On Oct. 31, 1517, a German monk set off a religious firestorm that 500 years later still has great significance for churchgoers in Green Valley and Sahuarita.
With the major anniversary of Martin Luther’s stand against the religious powers of his day just a few months away, local Lutheran churches are preparing to celebrate the movement they call one of the seminal events in Western history.
Luther was born in 1483 in Saxony, what is today eastern Germany. He trained to become a lawyer, but was unhappy with his studies. Legend says he vowed to become a monk in 1505 after praying to Saint Anna to save his life during a fierce thunderstorm.
After keeping his vow, Luther started teaching at the University of Wittenberg in 1508, and earned a doctorate of theology in 1512. However, he became troubled by the practice of the Roman Catholic Church in his day of selling indulgences, or reduced punishment for sins, as well as other church policy and dogma. When Johann Tetzel came through Saxony to sell more indulgences to help raise funds for the building of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Luther was spurred to action.
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