Many pilgrims each year make the journey to Lutherstadt-Wittenberg for one key reason—to remember the power of a single life to make history. When a simple monk named Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses to the church door, he never could have dreamed what it would unleash.
But it is critical to remember that he was able to make history not simply through a large vision, but a vision coupled with conviction and courage.
The impetus behind the posting of Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses on October 31, All Saints’ Eve, in 1517 is worth remembering. It was the sale of indulgences. An indulgence was the pardon granted by the Church of the punishment due a person from their already-forgiven sins. In essence, it borrowed from the storehouse of merit earned by Jesus and the saints. The idea was that the head of each church was in charge of this storehouse of kitchen passes. As noted by author Martin Marty, in Luther’s time the granting of indulgences was…
