The More Things Seem To Change

What determines a successful social movement? What affects real social change?

A political scientist will say that it’s when someone with power takes up your cause, that’s when you can really get things to change. A cynic might say money is what causes change. Someone who’s more religious might say change happens when God softens people’s hearts. All of these are probably at least a little bit true, but maybe there’s something else.

Form vs. Content: A Tale of Translation

Original copy of Luther's translated Bible - 1534

Language and communication in the sixteenth and seventeenth century were paramount in shaping the beliefs of the people and the overall social climate. For the first time, religious and secular texts were made available to the masses as a result of the printing press. Translation efforts made these texts available to even more people, changing communication and learning completely. Being a dual-language speaker myself, I was particularly interested in the role that translation played during this era, and how the people responded to that role. What kind of texts were being translated? How common was translation? What problems arose from such translation? 

Sola Scriptura: How Reformers’ Emphasis on Scripture is Mirrored Today

Of all the changes that came about during the Reformation, few compare in impact than the transformation of engagement with the Bible. The transformation can be thought of in three main ways.

John Calvin and the Bible

• First, the Bible became more accessible. Before the Reformation, the Bible was only found in Latin, which was primarily studied by priests. Consequently, most Catholics had to rely on their priest to be their middle man with God. However, after Martin Luther translated the Bible into German, scripture study became something common Christians could take part in. Individuals “could now read the Bible in their own language… with features intended to help a person read and interpret the Bible for themselves." (Museumofthebible.org)

Martin Luther – A Clever Leader

Martin Luther

Reform is a critical theme within the Reformation Period. Reform can be defined as to correct, to improve, and to make changes. Such historical restructure could not have survived without Martin Luther, a leader with empowering use of logos and personal virtue of integrity. Many of us can learn from Martin Luther to spark reform within our own lives and leadership.

Brands in Politics: Why The Risk is Worth it

By Lily Bridgewater

Should brands use their voices to get involved in the political realm? Or should they stay out of it all together?

Nike's trademarked logo and slogan make
their products easy to identify

In my experience, when people with opposing political views have a discussion it rarely ends well. More often than not it turns into a volume match. Who can speak the loudest? Who has more stamina?

Today some of the loudest voices that exist come in the form of big brands. People follow brands like Nike, Apple, Stance and Google like they follow religion. There are people who live eat and breathe specific brands because the brand lifestyle and values resonate with them. 

So what about when the brand has something to say that isn't necessarily about the way you play the game or the product? Should they risk losing loyalty and sales or should they keep quiet and stay in their lane? 

Although brands will likely suffer a loss of some from when they make political statements, I believe it's better and more beneficial for them to use their platforms to make statements than to stay silent in today's political climate. 

Back, Forward, & Back Again

Petrarch looked back over his shoulder nearly thirteen centuries to glimpse sight of works that would make mankind wonder and marvel for centuries to come: Cicero’s letters.  This demonstration of ‘ad fontes’ triggered a new perspective of communication.  Somehow, diving back into the past allowed our forefathers to move more quickly forward. 

Letters to Cicero

Petrarch’s discovery didn’t stop there.  He continued to dig deeper into the past and introduced ideals of humanism—that man was capable of great things.  “What a piece of work is man!”  Shakespeare would later exclaim, which is the very sentiment that fueled and sustained a new awareness of communication.

The two letters Petrarch wrote to Cicero were only the beginning; humanism ideals couldn’t be contained to the written word alone.  Artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo communicated their ideas and passions through arts, and for others, it was speech.  Castiglione’s The Courtier masterfully illustrates how the Renaissance-theme of sprezzatura shifted the communication-focus to speech. 

"This is My Work and My Glory"

“For behold, this is my work and my glory – to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”  This scripture is found in the book of Moses where God reveals his grand purpose for His children.  While studying the Renaissance and Reformation, I have noticed in particular how God’s hand played a role in the very details of events transpiring in this time span. Throughout the 14^th – 17^th century and then later in the 19^th century when the gospel of Jesus Christ was brought back to the earth in what we know as the restoration.  

