Question

What were the unjust practices of the Church resented by the Rulers?

Answer 1

An unjust law is no law at all.” These words famously appeared in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” in August 1963.1 While various individuals and groups have appealed to this phrase for their cause (usually attributing it to Rev. King), most do not refer to King’s source. In fact, he cited Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas in this letter. He wrote this letter to answer critics of the non-violent protests against Birmingham’s segregation laws. In so doing, Dr. King adhered to a long Christian tradition to justify the liberty to violate unjust laws (in this case a court injunction against protests and demonstrations.)2

This article examines how this tradition of resistance3 to unjust laws evolved during the sixteenth century and its relationship to the idea of Christian liberty, both for Luther’s time and for today. According to the New Testament, Christians should follow laws established by temporal authorities for the sake of their consciences (Romans 13:1–7; 1 Peter 2:19–20). However, the earliest Christian church began at odds with both Jewish leaders and Roman rulers. The first persecution of the church in Jerusalem led Peter and apostles to proclaim the primary text for Christian resistance to unjust authority: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

Martin Luther expressed his theological ideas in a rich variety of terms, including Christian liberty. In 1520 Luther explained the spiritual freedom of the Gospel and the true nature of Christian priesthood. According to Luther, inwardly the believer becomes righteous, free, and devout through faith in God’s Word. Simultaneously, says Luther, the believer is freed by this faith and trust in God to act outwardly as a servant to his or her neighbor.4 Additionally, Luther proclaimed that all baptized believers are priests before God, and he excoriated the papal priests as idolaters and wolves. While he never equated spiritual liberty with political freedom, Luther’s focus on Christian liberty combined with his anti-clerical attacks on the Roman priestly hierarchy inspired many to question established secular authorities in addition to ecclesiastical leaders.5

Answer 2

Answer:

Martin Luther

Explanation:

Luther condemned the execess and corruption of the Roman catholic church, especially the papal practise of asking payment called endulgence for the forgiveness of sins