by Rev. Peter McIntyre

The panorama of Martin Luther's life is dominated by his bold declaration at Worms in April 1521. Summonsed to the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire, Luther embarked on what was potentially his final journey, to stand before Emperor Charles V, the princes of the German states, theologians and prelates. Since he nailed his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Church Door four years previously, the German Monk...

3rd Dec 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

Luther's Separation Manifesto Analysed

When Luther nailed his ninety-five Theses to the door of the Castle Church, he was hoping to spark a debate and encourage reform within the Roman Church. In the years following 1517, it became increasingly apparent that reform from within was a mirage in the desert.

A key moment in Luther's spiritual journey arrived in 1519 during the famous Leipzig debate with

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19th Nov 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

What would the German Monk have made of Reformation 500?

Transporting an historical figure from another time and another place is always a risky procedure, because of the over dependence on our imagination. Yet, the concept of time travelling has an enduring appeal either by way of transporting us into the past or the future, or by bringing someone from the past, or the future into our twenty-first...

5th Nov 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

What's the Connection?

The day that Martin Luther chose to nail his ninety-five Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg is commonly recognised as Halloween. While this is the season where many are fascinated with the ghoulish and obscene, it also marks half term in the school calendar and is punctuated by some of the biggest fireworks displays of the year. Was it significant that Luther ch

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21st Oct 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

In 1398, Johannes Gutenberg was born in Mainz, Germany. God, the author of history, gifted this young man with abilities that would not only change the world but also prepare the way for the spiritual explosion that was the Protestant Reformation. Johannes Gutenberg must surely rank among the illustrious inventors in human history. He is equal to Stevenson and his steam locomotive, to Ford and ...

7th Oct 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

2017 is the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation because 31st October 1517 marked the true commencement of this movement. On the final day of October 1517, the Augustinian Monk, who was also Doctor of Theology, in the University of Wittenberg, went to the door of the Castle Church where he was priest to nail his paper. By publishing his document, which became kno...

23rd Sep 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

Comparing a religious exercise with a gambling game may seem odd at one end of the spectrum, while at the other extreme such a description may appear grossly offensive, because of its blasphemous and sacrilegious nature. By employing this terminology, however, historian Ronald Bainton finds the spark that ignited the revolution that we today call The Protestant Reformation. The practice of indulge...

9th Sep 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

In the sixteenth century, religious tourism generated large sums of money for the Papacy and for the city of Rome. In the Renaissance Period, the Church invested heavily in impressive works of art, which continue to be admired today, all of which helped to boost the city's status as the spiritual centre and a magnet for tourists.

Therefore, when Martin Luther, as a monk and priest, was asked to repr...

26th Aug 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

In 1738, more than 200 years after the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation, two brothers, who were destined to become among the most famous names in British history, were earnestly seeking peace for their souls. Since their days in Oxford University, where their little society was nicknamed "The Holy Club", John and Charles Wesley had, through good works and religion, been attempting to earn t...

12th Aug 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

ECUMENISM IN FANCY DRESS

It is impossible for Christians in Europe to avoid the subject of the Reformation and the personality of Martin Luther in this year which marks half a millennium, since the German Monk first made his mark on world history. Indeed, it would be to hide under the proverbial rock if we were to ignore Martin Luther as if he never existed, or pretended that his influence has litt...

29th Jul 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

The life of Martin Luther is one of the great testimonies of Church History. Like Christian, the pilgrim, in John Bunyan's most famous allegory, he experienced many pitfalls and much danger on his route to the Celestial City.

As with Christian, Martin Luther was the pilgrim who set off on his journey by leaving his family in the City of Destruction. On the 2nd July 1505, he became gravely alarmed wh...

15th Jul 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

Connecting 1517 with 1690

Where the Englishman grows up with the year 1066 firmly entrenched on his psyche, the Ulster Protestant has an innate veneration for the year 1690. 1066 A.D. and 1690 A.D. have much in common. In each case, battles were fought, the victor was the leader of an invasion force by the name of William, and the future of the crown of England was at stake. Indeed, both William ...

1st Jul 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

Books are like ships, carrying their stores of treasure across the waves of time. Their precious cargoes are priceless beyond the worth of gold, silver and precious stones. The currency of books is knowledge, precious gifts bequeathed from one civilisation to another. The writer dies, his society and generation fades away like the leaves on the trees, yet the words, the ideas and the philosophie...

17th Jun 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

On this important Reformation Anniversary, we do well to stop and ask the question, 'What is Protestantism?' To some, Protestantism represents a church, to others a political ideology, to others a sectarian entity while there are those who conceive Protestantism to be a cultural association. There is some truth in all of these assertions. Churches, since the Reformation, wear the name of a Prote...

3rd Jun 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

In the German city of Worms, the scene of Luther's bold defence before Charles V, The Holy Roman Emperor, stands one of the world's finest memorials to the Reformation. While this monument reflects the politics of the movement, it is fitting that the theology should be central. Surrounded by the princes whose influence guaranteed Protestant freedom, stands an impressive statue of Martin Luther. A...

20th May 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

In modern Western society, parents often think twice before applying physical chastisement in correcting their wayward children. Certainly, even the most restrained parents who use this means of correction would be most cautious before exercising a discreet smack in public, because such an act could be misconstrued as being cruel. Even though British Law still allows the use of the "smack", such i...

6th May 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

It remains the case, in some cultures, that parents educate their children with the full expectation that there will be a financial return. Wherever the son or daughter travels, money will be despatched home to help support those who cradled, nurtured and educated. When exposed to this attitude recently, particularly among Chinese people, I was struck with the high expectations placed upon the y...

22nd Apr 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

Should I Attend or Not?

This is a question that arises from time to time. Someone we know through work, social connections or family links passes away, and that individual is a Roman Catholic. Should I attend the funeral mass? Would it seem rude if I didn't attend? What would be the best approach out of respect for the family? The same question may also arise when invited to a Roman Catholic wed...

8th Apr 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

"There he is. Do you see him?" The guide pressed a button, activating a light which shone into a crevice high up on the walls of the Angel Choir in Lincoln Cathedral. The visitors looked up with interest, gazing at the little stone figure with his beady eyes and horned head, smiling devilishly from his place. For hundreds of years, this little man has surveyed this corner of Lincoln Cathedral and si...

26th Mar 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

The 16th Century controversy which engulfed Germany and Martin Luther may seem far removed from the tranquility of Lough Erne in the 6th Century. Appearances, however, are deceiving. Although 1,000 years of history separates the two locations, there is a rich vein of truth that unites 16th Century Wittenberg with Ireland and Lough Erne in the 6th Century.

Roman Catholicism has invented the myth tha...

12th Mar 2017

by Rev. Peter McIntyre

Was the Protestant Reformation responsible for rupturing the Church with schism, leaving a legacy of bitterness and division?

This is the charge that Roman Catholicism levels at Martin Luther and the movement that he was so instrumental in germinating. It is a serious charge and one that must be answered. If the Reformation was schism, then it was a sinful movement, and every Protestant ought there...

26th Feb 2017