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Articles on Martin Luther

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Charlton Heston as Moses in the biblical epic The Ten Commandments. Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Who wrote the Bible?

The Bible remains the most important collection of books in Western civilisation. Regardless of our religious beliefs, it has shaped all of us. But who wrote it? The answer is complicated.
The National Shrine of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini in Chicago recently offered indulgences. Myriam Renaud

The Catholic view on indulgences and how they work today

The Catholic Church practice of granting indulgences, criticized by Martin Luther in the 16th century, still exists, as part of the doctrine – but in a different form.
Before social distancing. Leonardo da Vinci, Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie

How to celebrate Easter under lockdown

Churches will remain closed over Easter, but theologians have argued over the centuries that faith itself, not ritual, is the heart and soul of Christianity.
A Halloween ghost. Werner Reischel/Flickr.com

Why believing in ghosts can make you a better person

Ghost stories are often about the departed seeking justice for an earthly wrong. Their sightings are a reminder that ethics and morality transcend our lives.
New priests being ordained during a ceremony led by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, when they take vows, including to remain celibate. AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

How views on priestly celibacy changed in Christian history

Early Christians were open to marriage for priests. It wasn’t until the 12th century that celibacy became mandatory in the Catholic Church.
Andrew Simms (New Weather Institute), Sally Svenlen (RE student), Larry Elliott (Guardian), Steve Keen (Debunking Economics) and Kate Raworth (Doughnut Economics) symbolically nail the “33 Theses” to the door of the London School of Economics in December 2017. rethinkeconomics.org

Debate: What is missing in the ‘33 Theses for an Economics Reformation’

Nailed to the door of the London School of Economics, the ‘33 Theses’ offer a long overdue challenge to economics dogma. But there are omissions as well.
Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther, a professor and preacher, published the 95 Theses, a list of debating points on the Christian religion which sparked the Reformation movement. (Jonathan Schoeps/Shutterstock)

The preacher who changed Europe: Reformation at 500 years

Historical accounts of Martin Luther skew or ignore debates about religion and make him hardly recognizable as a pastor and preacher. But his theology changed Europe.
Luther’s act quickly came to be seen as the foundation of the Reformation, as shown in this centenary broadside, Göttlicher Schrifftmessiger, 1617. Jfhutson, Wikipedia

Revisiting the Reformation: how passions sparked a religious revolution 500 years ago

Greed, guilt, fear, anger and love gave power to a spiritual movement that was catalysed 500 years ago this week.

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