“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  John 8:32

October 31, 2017 marks the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation.  This single event on a single day, changed the world forever.  It was the year 1517.  A young monk named Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the cathedral in Wittenberg, Germany.  It was the eve of All Soul’s Day.  November 1 was a special day because newly acquired religious relics would be on display.  Pilgrims would come from all over to kneel before the relics and pay hundreds of silver coins to keep relatives out of “purgatory.”  Luther was deeply troubled in spirit, this was a travesty of his Christian faith!

Taking quill in hand, he penned his 95 Theses.  They were intended to spark a debate in the church, but they sparked more than a debate, they revealed the church needed to be reformed.  One of Luther’s Theses states, “The Church’s true treasure is the gospel of Jesus Christ.”  That alone is the meaning of Reformation Day!  That day the light of the gospel broke through the darkness.  The church of Jesus Christ found its way back to God’s Word as the only authority for faith and life.  It returned to the doctrines of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.  We “are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus,” Romans 3:24.  These were the doctrines taught by the Apostle Paul in Romans and the epistles.  It led to hymn writing, congregational singing, Biblical sermons that led to spiritual transformation and personal renewal.

All across Europe, the Reformation spread.  Germany, the Swiss city-states, the Netherlands, Scotland and England were places where the truth of the Reformation made huge strides, Protestant churches flourished and people came to Christ in record numbers.  However, there were places in Europe where the Reformation was not able to penetrate; Spain was one of those countries.

The Huguenots of France have a fascinating history.  The intellectuals, professional tradespeople, the middle class and responsible people of the country embraced the Reformation and the freedoms in Christ they brought.  The Huguenot church grew rapidly, but because the Kings and Queens were Catholic, the Huguenots were persecuted periodically for 100 years.  At one point, they were denied exit from France, hunted down and their property confiscated.  The persecutions culminated in the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre in Paris in 1572 where in one day, thousands of defenseless people were killed by soldiers and mobs.

Huguenots secretly left their homeland in large numbers and immigrated to other countries, many came to America.  France suffered a great loss through the emigration of these intelligent, capable, hard- working people and the American colonies gained.  Here’s a short list of notable Americans of Huguenot descent:  Paul Revere, John Audubon, Davy Crockett, Thomas Edison, Alexander Hamilton, Julia Ward Howe, U.S. Grant, Robert E Lee, John D. Rockefeller, twenty one presidents from George Washington to Richard Nixon and the list goes on and on.

God bless America and those countries that welcome the persecuted church!

Your friend, Jean