The restoration of the gospel was happening long before the spring of 1820.  Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught, “Beginning in the 14th century, the Lord began to prepare those social, educational, religious, economic, and governmental conditions under which he could more easily restore the gospel for the last time among men.” 

The Printing Press and the Weakening of Catholicism

Microsoft Word

History of Printing

I remember the time I first realized as a young child that I could type out words on a computer. I had been an avid reader, and it had never occurred to me that words that I wrote could be printed out and look just like the words that I had read in my books. I no longer would have to hand copy invitations to my friends; I could type everything out one time and each invitation would be identical.


Similarly, with the invention of the printing press came a newfound freedom. Words could now spread throughout the world without the painstaking task of hand-copying. Ideas could take root more firmly and take route faster than ever before.

Martin Luther and the Press 
Martin Luther famously posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church on October 31, 1517. It is speculated that Luther originally wanted only to make the issues known and that he had no intention of causing such a far-reaching disruption to the Catholic Church. However, as his ideas

Paving the way to the Reformation

The Renaissance was a period in which mankind made massive advances in developing society. These advancements ranged from language and social etiquettes to new technologies and ways of life. This period opened the minds of the people, allowing them to become educated and learn about the world for themselves. People were becoming more free to live their life in a way that they wanted to. The Renaissance and this new way of life paved the way for the Reformation. Without the inventions and ideas of the Renaissance, the Reformation wouldn't have been able to happened. Two of the main reasons for the Reformation starting were first, the hunger for knowledge that mankind began to acquire. The second reason was the invention and proliferation of the printing press.

The people of the Renaissance began to become a curious people. They loved learning and looked to the greeks as their example. The people of this time period sought learning and made it their goal to broaden their minds to become more well versed in many aspects of life. This constant search for knowledge opened the minds of the people and got them thinking about important things in new ways. The printing press allowed this search for knowledge to explode and accelerate. Print became easily accessible and now anyone could become learned. A huge factor in bringing about the reformation was that one book which was formerly reserved for the rich and powerful was made available to everyone. This book was the Bible.

Access to the Bible gave the people a power they had never had before. They had accessibility to the word of God. They no longer needed a priest or scholar to bridge the gap between them and the word of God. They could begin their own personal spiritual journey. People were able to go back to the sources and find out things for themselves. Because of the open mindedness of the Renaissance and search for knowledge, people dove into the Bible. Many began to see contradictions with what they had been taught from the Churches. One man who saw such contradictions was Martin Luther. In 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses pointing to the flaws in the church. This was a huge moment in the reformation. In Jonas Bush's blog post: 'The Printing Press: Downfall of the Catholic Church" https://rhetciv.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-printing-press-downfall-of-catholic.html#more, Jonas talks about the power which the printing press brought to the reformation movement. Jonas expresses that Martin Luther succeeds where others before him failed because of the ability to print and disseminate knowledge to the people. Martin and his followers were able to distribute the 95 Theses as well as other bits of propaganda to show the people of the injustices committed against them.

The Reformation brought people back together
after the individualistic Renaissance Period

In these ways, expanding individual knowledge and printing of books, specifically bibles, the Renaissance prepared the way for the Reformation. But these periods differed in some ways. In the Renaissance, individualism reigned and people sought to increase their own knowledge and become their own person. In the reformation, people began to come back together and collaborate in their existences. Carson Telford outlines this point in his blog post: "We're all in this Together" https://rhetciv.blogspot.com/search?q=we%27re+all+in+this+together. He references John Donne speaking of his relationship with people in the church and how whatever they do, he is connected to that. Carson talks about this period bringing people together, while still holding onto the personal endeavors of the Renaissance.

The Renaissance paved the way for the Reformation and the Reformation built upon the ideas of the Renaissance. The Reformation strayed from the Renaissance in bringing the minds of people together.

