Moral Purpose
Although Martin Luther felt he must expose incorrect teachings of the Catholic church, he clearly did not set out to alter the course of Christianity by splitting the church. He knew he could not endorse indulgences, yet he was loathe to hurt the church. Once his course was set, however, he continued to follow his morals and what he truly believed was morally upright for all humanity. This led to the Protestant movement in Christianity and the Peasant Wars in Germany. Both of these events caused Martin Luther great anguish. By doing what he thought was right, he brought harm to others.
The Change Process and Building Relationships
It did not take long for Martin Luther to gather followers, both peasants and priests who wanted reform in the church. Because he was trusted and courageous, many followers helped make the changes that Martin Luther wanted to make. If fact, he did have a group of friends that faithfully guarded him from both the peril of the stake and prison. He would "vanish"by his friends kidnapping him and no one would know where he was being held. Usually he would be in the safety and comfort of a Prince's castle who was sympathetic to his teachings. Luther connected with the common man and held their respect and love, until the end of the Peasant Wars when Luther criticized the followers that went to extremes. At this point, Luther's friends still guarded him but he had many enemies.
Knowledge Building and Coherence Making
Clearly, because of the knowledge Martin Luther learned through his reading of the Bible, men of the time saw him as an intelligent leader. He had his doctorate in theology and was a professor of Biblical studies. His passion of sharing his learning with others was infectious. He would debate, write pamphlets, give sermons and share discourse with anyone willing to converse with him. He was a great communicator. He wrote in the German language that was known by all Germans, not in the Latin language used by the church and her priests. He married and had children. His life in some ways was like everyone else, yet he was eloquent in speech and writing. This was one of his greatest strengths because he could touch the hearts of others by his words. He translated the Bible into German for all Germans to read.
2 comments:
Although there are some difference between Martin Luther and Randy Pausch, there are several characteristics that they hae in common. First they are both well educated men who were teachers. They were both excellent speakers and "common men" who lead others with their moral character.
They came from different time periods and of course had different life experiences, but both were leaders in their own right.
Hi Katie,
One truly imporetant point that you made is that Martin Luther communicated in German instead of the traditional Latin. This is is critical as a leader's ability to communicate is an essential trait. If a leader can not communicate effectively that individual will not lead for long and will not be successful. Guiding vision and moral purpose are exhibited by Martin Luther in all aspects f his life. These caharcteristics enabled him to affect change and make a huge difference in the lives of many. Good work!
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