Debate over the nature of the Church during the Reformation

           When speaking about the nature of the Church (during the Reformation period) it is imperative to recognize the fact that the Pope and the Church, during the middle ages, had authority over matters that were not only religious but also secular. This influence grew over time until the pre-Reformation period.

           

One of the key issues that sparked the debate over the nature of the Church, during this time, was over the donation of Constantine. The donation of Constantine gave the Pope authority over the worldly affairs of the government. Throughout the pre-Reformation period more and more people began to question such authority, especially when it was clear that the Pope was making political decisions for personal gain. This is seen unmistakably with the sale of indulgences. Speaking about the donation of Constantine, David S. Schaff says, "Groups of pamphleteers in Italy and France attacked now the claims of the papacy to secular authority, as Dante, and now its spiritual claims, as Peter Dubois and Marsiglius of Padua. These men agreed in repudiating Constantine’s donation on the ground that Constantine had no right to bestow upon the Roman pontiff any such power (John Huss, The Church, trans. David S. Schaff (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1915))."

            The authority of the Pope was beginning to be challenged in the area of religion also. One pre-Reformer, John Huss, made a radical claim that the Church could be ruled without the Pope or Cardinals. He says at one point that "...when a pope is insane or become a heretic, the Church militant remains the faithful spouse of the Lord Jesus Christ (John Huss, The Church, trans. David S. Schaff (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1915))!" Luther moves far beyond Huss when he speaks of the Papacy as "the kingdom of Babylon" (Timothy F. Lull, ed. Luther’s Basic Theological Writings. The Babylonian captivity of the Church (handout)).

            Another issue that was raised was the unity of the Church. Wycliffe and Huss said that "The unity of the Church was not in the apostolic see but in predestinating grace (John Huss, The Church, trans. David S. Schaff (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1915))". Luther went on to differentiate the observable Church from the invisible Church. A person is not a part of the true Church merely owing to the fact that they were "baptized" (infant baptism was the common practice at the time). This idea was again attacking a number of the commonly held beliefs about the character and purpose of the Church.

            In addition, we also should note that various reformers began to question the Church's right to, as they saw it, control the grace of God. Luther said that Jesus died for sinners, not sins which was a major change in theological perspective because if Jesus died for sins, then a person needed to go to the Church to acquire forgiveness. A great deal of this was attached to the developing sacramental system. The Church was seen as infallible and the possessor of salvation. Only those in Mother Church could be saved and obtain forgiveness through the sacramental scheme.

         The reformers refused to accept the teaching that the Pope was the infallible head of the Church on earth and that the "Church" was indispensable for salvation (The Church referring to the institution: Popes, cardinals, bishops, and the rules and laws they developed) . They instead looked to Christ as the head and the sole source of salvation.