Protestant Reformation

Questions for Study and Discussion:

Luther, "The Freedom of a Christian Man"

1) What, according to Luther, is the relationship between faith and works?

2) What is the principal distinction that Luther makes between the Old and the New Testament?

3) What political, religious or ethical implications does Luther draw from his distinction between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of the World?  How is Luther's conception related to Augustine's idea of two cities?  Can Lutheranism be said to represent an internalization of sensibility?  Do you find any suggestion of a modern sensibility here?

Calvin, "The Institutes of the Christian Religion"

1) What is the doctrine of predestination?

2) Like Luther, Calvin holds that good works can not save human beings, for our destiny is predetermined.  However, good works are a sign of the election.

a) According to this doctrine, is it justifiable for a rich person to consider him/herself chosen?

b) Do you think this doctrine of predestination promotes a certain kind of work ethic?  Does it make one want to work more and more?  It has been suggested that although one cannot change one's destiny by good works, one is still motivated to work because good work can disperse religious doubts and provide the certainty of grace (Max Weber, The Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism).  What do you think of this suggestion?

3) The question of divine justice has come up repeatedly in the course of the semester, in our readings of Genesis and Exodus, Matthew and Romans, Augustine, the Qur'an and Al-Ghazali.  How does Calvin understand divine justice?  Does his conception agree with the interpretations of the authors we have read thus far?

4) What is the "discipline of the Church"?  How is it exercised?  What is its purpose?  How does it compare to the educational regime recommended in Plato's Republic?