A History Of Christianity

S01E04 Reformation: The Individual Before God

Today’s Amish are known for their peaceful ways, but their ancestors were once viewed as a significant threat in Europe five centuries ago. These radical Protestants were instrumental in challenging the Catholic Church. In the fourth installment of the series, Diarmaid MacCulloch explores the Reformation, revealing how a faith rooted in obedience evolved into one that champions individual conscience. He illustrates how Martin Luther composed hymns to convey biblical teachings and recounts how Swiss Reformer Ulrich Zwingli famously used a simple sausage as a catalyst for change, advocating for married clergy and rejecting the belief that communion bread and wine were literally the body and blood of Christ. "Jesus ascended into heaven," Zwingli asserted, "and is seated at the right hand of the Father, not present here on a table in Zurich."