IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 597 
Recognizing 500 years since the Protestant Reformation and its significance 
for many Americans. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 31, 2017 
Mr. GROTHMAN (for himself, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia, 
Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. HUIZENGA, Mr. KING of Iowa, and Mr. HUNTER) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Oversight and Government Reform 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing 500 years since the Protestant Reformation and 
its significance for many Americans. 
Whereas, on October 31, 2017, the United States House of 
Representatives recognizes the 500th anniversary of the 
Protestant Reformation; 
Whereas the Protestant Reformation lays its roots with Mar-
tin Luther’s posting of 95 theses on the Castle Church 
door in Wittenberg in October of 1517; 
Whereas Martin Luther is the father of the Protestant Ref-
ormation and was born in Eisleben, Germany, on Novem-
ber 10, 1483; 
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Whereas Martin Luther’s father, Hans Luther, was a promi-
nent copper smelter and hoped that Martin would become 
a successful lawyer; 
Whereas Martin Luther entered the University of Erfurt in 
1501 and received his master’s degree in philosophy in 
1505; 
Whereas, in 1505, Martin Luther was nearly struck by light-
ning as he walked through a thunderstorm; 
Whereas, after surviving the storm, Martin Luther entered 
the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt, Germany, on July 
17, 1505, to pursue a career as an Augustinian monk; 
Whereas Martin Luther’s decision to give up his pursuit of 
being a lawyer and instead pursue a monastic life deeply 
frustrated and angered his father, Hans Luther; 
Whereas Martin Luther took his final vows as an Augus-
tinian monk in the fall of 1506 and was ordained a priest 
at Erfurt Cathedral in April of 1507; 
Whereas Martin Luther presided over his first Mass on May 
2, 1507, with his now-approving father, Hans Luther, in 
attendance; 
Whereas Martin Luther was appointed as a substitute lec-
turer in moral philosophy at the University of Wittenberg 
in 1508; 
Whereas Martin Luther obtained a bachelor’s degree in the-
ology in 1509; 
Whereas Martin Luther traveled to Rome to represent the 
Wittenberg Augustinian monastery before a conference of 
Catholic churches; 
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Whereas members of the congregation were told that they 
could pay the Church to forgive them of their sins and 
have their deceased ancestors released from purgatory; 
Whereas Martin Luther’s trip to Rome in 1510 sparked his 
desire to pursue an even deeper understanding of Chris-
tian theology and the Bible; 
Whereas Martin Luther earned a doctorate in theology in Oc-
tober of 1512; 
Whereas Martin Luther began his lectures on the Old Testa-
ment Book of Psalms in 1513; 
Whereas the Book of Psalms became a central pillar in Mar-
tin Luther’s theological beliefs; 
Whereas Martin Luther began his lectures on the New Testa-
ment Book of Romans in 1515 and the New Testament 
Book of Galatians in 1516; 
Whereas Martin Luther cited the Books of Romans and Ga-
latians as the foundation for his beliefs that people can 
receive salvation by grace alone, through faith alone; 
Whereas the idea that a Christian could receive salvation by 
grace alone, through faith alone was in contrast with the 
teaching at the time; 
Whereas the more Martin Luther studied the Books of Ro-
mans and Galatians, the more he found issue with the 
Church of his time; 
Whereas Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the Castle 
Church door in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517; 
Whereas the 95 theses were posted in an attempt to spark 
a conversation in Wittenberg; 
Whereas Martin Luther was ordered to appear in Rome; 
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Whereas Frederick the Wise, a friend of Martin Luther, in-
tervened and successfully suggested that Martin Luther 
instead appear in front of Cardinal Cajetan in Augsburg, 
Germany; 
Whereas Martin Luther appealed to the General Counsel in 
the fall of 1518 and refused to recant; 
Whereas Martin Luther was given 60 days to recant or risk 
excommunication; 
Whereas Martin Luther refused to recant; 
Whereas Martin Luther was excommunicated on January 3, 
1521; 
Whereas Martin Luther appeared before the Diet of Worms 
in April of 1521 and refused to recant; 
Whereas the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, issued the 
Edict of Worms on May 25, 1521, which declared Martin 
Luther a public outlaw and made it illegal to be in pos-
session of Luther’s books; 
Whereas Martin Luther published his German translation of 
the New Testament on September 21, 1522; 
