As part of our Reformation remembrance and our home Bible Study, we will be showing the latest Luther movie. Here is a brief synopsis of the movie.

Born in 1483, Martin Luther (Joseph Fiennes) was an intelligent and principled young man who was studying law in early 16th century Germany when a close brush with death led him to follow a spiritual path and join a Catholic monastery. Under the guidance of Johann von Staupitz (Bruno Ganz), Luther became a valued member of the monastery's hierarchy, and as a sign of his trust, von Staupitz asked Luther to join him for a voyage to Rome as part of church business. Luther was appalled by the corrupt practices of the leading church officials, in particular the sale of "indulgences," in which the wealthy could purchase forgiveness for a wide variety of sins. Luther left the monastery to study theology in Wittenberg; a keen student, he later became a professor and won the support of Frederick the Wise (Peter Ustinov), who also recognized the potential controversy of Luther's iron principles.

When a new pope, Leo X, assumes the throne at the Vatican, he orders the construction of St. Peter's Basilica. To pay the costs, an ambitious monk, Johann Tetzel (Alfred Molina), was sent out to sell indulgences to both the wealthy and the poor, leaving his audiences with little doubt of the eternal consequences that awaited those who did not empty their purses. An infuriated Luther wrote an angry essay on the corruption of the church entitled "95 Theses," and thanks to the recent invention of the printing press, Luther's words were soon circulated throughout Europe, leading to an angry conflict with Catholic officials which threatened to tear the church in two.

Pastor Neumann leads a Sunday evening Bible Study at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church running from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Currently, the Bible Study group is studying 1st Corinthians and Paul's letter to the young church at Corinth. There are many issues the Paul addresses with the congregation there as they struggle to find their way as Christians.

Background: Paul is the acknowledged author by himself in writing and by the early church fathers. His authorship was attested to by Clement of Rome as early as A.D. 96. The less was written about 55 A.D., toward the close of Paul's three year residency in Ephesus. It is clear from his reference to staying at Ephesus until Pentecost (see 16:8) that Paul intended to remain there somewhat less than a year when he wrote 1 Corinthians.