Alliance church to celebrate Reformation with event

Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Alliance will celebrate Martin Luther’s Reformation of the Lutheran church with a program at 4 p.m. Oct. 27.

It will be similar to programs at Lutheran churches throughout history that have celebrated the reformation in 1517.

Abiding Savior’s program will feature music and readings from Indigenous people to the American Revolution to Civil Rights and the Suffrage Movement.

According to the church, community members are welcome to help the church look back.

At the time of the Reformation, the church asked for indulgences to guarantee each individual’s place in heaven. But the money was used instead to build churches and to pay off the debts of leaders, which was especially burdensome to the poor. Criticizing the status quo was a bold move on Martin Luther’s part since at that point in history the church and the government were closely aligned. Luther’s comments resulted in threats on his life and he went into hiding.

Throughout history, people have spoken out about the need for change. Each time, their comments were considered provocative and unpopular, yet today we accept most of them as Luther’s changes have been accepted.

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Alliance church to celebrate Reformation with event