On this day in 1517, in Wittenberg, Germany, an Augustinian monk nailed a piece of paper to the front door of the church. That paper contained ninety-five statements intended for disputation among his colleagues. Martin Luther’s students, however, swiftly copied the arguments written in Latin and translated them into the vernacular German. Thanks to the newly-invented printing press, within a very short time, Luther’s ninety-five theses were all the buzz in every hamlet in Germany. And thus the fuse was lit that eventually exploded into the Protestant reformation.
Many have cried for a new reformation in our day. Many have stated that the need is greater today than it was five centuries ago. In light of the 490th anniversary of the nailing of Luther’s 95 theses, I propose A New 95, aimed at reformation from within and not without, if at all possible possible. It proved impossible in the sixteenth century. Let us pray God’s mercy upon us, that by his spirit it may be possible. I am going to post only a few a week, as I think of them, and how to articulate them. I welcome your suggestions in the comments section. Any serious thesis submitted by you will be considered for future postings. In a few days I will create a static page called A New 95 in which I will add subsequent theses in the future as they are posted.
- Let us not merely raise hands of praise during the singing on Sunday. Let us faithfully and lovingly raise the hands of our hearts in praise daily to our God, by how we live among a lost, perishing, and longing people. 1 Samuel 15:22; Hosea 6:6; Matthew 12:7
- In worship let us learn to sing with our minds as well as our hearts so that the one may inform the other. 1 Corinthians 14:15; Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:5
- As we sing a wide variety of music in our worship services, let us refrain from referring to one style of music as “praise and worship,” as this implies that all other music styles employed in church somehow do not involve praise and worship.
- Protracted church meetings employing a special preacher and music minister do not a revival make. We should be careful not to presume that God’s spirit will blow among us just because we post it on the sign out front. John 3:8; Daniel 4:35
- Numbers can be a mighty tool in the hand of the devil. Which is better, a whole barrel of half-rotten apples, or a half barrel of whole apples? Revelation 3:17
- Your church’s youth minister is not responsible for the souls of your children; you are. Ephesians 6:4, Deuteronomy 6:7
- Is there any reason to believe that a man is a Christian when he never drives like one? Matthew 7:16
- When a woman, whether she claims to be a Christian or not, dresses like prostitute she should be considered as such. Proverbs 7:10