A Thesis on the 95 Theses

  I was recently asked by Dr. Tom Woods, instructor of my on-line Western Civilization course, to consider: "What were the 95 Theses about? What was the basic message of Luther's complaint? Here are my thoughts. Martin Luther, who is sometimes referred to as the 'father' of the Protestant Reformation, wanted to reform the Catholic church....

How broken legs created a theologian

During a recent lesson in my Western Civilization course, I had the opportunity to read a small part of Ignatius Loyola's Spiritual Exercises.  First though let me briefly tell you a little bit about this religious man then I will mention what I found about his religious and doctrinal opinions. Ignatius lived in 16th Century Spain....

Xavier’s Mission

Do you know who St. Francis Xavier was?  No, you say? Well, then let me tell you about him!  This man was a Spaniard who was one of the founders of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits.  He was a missionary, and was sent all over Europe and Asia to teach and spread Catholicism.  At...

Why the 16th Century Catholic Church was ready for reform

How would you describe the condition of the Catholic Church on the eve of the Protestant Reformation? In the 16th century, the Catholic church was very lazy in following their rules and exercising authority.  One big event in a series of many changed all of this.  It was started by Martin Luther and it came...