Whereas Martin Luther wrote the Personal Prayer Book in 
1522, a predecessor of the Small Catechism; 
Whereas the Diet of Speyer in 1526 grants German princes 
the right to establish religion in their territory; 
Whereas the second Diet of Speyer in April of 1529, resulted 
in the issue of Protestio, which gave rise to the label 
‘‘Protestant’’; 
Whereas Martin Luther published the Small Catechism and 
the Large Catechism in 1529; 
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Whereas Hans Lufft published the first edition of Martin 
Luther’s complete German Bible in 1534; 
Whereas the first Lutheran church, Torgau Castle Chapel, 
was built in 1544; 
Whereas Martin Luther preached his last sermon on Feb-
ruary 14, 1546, and died in Eisleben on February 18, 
1546; 
Whereas the Protestant Reformation extended beyond Martin 
Luther and Lutheranism; 
Whereas Ulrich Zwingli began preaching on the New Testa-
ment in 1519; 
Whereas Ulrich Zwingli initiated the Reformation in Zurich 
in 1522; 
Whereas John Calvin published the first edition of Institutes 
of the Christian Religion in 1536; 
Whereas John Calvin initiated the Reformation and the Cal-
vinist movement in Geneva in 1541; 
Whereas Thomas Mu¨nzer began preaching against infant 
baptism in 1521; 
Whereas the Anabaptist movement formally began in 1525, 
when George Blaurock was rebaptized by Conrad Grebel; 
Whereas 
William 
Tyndale 
visited 
Martin 
Luther 
in 
Wittenberg in 1525; 
Whereas, influenced by Martin Luther’s translation, William 
Tyndale printed an English translation of the New Testa-
ment in Worms in 1525; 
Whereas, by 1526, the first copies of the English-translated 
New Testament had been smuggled into England; 
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Whereas William Tyndale was convicted of heresy and exe-
cuted in Vilvoorde in 1536; 
Whereas it is reported that William Tyndale’s last words 
were, ‘‘Lord, open the King of England’s eyes’’; 
Whereas over 18,000 copies of the English translation of the 
New Testament were eventually smuggled into England; 
Whereas King Henry VIII initiated the Reformation in Eng-
land in his quest for a divorce from Catherine of Aragon; 
Whereas King Henry VIII was excommunicated in 1533 (of-
ficially promulgated in 1538); 
Whereas King Henry VIII declared himself the head of the 
Church of England in 1534; 
Whereas Henry VIII allowed the English Bible in England in 
1536 and required every parish to have a copy; 
Whereas John Knox brought Calvinism to Scotland in 1559; 
Whereas, after only a few decades of the Reformation, the 
law began to give legitimacy to Lutherans across Europe; 
Whereas the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, granted lim-
ited rights to Protestants in 1552; 
Whereas, in 1555, the Peace of Augsburg gave Lutherans 
equal rights in the Holy Roman Empire; 
Whereas the Colloquy of Worms in 1557, which attempted to 
unite Lutherans and Catholics, failed; 
Whereas, in response to the Protestant Reformation, the 
Catholic Church began to reform itself internally through 
the Counter-Reformation; 
Whereas, at the Council of Trent (1545–1563), the Catholic 
Church banned the practice of selling indulgences; 
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Whereas animosity between the Catholic Church and the 
Protestants previously existed following the start of the 
Reformation but relations have improved drastically over 
the last half century; 
Whereas the Catholic Church and the Protestants began to 
mend their relationship after the Second Vatican Council 
in the 1960s, with the initiation of a dialogue promoting 
Christian unity; 
Whereas Pope John XXIII established the Secretariat for the 
Promotion of Christian Unity in 1961; 
Whereas Pope John XXIII met often with Protestant, Angli-
can, and Orthodox religious leaders and invited them to 
send observers to the Second Vatican Council; 
Whereas the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism 
claims that division ‘‘openly contradicts the will of Christ, 
scandalizes the world and damages the holy cause of 
preaching the Gospel to every creature’’; 
Whereas, in 1999, the Catholic Church and the Lutheran 
World Federation signed a Joint Declaration on the Doc-
trine of Justification partially resolving a major conflict 
at the root of the Protestant Reformation; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II promoted Christian unity with 
Lutherans by becoming the first pope to ever visit a Lu-
theran church and to visit countries with Lutheran ma-
jorities; 
Whereas Pope Francis praised Martin Luther as a great re-
former; 
Whereas Pope Francis continues to promote Christian unity 
and in recognizing the anniversary of the Protestant Ref-
ormation, has said, ‘‘As Catholics and Lutherans, we 
have undertaken a common journey of reconciliation. 
