On October 31, 1517, Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of a Catholic church in Wittenberg. This document made multiple accusations against the Church, but Luther's central objections were related to the sale of indulgences and a teaching that is often referred to as “works based salvation.”

Luther's 95 Theses are not only significant from a theological perspective, but also from a historical perspective, because the 95 Theses were subsequently published and distributed all over Europe (tens of thousands of copies were generated). This was made possible by the advent of the printing press in the 1450s.

The Roman Catholic Church did not take Luther's views as constructive criticism, which is what Luther might have hoped would be the reaction to his work. In 1520, a papal bull (official statement) of excommunication was issued against Luther, which Luther publicly burned along with a stack of church books.

The Diet of Worms

Ultimately, Luther was brought before the Diet of Worms, a council in which he was to deny or affirm his previous writings. His books were laid out on a table and he was asked if he had written them all. He said yes and was then asked if he still believed all the things that had been written. He asked for time to think and pray about it, and this request was granted.

Eventually, Luther apologized for the harsh tone of some of his writing (especially the writing that criticized specific individuals), but he refused to repudiate his work. He felt that to deny those statements would be tantamount to encouraging abuses to continue. “Here I stand,” Luther is reported to have said. “I can do no other. God help me, amen.” Many contemporary scholars question whether these words were actually said or are merely part of the tradition. No official documents from the Diet of Worms actually contain this quotation.

Outlawing Luther

In 1521, the “Edict of Worms” was issued by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, officially banning Luther's writings and claiming that Luther was an outlaw. According to the “Edict of Worms,” anyone was welcome to kill Luther without legal ramifications.

Although Luther was promised safe passage to and from the Diet of Worms, many believed that he would be arrested and possibly taken prisoner on his way home from the council. Because of this, Luther's ally, Prince Frederick, arranged to have him secretly snatched by his envoys and taken to the Wartburg palace. There, Luther began work on his famous German translation of the Bible.

Luther's writings (although officially banned) continued to attract widespread popular support. By the time he died in 1546, he was still calling for reform within the Church, yet the seeds of Lutheranism had already been planted in the hearts of some of his followers. While he was still alive, some Christians who believed in his famous formula sola gratia, sola fida et sola scriptura began calling themselves Lutherans.