NGU celebrates 500th anniversary of the protestant Reformation
John Peardon, Staff Writer
Graphic courtesy of Frankie J. Melton
It is not every day one celebrates a 500th anniversary, but on April 11, 2017, North Greenville University did just that, when Jason Duesing spoke about the life and impact of Martin Luther.
Duesing, a professor at Midwestern Theological Seminary where he teaches historical theology, gave a lecture titled, “Freedom Found Under an Umbrella: The Life and Thought of Martin Luther.” The event was attended by dozens of students and several professors at North Greenville.
The title for the lecture came from a quote from Luther’s writings when he wrote, “Jesus’s righteousness serves like an umbrella against the heat of God’s wrath.”
In his lecture, Duesing talked about the Renaissance period, Luther’s life from 1483 – 1517, his life from 1517 – 1523 and concluded with the final part of Luther’s life, 1523 – 1546.
Duesing explained how because of Luther, one of the greatest revivals in the history of the church broke out. “Many, including myself, believe the Protestant Reformation, was the greatest revival, since the days of the early church,” he said.
When talking about Luther, he admitted that Luther was not an overly pleasant person to be around. “He was given often to great mood swings, and was often given to discouragement,” said Duesing.
Luther later became a monk in the Catholic Church, which would give him the chance to read the scriptures. Luther dedicated his life to studying the scriptures from 1513-1517.
One of the Luther’s greatest breakthroughs came from reading the book of Romans. Luther would later write, regarding the book’s message: “It is purest gospel,” and “This passage from the apostle Paul, became to me, a gateway to heaven.”
While Luther later faced great opposition and even excommunication from the Catholic Church, he was greatly used by God to translate the Bible into German, and many other churches and denominations have reaped the benefits of his hard work and faith.
