Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Checking Our "Heroes": Martin Luther

So... You think you know about Martin Luther, do you? I am amazed by the number of Lutherans who know absolutely diddly squat about their name sake. Let us learn some facts about this "hero" of the faith, shall we?

  • Luther had pride in his own definitions and doctrines. he belittled anyone who disagreed with him, even arrogantly sneering at Scripture when it contradicted him.
  • Luther murdered Jesus' spiritual brothers of his day.
  • Luther is the father of Easy-believism.
  • Luther saw people were rejecting his novel "gospel" (the atonement) and accepting the Gospel of Jesus (Mark 1:14-15), so he decided to squash the dissent through the State.
  • Those whom Luther accused were not allowed to defend themselves or even have a hearing, such was Luther's fear of the biblical Gospel.
  • Luther was so haughty that he added his own opinions directly onto the pages of God's Word.
  • Luther placed Paul above Jesus, saying that the gospel of Jesus was contained in Paul's writings.
  • Luther and Calvin resurrected some of the forgotten Augustinian theology. They both borrowed several of his teachings, including "holy war."
  • Luther despised Jewish people, believing that they deserved persecution (theologically based, not racially based).
  • Luther held to several shocking views about marriage and sex.
  • Luther denied the canonicity of the books of Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation.
  • Luther believed it was justified—and even divinely ordered—that civil disobedience be punished severely, as demonstrated in the Peasant's War.
  • Luther believed that heretics should be put to death.
  • Luther believed that writing in anger, using profanity, and shaming his enemies by name-calling was justified.
  • Luther believed that all physical ailments were the work of Satan.
  • Luther ridiculed and disparaged some of his opponents in the Reformation.
  • The Bibles to come out of the Reformation mixed man's words and opinions with God's Word. "Study" Bibles are extremely dangerous! The Reformation completely hid the Kingdom of God from the people.
  • The spirit driving Luther was not the Spirit of Christ! One needs only read his writings to see this. He frequently engaged in abuse, sarcasm, arrogance, violent tirades, heaping scorn and ridicule upon people. He viciously assailed friend and foe alike.
  • At Luther's directive, the nobles killed up to 100,000 peasants who rose up against their ungodly treatment. Then he boasted that he had killed them. He claimed that God had told him to do so.
  • Luther's murderous and hate-filled spirit was the result of his own teachings.
  • Luther advised people to "sin boldly."

These things sound like the sort of things that Saul would have done before his conversion. They certainly are not the sort of things that converted Paul would have engaged in. These are not the behaviours of a genuine Christian.