You Can't Have One Without The Other: Renaissance and Reformation

Often times we speak of the Renaissance and Reformation periods hand in hand, sometimes as if they were the same. However, I believe that if we are to truly understand the evolution of humanity and understand how modern society came to be, it is crucial to understand the distinction between these two periods.

1) The Renaissance: a time of learning and intellectual growth

The principle idea that I believe describes the Renaissance period is that of “Sprezzatura.” The nonchalance, intellect, and wittiness of one who demonstrates Sprezzatura is a defining factor of the Renaissance because it is the embodiment of the cultural change that occurred during this period. As was stated by Cherileigh in her blog post called "Bach's Got Sprezz?"(link below), we learn that sprezzatura applies to any time period and any situation, so long as it increases the intellect or status of those involved. While the Dark Ages were a time of spiritual obscurity and unbelief in the worthiness of man, the succeeding  Renaissance was the rebirth of the idea of the divinity of man and the importance of intellectual growth. I say rebirth because this humanistic idea of the divinity of man was not brand new. One of many examples of this idea is the Ancient Roman belief in the potential of man. Thanks to Ad Fontes (going back to the sources), the Renaissance facilitated the rebirth of the belief in the good that man has within him. Sprezzatura was demonstrated in the Renaissance as people actively sought to grow intellectually. If only putting on a fake face of intelligence, people began to seek out learning to be viewed as elite and knowledgeable.

2) Martin Luther driving the Reformation 

This “sprezzaturic” culture of open mindedness and an interest in learning opened the door for the Reformation to take place. The Reformation could not have taken place without the Renaissance first having occurred because of the need for open-minded people who might be willing to go against the grain of societal culture. Up until this point, humanity believed that intellect was directly associated with being among the elite of society. But as all desired to improve themselves, it became apparent that within religion there was not equality in opportunity, and only the elite had the ability to come closer to God. Opposition against the Catholic church resulted in individuals such as Martin Luther stepping forward to break down the barrier that had been built in society. 

The open-mindedness that occurred in the Renaissance period resulted in the ability for the Reformation to take hold in the hearts and minds of truth seekers. No longer was spiritual learning only something that was available for the elite, but for all. That same open-mindedness allowed the invention of the printing press to take hold, and further break down the barriers that hindered the lower classes.

3) The plower was historically a
lower rank in society

An example of the change in perspective that occurred between the Renaissance and Reformation periods can be seen in a comparison of the Sermon of John Colet and the Sermon of Hugh Latimer. Although both men address the issue of spirituality and obedience, Colet writes pre-Reformation, addressing the clergy (elite) using proper language and a meticulously structured argument, demonstrating Sprezzatura and intellectual adeptness. On the other hand, Latimer writes post-Reformation and directs his words to the common man, using a metaphor of a plower. Although both spoke on the same topic, there was a difference in both men’s views as to who was worthy to hear their words. Stephen Rackleff's blog post called "Martin Luther and Anti-Materialism" (link below) makes a great point about the view of man's worthiness during the Reformation period as he explains that Luther was a humanist in that all people were worthy to learn, regardless of status or material things.

The Renaissance and the Reformation periods are similar due to the dramatic growth and social change that occurred in each of them. However, they are also very different because of the manner in which the social change occurred. But regardless of their differences, it is clear that one could not have occurred without the other.

Cherileigh's "Bach's Got Sprezz?" - https://rhetciv.blogspot.com/2018/09/bachs-got-sprezz.html?showComment=1537848876951#c4070184762700641662

Stephen Rackleff's "Martin Luther and Anti- Materialism" - https://rhetciv.blogspot.com/2018/09/martin-luther-and-anti-materialism.html?showComment=1537411135234#c7846465948698898239

Images:
1) http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/renaissance-part-5-art
2) http://www.ripr.org/post/brown-university-historian-martin-luthers-legacy-and-reformation#stream/0
3) https://library.calvin.edu/hda/node/7860

Christian Rhetoric and Authority: A Boxing Match

The difficult part of modern society is finding the right authority to follow. Every study that comes up is debated back and forth by a myriad of people who all claim to be and know better than the other. And we don’t have many ways of saying one way or another who is right.

