World Changers
Charla Fernandez
Western Governors University

World Changers Martin Luther brought about significant social and political change in the sixteenth century, which sparked the Protestant Reformation. “Any attempt to assess Luther’s impact must begin with his redefining of the individual” (Wilson, 2007, p.34). Luther’s personal convictions led him to attack the idea that individuals must go through a repetitive process or to a religious leader to grant them freedom from the wages of sin. He believed that the Bible was the true Word of God and could be read and understood by all people. He placed the Bible as truth above all societal ideology. Luther liberated people to think on their own, to refuse tradition as absolute truth and to research the Bible to draw their own conclusions. People liked his writings and his theology spread widely. Luther espoused that salvation in Christ Jesus was the cure for a guilty conscious or sin. He taught that a mediator between God and man was unnecessary, for each individual could commune with God directly. According to Wilson (2007), Luther translated the Bible into German. This gave the Germans the ability to read, ponder, and come to their own conclusions about how righteousness is obtained. No longer were the people kept in ignorance. Priest, monks and nuns began to abandon the Roman Catholic Church in order to pursue family life. Luther’s teachings lead to the Protestant Reformation. Luther’s followers took the churches funds and brought them to be used for the poor. Schools were no longer controlled by the Catholic Church. Eventually, Luther’s ideas spread to the whole world. Another world changer was Martin Luther King, Jr., who sparked reform in the United States from 1950 to 1960. After the civil war was over, states began instituting segregation. Martin Luther King, Jr. was instrumental in