You are strongly encouraged to discuss these questions among yourselves on this board. I will monitor the discussions and participate in them from time to time.
A) The Protestant Reformation was as much a cultural revolution as it was a movement in religious doctrine. Discuss the culture of the Latin Church in the late Middle Ages and give reasons why it was spiritually unsatisfying for so many. Discuss Christian Humanism and how it reflects changing cultural ideals in Western Europe. What does the "sincerity threshold" refer to and how did it relate to the appeal of Catholic or Protestant doctrine in various parts of Europe?
B) Although Protestant reformers claimed to base their views on the eternal word of the Gospel, the Protestant movement went through many evolutions in the sixteenth century, often in response to contemporary events and developments. How did events like the Peasant's War and the Anabaptist movement change Protestant views of state authority? How did religious war contribute to the development of new models of state authority such as constitutionalism and absolutism?
C) The Catholic Reformation has often been labeled as a "counter-reformation" in the sense that it was a direct response to the Protestant movement. However many historians argue that the Catholic Reformation was its own movement that would have occurred in some form or another without Protestantism. Discuss movements to reform the Church in the sixteenth century including Christian Humanism and the Society of Jesus. Why did it take so long for the Council of Trent to take place? How did the Council of Trent reaffirm Catholic culture? How did it change the Catholic Church?
