Chapter 15 part 1

The Protestant Reformation was a huge turn around for the Roman Catholic Church. Before it shattered the unity, it provided the cultural and organizational foundation of Western Europe civilizations. In 1517 Martin Luther issued the Ninety-Five Theses. He introduced these Theses by nailing them to the door of the church. Luther's protest had been potentially revolutionary because of the theological basis. Luther believed that neither good works of a sinner nor the sacraments of the church had any bearings on the eternal destiny of ones soul. Luther's ideas provoked a massive schism within the world of Catholic Christendom. This was contrary to what Luther had in mind. Christianity motivated European political and economic expansion and benefited from it. Colonial settlers and traders brought their faith with them and sought to replicate it in their conquered homelands. This planted Christianity in NOrth America and focused on education, purity, and tolerance for faith.