Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

This month marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. On Oct. 31 in 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the Door of the Schlosskirche (castle church) in Wittenberg, Germany. This sparked the Reformation. And the West has never been the same since. The Reformation was a protest against abuses in the church. It also emphasized the idea of the authority of scripture, and that salvation comes not by works but by faith in Christi alone. This radical new theology reshaped Europe and eventually America. We're reminded that at the heart of any culture is a fundamental belief system and animating principles that bind a people together. We may have forgotten our religious heritage, but if there's anything the Reformation teaches is that God still works through people and He can utterly change the course of history.