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•HRES 597 IH 
Now, in the context of the commemoration of the Ref-
ormation of 1517, we have a new opportunity to accept 
a common path’’; 
Whereas the Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church are 
more united now than they have been in the past 500 
years; 
Whereas the effects of the Protestant Reformation on West-
ern history, culture, and society were profound; 
Whereas the Protestant Reformation led to major shifts in 
education and literacy in 16th century Europe; 
Whereas Martin Luther emphasized the significance of indi-
viduals reading the Bible, which was made possible by 
the invention of the printing press; 
Whereas Martin Luther believed that education should be 
available to all, not just to the elite class that could af-
ford it or those who got an opportunity for education by 
entering a religious order; 
Whereas increased literacy rates led to various interpretations 
of Biblical scripture by common people, including women, 
which allowed for greater theological debate, thought, and 
practice; 
Whereas the Protestant Reformation influenced English 
Christians to move to North America in the 17th cen-
tury; 
Whereas the English Government and the Anglican Church 
sent settlers to North America in 1607, where they land-
ed at Jamestown and began having regular Church serv-
ices at Jamestown Fort; 
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Whereas, beginning in 1624, the Anglican Church became the 
established church of Virginia, with taxpayer dollars 
going toward the Church clergy; 
Whereas, in 1620, Puritans landed at Plymouth Rock in 
Plymouth, Massachusetts, in pursuit of religious freedom 
from the Anglican Church; 
Whereas, in 1630, John Winthrop preached a sermon aboard 
the ship Arbella titled, ‘‘A Model of Christian Charity’’, 
where he proclaimed that the New World ‘‘shall be as a 
city upon a hill’’ and that ‘‘the eyes of all people are 
upon us,’’; 
Whereas United States Presidents, including John F. Ken-
nedy, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Barack 
Obama, have all invoked John Winthrop’s words in his-
toric addresses to the Nation; 
Whereas early American theologians sparked the First Great 
Awakening, which was a religious movement inspired by 
the teachings of Protestants Jonathan Edwards, Gilbert 
Tennent, Samuel Davies, and others to inject religious 
liberty and Christian virtue in the American colonies; 
Whereas, in the American colonies, Protestant churches 
played an integral role in opposing the edicts of the 
English Government and the Anglican Church; 
Whereas the Anglican Church in Virginia was very restrictive 
as to what people were allowed to read, who was allowed 
to preach, and how they were allowed to preach; 
Whereas Thomas Jefferson advocated on behalf of Baptists 
in Virginia to sever Virginia’s ties to the Anglican 
Church and ensure religious liberties for Virginian Chris-
tians of all denominations and beliefs; 
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Whereas the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom was one 
of the most important accomplishments of Thomas Jef-
ferson’s life, as it formally established religious freedom 
in the State of Virginia; 
Whereas Thomas Jefferson’s work in ensuring religious free-
dom in Virginia paved the way for the First Amendment 
in the United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights, which 
says that, ‘‘Congress shall make no law respecting an es-
tablishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise 
thereof’’; 
Whereas the First Amendment protects the rights of all 
Americans to worship freely, regardless of their religious 
beliefs; 
Whereas over 40 percent of Americans identify as Protes-
tants, with thousands of Protestant denominations, active 
in every State and territory of the United States; 
Whereas almost all United States Presidents have identified 
as Protestants, with nearly half identifying as Episcopa-
lian or Presbyterian; and 
Whereas the Protestant Reformation is one of the most suc-
cessful religious movements in history, and was influen-
tial in the founding of the United States of America: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives recog-
nizes 500 years since the Protestant Reformation and its 
significance for many Americans. 
Æ 
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