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The Reformation in the Sixteenth Century Europe: A Reminder for the Present Day Hong Kong

The Reformation in the Sixteenth Century Europe:
A Reminder for the Present Day Hong Kong

LI Kwong Sang

The Reformation in Sixteenth Century Europe is commonly perceived as a schism in the history of the Western Church. In the eyes of Chinese Protestants, on the other hand, it was a restoration movement that led the Church of Christ back to the right track. Modern scholarship underscores the significance of the Reformation and the relevance of Martin Luther's writings for subsequent generations. To the extend that the Reformation becomes more widely regarded as a liberation and re-evangelization movement, Luther becomes more recognized as a witness of Jesus Christ and a prophet for His Church.

Christians can certainly find inspiration to deal with the problems facing Hong Kong from the teachings of Luther. This article intends to introduce Luther's four writings, written during the 1520s, for their information and reflection value. Readers may find similarities with Hong Kong's situation, advice for its predicament, or even challenges in his article, “Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague,” written in 1527. The other three articles (“Concerning the Order of Public Worship,” “An Order of Mass and Communion for the Church at Wittenberg," and "The German Mass and Order of Service") concern worship and liturgical reform. They were written between 1523 and 1526.

They give us a glimpse of how Luther viewed his liturgical reforms and how he introduced the changes to the believers with theological, evangelical and critical reverence. All four articles illustrate the implication and application of Luther's rediscovered gospel, the doctrine of justification by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. On the one hand, faith and freedom in Christ are lifted. On the other hand, love and Christian obligation to one's neighbor are emphasized. As such, the characteristics of Luther's theology (biblical, christological, dialectical, paradoxical, pastoral , and the like) are revealed.

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