Reformation Profiles
In addition to supporting the global outreach of Ligonier, Ministry Partners also have complete streaming access to our entire teaching series library. Learn more.
Or purchase this series to unlock streaming for its messages.
Need help? See our streaming FAQ.
In the early sixteenth century, illiteracy was the norm across Europe, and this condition existed even amongst the clergy, teachers of God's Word. Yet, despite the enormity of this problem, a deeper dilemma remained: the place of the Word of God had shifted in the Roman Catholic Church. No longer did the Bible stand as the central authority upon which the Christian life rested. Tradition, much of it corrupt and driven by the financial bankruptcy of the papal seat in Rome, had displaced it. God, in His gracious providence, did not allow this condition to persist.
More from this teacher
Stephen Nichols
Dr. Stephen J. Nichols is president of Reformation Bible College, chief academic officer for Ligonier Ministries, and a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow. He is host of the podcasts 5 Minutes in Church History and Open Book. He has written more than twenty books, including Peace, A Time for Confidence, and R.C. Sproul: A Life and volumes in the Guided Tour series on Jonathan Edwards, Martin Luther, and J. Gresham Machen. He is coeditor of The Legacy of Luther and general editor of the Church History Study Bible.
