Martin Luther was born into an incredibly troubled time, and this was the tense transition period between the Middle Ages and the modern age. During this progressive period, outdated methods were becoming unfavorable and new innovations and means of change were spreading at a rapid pace. In this period there was also an increasing increase in change in political and ideological systems, one of which was humanism, due to the many geographical discoveries made at this time along with advances in communications such as the printing press. The rise of humanism led Luther to create a new way of researching and studying the Bible, which meant going back to the old texts of the Bible and going against the traditional views of scholars and starting the resistance of the Church. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay He was increasingly angry with clergy who offered indulgences, promising him forgiveness of sins, whether for someone still living or for someone who had died and was thought to be in purgatory (a place of purification after death for the passage to paradise). Luther concluded that Christians are not saved by their efforts, but rather by their faith, which would put him in incredibly hot water with the Church as this idea went heavily against their main teachings. He disputed the claim that to enter heaven you must follow every single element of the Catholic Church exactly and dedicate your life to the Catholic Church, otherwise you will be shunned. He referred to the Bible and proved that faith towards religion is quite powerful and will initiate a plan of God for you. He then wrote the 95 Theses, a book dedicated to highlighting the injustices foreseen by papal 'indulgences' and abuses. The 95 Theses strongly encouraged two main ideas; that the Bible is the central religious authority and that humans achieve ultimate salvation through their faith and not through deeds for the Roman Catholic Church. In 1519, after attempting to convince other citizens of his findings, Martin Luther decided to create a series of informational pamphlets published due to the press, called On Christian Liberty, On the Liberty of the Christian Man, On the Christian Nobility, and On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church. Printing and the transition to the modern age allowed these books to become easily accessible throughout Europe, being reprinted more than 14 times with at least 1,000 copies printed each time. John Wycliff's reform movement strongly influenced the beginning of the movement that followed Martin Luther, after his Bible was translated into English to spread his reform ideals. In addition to this, Martin Luther also chose to post his 95 Theses on the door of the All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This action was truly the spark to begin the Protestant Reformation, as it opened up a new way of perceiving ideology within the Church and challenged injustices when deemed necessary by people. This was incredibly rare during that time as it was highly risky to challenge any authority figure, and even with the new wave of change upon them, it had the ability to lead to severe consequences. The Church's first response to Martin Luther and the 95 The thesis was to maintain public power and control and publicly stated that it would not work to turn the Church into a heresy. All those who supported this movement of selling unbiblical indulgences were excommunicated, meaning they were immediately barred from participation or involvement of any kind within the Catholic Church..