Reading the letters of Martin Luther and looking into other writings of Christian leaders and thinkers, their appeal to authority is much more simple and direct. They borrow it. They juxtapose their weakness with the greatness and perfection of God and point towards Him as the source of truth in the message they’re sharing. This isn’t a bad thing. Although some people go to a particular preacher because of how they speak, they’re still looking to be taught a message from the wisdom of God and not the wisdom of the preacher. It’s a vital part of Christian rhetoric to present humility even when you feel an assurance that you are carrying a message from a perfect authority.

But, the interesting part that I noticed was that another common practice of Christian rhetoric is, when disagreements come up, to directly attack the authority of the speaker. You have a man who stands up in a conference of priests and talks about how unworthy he feels before God, but that he has a message to share, only to have him called a fool and booed off the stage. Both attacker and defender will claim to be supported by perfect authority despite their weaknesses, while crying that the personal weakness of the other makes them unworthy to be supported.

If that’s how arguments went, it isn’t hard to see why priests began to gather power and secular authority. It didn’t matter how accomplished they were, but it also very much did.

"Up Close and Personal" under the watch of the benevolent referee.

Image credit to Jay Peeples from flickr.

Printed Satire vs. Twitter Rages

President Donald J. Trump's Tweet

You've probably seen President Trump's tweets, but have you heard of Martin Luther's 95 Theses? They are a list of Luther's critiques of Catholic doctrine and practices that, when printed and published, caused problems for the Catholic Church and triggered the beginning of the Protestant Reformation to which many of today's Christian sects owe their beginnings to. After the list was published, Luther printed additional documents, explanations of the theses.

One of these explanations is of Luther's distaste for the practice of indulgences, or the idea that one can buy salvation, guarenteeing an eternal life outside of purgatory. In this explanation, Luther takes the stance that this "heretical, wicked, and blasphemous" idea is not the fault of the preachers and clergymen, but the fault of the congregations "for having wax in their ears that they hear only pernicious things when these preachers tell them salutary things".

As I was first reading this through, I thought how admirable Luther was. How gracious he is in giving the benefit of the doubt to the preachers. I began to wonder why the Catholic Church was so upset with him for presenting his ideas to the public. It seemed to me that he was striving to purify the saints rather than call the Church to repentance.

Continuing on, however, his words against the people seemed too extravagant, the blame on them too outrageous, the claims that they were wickedly misunderstanding the preachers too unbelievable. Luther was roasting the Clergy. He had even had me going along with it for a minute.

This shows an intriguing side to the development of the printing press. Satire surely wasn't a new idea, but this was different. The speed of the spread made this so much more enraging to the Catholic leadership. The ease of attainment made it more of a threat.

I think this issue is as true today as it was then. Hearing the President of the United States say something bitter about a rival over the radio many years ago is entirely different than reading Trump's virtually constant Twitter rages. The world continues to struggle with this concept. Increased availability increases the threat level. The ease of spread makes this form of banter faster, and therefore more productive (or destructive).

I'm not sure what conclusion to draw about the groups taking the heat from these media gurus, but I know that the terrain will continue to get rougher as new forms of communication continue to develop.


Image Credit: Creative Commons, Wikipedia, Public Domain

A Return to Simplicity

I served my mission in Oklahoma City, and while serving I had many opportunities to do "church swaps."  This is where my companion and I would attend the different services of our investigators, and they would attend ours.  Doing this on my mission was the first time in my life visiting different denominations, and it was extremely eye opening to me.  

