By Bayo Ogunmupe
The year 2017 will mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation,
the Christian reform movement when Martin Luther nailed his theses on a church
door in Wittenberg , Germany . This Luther decade provides for celebration and
reflection.
*Martin Luther |
Yet at the moment, it
looks all this is gradually changing. Luther, who has always lived on the
hearts of Protestants, is being brought closer to other inhabitants of the town
and its surroundings. Not least because so many tourists, especially from
abroad and overseas go there in search of Martin Luther’s trail. After all, the
Luther monuments in Saxony-Anhult have been under UNESCO protection as part of
the world heritage since 1996. Luther tourism is certainly an economic factor,
not only in Wittenberg , but also in Wittenberg ’s sister,
Eisleben, in Mansfelder district, where Luther was born and also died.
It was at Eisleben that
the person the Roman Church outlawed as Junker Jorg lived in hiding, and in
1521 and 1522, worked on his German translation of the Bible. This was a
momentous act, of which there can be no doubt. For many people, the Book of
Books is as topical as ever. Sadly in Eastern Germany ,
during more than 40 years of communist rule, the citizens had their faith
driven out of them. Indeed, to a degree the communists succeeded in something
that the Christian churches of all denominations unanimously lament.
So the imminent jubilee
of the Reformation is coming just at the right time. For this jubilee, the
Evangelical church in Germany
has instituted a position for a prelate, which was filled by the theologian,
Stephen Dorgerloh. The Luther Decade refers to the period up to 2017 the year
that will mark the 500th anniversary of Luther’s legendary nailing of his
theses to the door of Wittenberg
Church .
In those 95 theses,
Luther denounced the Roman Catholic Church’s sale of indulgences. He criticised
the conditions that prevailed at the time with pertinent references to the
Bible.
The posting of the
theses took place on October 31, 1517. Therefore the October 31 is Reformation
Day, which is a public holiday in the Protestant central German states of
Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia .
Holidays are always
welcome everywhere; but what does Reformation mean? What does it mean in Nigeria today?
For the lack of the study of history Religion, Reformation or Protestantism do
not appear to mean much to the Christian Nigerian.
Luther’s nailing of the
theses to the door of a Wittenberg
Church unleashed a
movement that has left its mark all over the world. The Reformation not only
influenced the church, theology and philosophy, it also influenced music, the
arts, business and social life. It also influenced language and the law. The
500th anniversary of the publication of Luther’s theses will be on October 31, 2017 in Wittenberg . In order to celebrate this
jubilee, the Evangelical Church in Germany has conceived the Luther Decade,
during which the broad range of the themes raised by the Reformation will be
dealt with in what they termed The Theme years and links will be made to
historical and commemorative years.
The Theme for 2011 was
Reformation and Liberation and it was engaged as a phase of upheaval that led
to a democratic state under the rule of law. The Reformation jubilee also
entails numerous international links, which is why the German Foreign Office
and the Ministry of Education will be active within the framework of German
Culture and Educational policy. They will activate various projects during the
Luther Decade.
One highlight in March
2011 was an international symposium in the Luther City of Wittenberg. The event
debated the question: How free are human beings? It examined Reformation’s
influence on reform movements around the world, and the development of
democratic civil society.
But the debate on the
current meaning of Reformation got going only very slowly. Yet the consequences
of the work of Luther and his friend, the theologian Philipp Melanchthon can be
felt everywhere. It established the freedom of religion and freedom to hold
opinion without interference. Reformation also developed the German language
and thought. It also unleashed upheavals extending from the Enlightenment to
20th century modernism.
Nevertheless,
it took much time before Luther’s protest against medieval restrictions and
impositions was seen in the context of emancipation and liberation and
subsequently as something contemporary and timely. It was only lately that it
was accepted as an event worthy of our attention, celebration and subsidised
with state funds.
Meanwhile, however,
things are really moving: a pilgrim path follows Luther’s trail through central
Germany .
Theme years and events are being organised to structure the anniversary, up to
and including the major celebrations. In 2011, the government of the state of Magdeburg spent millions of Euros among other things for
the refurbishment of Wittenberg
Castle . Thus for the 2017
celebration much more is being expected.
With the anniversary
barely a year from now, it will be heart-warming to witness a celebration of
Luther, the Christian reformer by Nigerian Protestants.
*Ogunmupe is a commentator on public issues
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