Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-10-07


When the crowds Of worshipers In
Wlttenberg from all over Europe
came to the church they were as
founded to find nailed to the door an
announcement of a debate. 1t was
not unusual to find such announce
,nents on the church door, for it was
the university bulletin board. Pro-
fessors and students made their an
nouncements there. But this deba.a
called in question the very thing for
which they had all cone to Witten-
berg-the granting Of indulgences by
the church.
Indulgences had been the custom in
the church for generations. They had
gradually assumed a regular form
and had finally become business
for raising money for church pur-
poses. A banking house in Germany,
the Fuggers, handled the sale there.
Indulgence was the remission of per-
alties imposed by the church before
complete forgiveness of sin was re-
ceived II the penalties were Lot paid
for all sins before death they had TO
be paid in PuXgatory. Indulgences,
however, could be bought for the
dead releasing them from their pains.
1t soon became ''pay your money ana
do what you please"
A Great Progressive
This announcement Of debate had
been posted by Martin Luther. nions
Of tho order of Augustine hermits.
He was professor at the university and
had received doctors degree. He
was a progressive, alive to the issues
of the day. But most of all he was
Q man of conscience. He had strug-
gled for years to attain peace with
God, but had failed to find II thru in
dulgences and the like. But when he
put simple faith in Christ he tounu
II, and after that he was the enemy
of forps and empty observances.
When the pope granted this indul-
gence Frederick, the ruler of electoral
6axony, of which Wittenberg was the
capital. forbade the agents of the pvpe
to sell indulgences In his territory.
They came to nearby places, and the
people OF Frederick's duchy went over
the line and obtained them. The
moral effect was bad To clear up the
whole question of indulgences, which
was agitating every one more or less,
Luther proposed this debate. The
matter had never been taken up and
settled by the church authorities.
Printers Ink.
Luther's attitude was unmistal<a bic.
He was opposed to the whole thing as
Christian. Many agreed with him.
Many frowned. All read the theses
with deep interest They copied them.
Some translated them from the Latin
of the university into the language of
the people. Printers published hun
dreds Of copies and in few weeks
they were all over Europe. The de-
bate was held at every market place
and wine shop. not at the university
as proposed. The pope at first took it
lightly, as a~mere monkish quarrel
But when the chruch was stirred
everywhere and the income from the
sale seriously threatened he tried to
make Luther recant, but in vain.
The posting OF these theses on Oc-
tober 81. 1917, marks the beginning of
the reformation and the era of Prot
eatant Christianity.
President Butler Of Columbia uni
versity wrote to the New York cele-
BARTON committee "To recall to the
mind OF the twentieth century the Sig
nifioance OF the great movement
known as the reformation is valuable
service. II the world needed q re-
hgious and philosophical reformation
III the sixteenth century In order to
eniancipate the individual, surely It
needs a social and political reforma-
ton In the twentieth century for the
peme purpose"
be some general celebration of the four
hundredth anniversary of the refor-
nation" writes President Hibben of
Princeton university. This is mat
ter of interest and concern not only
for the Lutheran churches of the
country, but for all who draw their
traditions and inspiration from the
work of Martin Luther