In many areas that I served in, we met for church in a trailer.  (Keep in mind, I was serving in tiny little towns in rural Oklahoma).  This was a large contrast from the other churches we would visit that were so much more beautifully designed and more eloquently decorated.  From the stained class, to the elaborate sermons, to the rich paintings, and tall ceilings, the other churches seemed to be much more put together than our little trailer that would hold 20 people max.  

Why do I bring this up?  Well, in reading Martin Luther’s, The Babylonian Captivity, I noted that one of Luther’s biggest hang-ups with the church was that it was too distracting from Christ.  He believed that the whole pageantry of outward things needed to be put away including ornaments, chants, prayers, organs, vestments, etc.  He called for a return to Christ, which was ultimately a return to simplicity.  When I read this, my mind went back to the days in my mission visiting churches that resembled this. 

As beautiful as the many churches that we visited were, they were lacking many key components of Christ’s church, that I believe are found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When it comes to following Christ, it is all about simplicity. 

Image Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/24736216@N07/6949012238

Through A Spiritual Lens

Attending Brigham Young University (or any religious school) is something so unique because it allows the students enrolled there to look at history through a spiritual lens. Just yesterday I had the opportunity to visit the Crandall Printing Museum (which has a replica of the Gutenberg Press) on Center Street in Provo. The curator walked us through the steps it took to create the printing press, and at the end he told us that Gutenberg built six presses, which seemed at the time illogical. Because of the expense it took to build six presses, buy supplies for them, and staff them, he was wasn't able to pay his debts; it would have made more sense to build fewer until he was more established. The curator (being religious) said that he felt that Gutenberg was inspired to buil
d that many because by building six presses that required six teams, there were six teams worth of people that knew the business of printing. They then went out and started their own presses and trained more people who then went out and started more printed presses, etc. This widespread of printing catapulted the printing age forward much more quickly than it might have done with only two presses.

I think that looking at history through a spiritual lens gives us the chance to see God's hand is so many things that happened, without which, we may not have had the religious freedom that we do today. I think that Martin Luther is another great example of this. What if someone had stopped him from hanging up the 95 Theses on the door of the church? Or what if someone had taken it down immediately, and he had been killed? The one act of putting up that piece of paper started a religious reform that opened the door for people everywhere to start questioning what they were being taught. Before this, that wasn't a luxury they had.

I'm sure that when this started, it would have been scary: rejecting something that you had been taught your whole life and believing in something new. But without this reform—his simple paper on the door—we wouldn't have the opportunity to believe the way we want. Being able to look at history through a spiritual lens can change an revolutionary act to an inspired revolutionary act.

Fluidity Within Christianity

Martin Luther and the 95 Theses

When Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, he probably had no idea about the influence that this would have on Christianity.

Luther became disgruntled with the Catholic Church and many of their teachings, particularly those saying that to be able to be saved one needed to purchase indulgences for themselves and their loved ones and that both faith and works were needed to enter the kingdom of God (Luther believed only faith was needed). Theories promote the idea that Luther posted his 95 Theses not in an act of total defiance, but rather to set up debates and discussions he was planning to have later on. Nonetheless, the ideas he presented caught fire and spread throughout the world. Luther's ideas paved the way for Protestantism, and many Christian denominations began to sprout from the broken roots of the Catholic Church. 

                                 

Religion Today

I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in North Carolina, which is one of the states in an area known as the "Bible Belt." When my plane touched down in Charlotte, I was immediately surprised at the number of churches standing throughout the city. It seemed to me that there were more churches than there were office buildings and homes combined! What especially struck me was peoples' viewpoints on religion. I met several people who had moved in from another city and were in search of a new church. Although the individual may have been a Presbyterian in their old city, they were completely willing to switch to another denomination, such as: Baptist, Methodist, Latter-day Saint, Episcopalian, Moravian, etc. They would go from church to church until they found a pastor they liked. The pastor (not the religion) mattered because different teachings were presented even within those churches claiming to be from the same denomination. The fluidity of Christian denominations today stands in stark contrast to religion before Luther's time.

Image Credit: www.history.com