Renaissance, Exploration & ReformationLentWeek 21 of 32

The Protestant Reformation

Essential Question

Why did Western Christianity divide in the sixteenth century, and what did that division mean for the Church and the world?

This week the student studies the fracturing of Western Christianity: Luther's 95 Theses (1517), the real causes (clerical abuses, the printing press, German politics), the spread of reform through Calvin, Zwingli, and Henry VIII, and the resulting wars of religion. The aim is a fair, factual, charitable account that explains what Protestants believed and why, while remaining grounded in the Catholic faith. The week also opens the Lenten season and introduces a balanced argumentative essay.

Liturgical note: Lent likely begins this week (Ash Wednesday). Lent is the Church's forty-day season of repentance, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in preparation for Easter. The week's themes of conscience, reform, and the wounds of a divided Church fit the penitential mood; pray for Christian unity (John 17:21).

Threads at a Glance

What Each Thread Covers This Week

World History

Luther and the 95 Theses (1517); causes (abuses, printing, politics); Calvin and Zwingli; the English break under Henry VIII; the wars of religion and the fracturing of Christendom

US History

A House Divided: The Road to Disunion

Historical Figure

Martin Luther (a fair, factual treatment)

Geography

Religious Europe after the Reformation; draw the Catholic/Protestant divide around 1600

Art History

The Reformation and art — northern iconoclasm vs. Catholic imagery; Albrecht Durer; Lucas Cranach the Elder

Music History

The Lutheran chorale and the congregational hymn; how the Reformation reshaped Western music

Saint

Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher (martyrs of conscience under Henry VIII)

Virtue

Integrity (a rightly formed conscience — 'the King's good servant, but God's first')

Catechism

YOUCAT — the 6th and 9th Commandments: love, chastity, and purity of heart (age-appropriate)

Grammar

Common usage errors I — homophones and confusables (their/there/they're, etc.)

Writing

Persuasive/argument — a balanced essay on a contested historical question

Weekly Writing Assignment

A Balanced Argument: A Contested Question of the Reformation

Choose ONE contested question from the Reformation, for example: 'Was the Reformation primarily about religious truth or about politics and money?' or 'Could the division of Christendom have been avoided?' Write a balanced essay that (1) states your claim, (2) fairly explains the strongest case on the OTHER side, (3) gives your reasons with evidence, and (4) answers the opposing view charitably.

Skill: Argumentative writing that fairly represents an opposing view before answering it (the 'steel-man' before the rebuttal).Length: 5 paragraphs (about 450-600 words)

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