Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 13001 The Reformation is one of the most significant events in the history of the Christian church. It reshaped the theological, political, and cultural landscape of Europe, and its effects continue to define the boundaries of Protestant Christianity to this day. Understanding what happened, why it happened, and what was at stake is essential…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 10115 Purgatory is the Roman Catholic doctrine that believers who die in a state of grace but with unforgiven venial sins or unpaid temporal punishment must undergo purification before entering heaven. While this belief has shaped Western Christianity for centuries and remains official Catholic teaching, we must ask whether it has any foundation in…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 7069 The question of salvation divided Western Christianity in the sixteenth century and has not been formally resolved since. The Protestant Reformation turned fundamentally on the question of how a person is justified before God, and the Council of Trent, convened by Rome between 1545 and 1563, responded by issuing specific condemnations of the…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 13013 The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century was not a theological invention but a recovery. When Luther posted his theses and Calvin worked through Geneva, what drove them was the conviction that Scripture’s teaching on salvation had been buried under layers of tradition, sacramentalism, and institutional authority. The Five Solas that emerged from…
Reading Time: 6 minutesQuestion 1038 Throughout church history, Christians have debated how to read the Bible. One approach that has attracted both devoted followers and sharp critics is allegorical interpretation. What exactly is this method? Where did it come from? And should we be using it today when we open our Bibles? These are important questions, because how…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 01167 One of the most instructive parallels in the history of biblical translation is the parallel between the authority claimed for the Latin Vulgate by the mediaeval and Counter-Reformation Catholic church and the authority claimed for the King James Version by modern KJV-Only advocates. The parallel is not coincidental. Recognising it illuminates both positions:…
Reading Time: 2 minutesQuestion 13002 Today, October 31st, marks Reformation Day. So who was Martin Luther? Luther was a German monk, tormented by his sin, desperately trying to earn salvation through religious practices and good works. He found no peace. Then, whilst studying Romans 1:17 – “the righteous shall live by faith” – everything changed. He realised salvation…