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Health & Fitness

Lutherans Celebrate Reformation Sunday, October 27

This Sunday, October 27, St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Santa Monica celebrates Reformation Sunday, with services at 10 a.m., at 958 Lincoln Blvd. The congregation will be resplendent in red, the symbolic color of the occasion.

Reformation Sunday is always on the last Sunday of October, commemorating a significant event in the history of the Protestant tradition and roots of the Lutheran denomination.

It was on October 31, 1517, that Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg.

From "History.com"

"Committed to the idea that salvation could be reached through faith and by divine grace only, Luther vigorously objected to the corrupt practice of selling indulgences. Acting on this belief, he wrote the "Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences," also known as "The 95 Theses," a list of questions and propositions for debate. Popular legend has it that on October 31, 1517 Luther defiantly nailed a copy of his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church. The reality was probably not so dramatic; Luther more likely hung the document on the door of the church matter-of-factly to announce the ensuing academic discussion around it that he was organizing.

"The 95 Theses, which would later become the foundation of the Protestant Reformation, were written in a remarkably humble and academic tone, questioning rather than accusing. The overall thrust of the document was nonetheless quite provocative. The first two of the theses contained Luther's central idea, that God intended believers to seek repentance and that faith alone, and not deeds, would lead to salvation. The other 93 theses, a number of them directly criticizing the practice of indulgences, supported these first two."

Trivia

"Legend says Martin Luther was inspired to launch the Protestant Reformation while seated comfortably on the chamber pot. That cannot be confirmed, but in 2004 archeologists discovered Luther's lavatory, which was remarkably modern for its day, featuring a heated-floor system and a primitive drain."
Read more about "Luther and the 95 Theses" on History.com.

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