On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk who was inspired to engage the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church by nailing 95 Theses to the local community All Saints Church door in Wittenberg, Saxony. The official translated title of the document Martin wrote in Latin is the “Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences.” This event, coupled with ensuing debate along with the Roman Catholic and local government reaction to Martin Luther, formally started the Protestant Reformation. The document was disseminated across Europe with the assistance of technology of the day, the printing press. The focus of the 95 Theses was a call to purify the church and a belief that the Biblical Scripture (Sola Scriptura), not tradition, should be the sole source of spiritual authority. Martin Luther is credited not only with leading the Protestant Reformation Movement but also founding the Lutheran Church.
Martin Luther was an inspired spiritual song writer. Martin wrote the hymn, “Ein feste Burg ist unser Got” (“A Mighty Fortress is Our God”) in German. Psalm 46 is the inspiration for this hymn. This hymn was published and distributed across Europe. The hymn became one of the popular Reformation hymns of its time.
Soon after the nailing of the 95 Theses to the All Saints Church door, there were more Lutheran services than Roman Catholic masses celebrated there.