Oct 31, 2022 is the 505^th anniversary of the event that sparked the Protestant Reformation. On this day in 1517, an obscure monk and scholar named Martin Luther attached a document titled Disputation on the Power of Indulgences to the door of the castle church in Wittenburg, Germany. Most church historians see this act as the birth of the Reformation. Luther became one of the great champions of the Reformation, along with other leaders such as John Calvin, John Hus, Huldrich Zwingli, William Tyndale, and John Knox.

We should review briefly what the Reformation was all about. As one writer put it—

The Protestant Reformation stands as the most far-reaching, world-changing display of God’s grace since the birth and early expansion of the church. … The Reformation of the sixteenth century is, next to the introduction of Christianity, the greatest event in history. It marks the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of modern times. … The Reformation was, at its heart, a recovery of the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and this restoration had an unparalleled influence on churches, nations, and the flow of Western civilization.[1]

Today I want to talk about the branches of the Reformation. The Reformation was not one giant event led by one preacher. Martin Luther is closely associated with the event, but the Protestant Reformation was much larger and broader than Luther and his influence. The Reformation branched off in various ways not long after it began.

We’ll be looking at four of these branches. I’m not going to get into Anglicanism/Church of England as a branch of the Reformation.

[1] Steve Lawson, “The Reformation and the Men Behind It.” http://www.ligonier.org/blog/reformation-and-men-behind-it/