Almost 500 years ago today (495 years ago to be specific) one brave soul dared to take a stand against what he saw as 95 serious problems in the established church of that time.

Martin Luther lived during a time when only a few people owned Bibles. The Gutenburg Press had begun printing the first Bibles that were available for the common people, however they were still written in Latin.

Martin Luther was a devout Christian Monk. He became angry when he discovered that the Pope had authorized a man named Tetzel to go out into the community to sell what was known as “Indulgences.” The money from these sales was being raised to help pay for the building of St. Peter’s Bascilica in Rome. The people were told that purchasing these Indulgences provided them forgiveness from sins, even for sins dead people had committed, and that these purchases made it possible to move their dead loved ones from purgatory into heaven.

Martin Luther wrote a list of 95 Theses why the practice of selling indulgences went against the teachings of the Bible. On October 31, 1517 he nailed this list to the door of his church.

Of course Martin Luther’s 95 Theses made the church officials very angry. Before long people began taking sides, some with Martin Luther and others with the established church. Martin Luther was excommunicated (thrown out) of the church. Many of his followers left with him and the Protestant movement was begun. Luther died a natural death, only because he managed to escape from those who would have taken his life for his stand against the church of his day. He spent much of his life in hiding as he translated the Bible into the German language.

Who are the Martin Luthers of today? Are we passionate enough about our faith to take a stand? Do we have a faith that’s grounded in the Bible or in popular cultural beliefs?