Though Martin Luther was warned by clerics that this would happen, he saw the greater good of people being saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

As we near the five-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation, let's remember how it freed people from superstition and works-righteousness slavery. Let's enjoy our freedom in Christ and do good works from our salvation, not for it. Thanks to the Reformation, Bibles are no longer chained to pulpits and written in a language that had gone out of use for hundreds of years.


Bruce Atchison is a legally-blind freelance writer as well as the author of How I Was Razed, Deliverance from Jericho, and When a Man Loves a Rabbit. He lives in a small Alberta hamlet with his house rabbit, Deborah.

Don’t Waste Your Time in Worship – Ramona Heikel

I love Pilgrim Books, the Christian used bookstore in Calgary. One thing I appreciate about it is that it carries books published many years ago, not just the latest trends hot off the press. I like to compare Christian viewpoints of today with those from the 1980’s, or 1950’s, the turn of the twentieth century, or even older. And the frosting on the cake is that the older books—which to me are often the most “meaty”—typically cost around two dollars.

In one visit to Pilgrim Books, a shocking title caught my eye: Don’t Waste Your Time in Worship. This book by James L. Christensen was published in 1978. I’d been more and more frustrated by the worship services I was attending, and always found myself trying to analyze what had changed over the years. But according to this 30-year-old book, not much had changed!

Here are a few of the many inspiring passages that I jotted down:

To worship God meaningfully is a supreme accomplishment. For a finite person to be in communication with the Infinite is not something done on the run. Nor is it a reality when approached flippantly or grudgingly…After 30 years as a Christian minister, I am convinced that many people who attend church do not really worship God at all. They waste their time.

The church today faces a crisis in its life, partially because worship has not been properly understood. Many people, whether they admit it or not, or are conscious of it or not, attend more as spectators of a performance rather than as participants in the worship of God. A choir does our singing; the minister does our praying, Scripture reading, and interpretation.

One may waste his time in church because much so-called worship is…focused upon man instead of God…One publisher recently observed: “For a preacher to be popular, all he has to do is use a lot of humor, tell stories well, and entertain his congregation.”

The reformation distaste for the Roman Catholic Mass, in which there was no preaching and much ceremony, caused a Protestant reaction to an opposite extreme, making the sermon central and eliminating main elements of worship. In some denominations, the church nave has become more of an auditorium than a sanctuary, transforming the altar into a lecture platform. Hence, the pulpit becomes the center of attention and the key to the church’s growth.

We have heard naïve ministers who have meant well say, “We come here to recharge the batteries of our spirit, so we may go forth to serve.” …but this is not the purpose of worship. The purpose of worship is not to build up the morale of the nation or to promote the church’s programs, as one might easily conclude from some preachments…However worthy these motives…God is worshiped for His own glory. Worship is man’s loving response to God’s personal revelation in Jesus Christ. Genuine worship takes place only when God is worshiped for His own sake.

Posted by Ramona

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[Photos by Adrian van Leen on Open Photo]