How William Farel Befriended and Guided Reformer John Calvin

Famous French Reformer William Farel

“His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” – Matthew 25:21 When we think of famous Christian Reformers connected with Switzerland, there is a good chance that…

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Over 500 Years Since Martin Luther’s 95 Theses Ignited Reformation

Reformation Day

More than 500 years ago, in 1517, Martin Luther’s 95 Theses was written. It attacked the Catholic Church’s corrupt practice of selling “indulgences,” or what we might call “selling salvation passes for money.” Martin Luther was a Pastor who, among numerous other 16th century Priests and Pastors, began to criticize the Catholic Church that they served. Luther…

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Switzerland: 5 Top Reasons it’s a Hot Reformation Teaching Site

Switzerland Zurich on Reformation tour

Switzerland and the Reformation The Switzerland Reformation began in 1519 with the sermons of Ulrich Zwingli, whose teachings largely paralleled Luther’s. Geneva, Switzerland soon became a hotbed for Protestant exiles. In 1541 John Calvin, who had spent the previous decade in exile writing his Institutes of the Christian Religion, was invited to settle in Geneva…

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Luther’s Scruples Exhaust Staupitz

Patient and Persistent Mentor Tucked away in the pages of Reformation history lies the figure of Johann von Staupitz. His is certainly not the first name that comes to mind when considering the Reformation heroes. He served as Martin Luther’s superior within the Augustinian Order and importantly also as his father confessor during the first…

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Martin Luther in Erfurt

Erfurt, Protestant Monastery of St Augustine

Erfurt, Germany was Martin Luther’s spiritual home. A student at Erfurt’s famous university between 1501 and 1505, Luther first studied the Seven Liberal Arts, then theology and, at his father’s wish, jurisprudence.

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Young Theologian’s Impact on the Reformation

Where does John Calvin Fit into the Reformation? While on a Reformation Tour you will be immersed in historical context of the Reformation. You will explore the lives and teachings of the Reformers, and resulting effects of their preaching of Reformed Theology. John Calvin, a major figure in the movement, is one of the subjects…

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Walk Wittenberg’s Cobblestone Streets

Wittenberg: Walk where Martin Luther walked While on a Reformation Tour you will be immersed in the historical context of the Reformation by exploring the lives and teachings of the Reformers, and the resulting effects of the Reformed Theology they preached. In our itinerary we visit the town of Wittenberg, Germany, home to Martin Luther,…

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Visitors are Stunned Visiting the Pergamon Museum

Pergamon Museum

The Gate of Ishtar at the Pergamon Museum Chilling. For more than 2,000 years the Ishtar Gate has stood for the Immorality and corruption of Babylon. The Old Testament depicts it as an evil city. The Tower of Babel, a symbol of human arrogance, began there. Located between the Tigris and Euphrates in what today is…

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How does John Calvin Fit into the Reformation?

John Calvin on Refomation tour

John Calvin’s Rise and Impact Nineteen years after Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of a Catholic church in Germany, John Calvin was asked to become a leader of the Protestant movement in Geneva, Switzerland. Dr. Erwin Lutzer writes in his book, Rescuing the Gospel, “Calvin had gone to Geneva to escape…

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