Bruce Gordon | Spirituality and the Reformation at 500

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Happy Reformation Day! 500 years ago today (this episode is coming out on October 31st, 2017), Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Church in Wittenberg and started the Protestant Reformation.  I thought it would be a ton of fun to talk to a “Reformation expert,” and I did. What a great conversation!!!

Episode 31 of the podcast features an interview with Bruce Gordon. Bruce is Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Yale Divinity School and is an expert on late-medieval and early modern periods, with a particular interest in the Reformation and its reception.

Some of What We Talk About:

  • The meaning and importance of piety
  • The centrality of prayer for the reformers
  • Praying the hours of the day was common for the reformers, patterned on the monastic life
  • The doing of charitable works was part of spiritual practice for the reformers
  • What changed in terms of spirituality with the onset of the Reformation
  • How a sense of the mystical, sacredness, and wonder may have been lost with the onset of Protestantism
  • Why art was removed from Churches in the Reformation period
  • How the Reformation raises relevant questions for today regarding worship and spiritual practice
  • The people themselves were empowered to engage with the Scriptures, and each person was empowered to take responsibility for their own spiritual lives.
  • The importance of the Priesthood of All Believers
  • Spirituality as grounded in tradition and history
  • Constantly seek to become more Christ-like at the heart of Christian Spirituality
  • The richness and wisdom of Christian history
  • Reclaiming the heritage and understanding the meaning of your liturgical tradition
  • Why John Calvin is vilified and also revered depending who you talk to.
  • John Calvin as pastor to refugees and how that shaped his message.
  • John Calvin’s insistence on God being with you.
  • Why do we call it the Reformed Tradition

Links and Resources:

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