Victoria University Of Wellington - Podcast

A series about the ideas that have shaped the world we live in, created in association with Victoria University of Wellington's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and RNZ. This year, 2017, marks the 500th anniversary of the publication of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses. Most Historians suggest that this event marks the start of the Protestant Reformation. In this episode we consider the two ideas that characterized the Reformation, namely that the church should be purified and that the bible, not the church, should be the sole source of religious authority. According to Luther, salvation depended on a personal transformation. Although these ideas were not original to Luther, his idea of using the printing press to spread them throughout society was revolutionary, and in this episode we discuss the impact of these ideas and this method. Featuring Dr Geoff Troughton, Professor Kathryn Walls and Dr Derek Woodard-Lehman (University of Otago). Hosted by RNZ's Megan Whelan.