When most folks think about Martin Luther, they remember that pivotal moment when, on October 31, 1517, he nailed his “95 theses” to the door of the castle church at Wittenberg. The event in itself was not the bold act of defiance that we assume, for it was then common practice for professors to publicly post items for debate. In those days, university church doors were much like the bulletin boards or campus telephone poles of today. Yet this particular posting took the world by storm: Within two weeks, the 95 theses, Luther’s thoughtful and probing questioning of current Roman Catholic practices, had spread across Germany. Within two months, and with the help of the printing press, the document had been copied, translated, and could be found throughout the whole of Europe. This, then, is the story that most of us know and remember: Luther; nailing of the theses; Reformation; end of story.

Actual history, of course, is a bit messier. In stark contrast to the blazing speed that Luther’s theses were posted and distributed, the response of the Roman Catholic Church was painfully slow. First, the local cardinal had Luther’s document examined for heresy, then sent it along to the Pope who, in turn, took three years to respond. Papal theologians and envoys were sent to confront the problem while the Pope himself dismissed Luther as “a drunken German who, when [he’s] sober, will change his mind.” After negotiations and warnings (Luther responded by burning a papal edict) the “drunken German” was excommunicated by the church in early 1521.

But that’s not the end of the story, for when the Pope banned some of Luther’s writings, it fell to the secular authorities to enforce the ruling. And so, in April of 1521, Luther was summoned to appear before officials of the Holy Roman Empire with Emperor Charles V presiding. At the highly charged trial (right), Luther identified the writings in question as his own and was then asked if he stood by their contents. His response, which came the following day after prayer and consultation with friends, was this: “Unless I shall be convinced by the testimonies of the Scriptures or by clear reason...I neither can nor will make any retraction, since it is neither safe nor honorable to act against conscience.” Legend has it that he added: “Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.” After five days of debate, Luther was declared an outlaw, his literature was banned, a warrant was issued for his arrest, it was made a crime for anyone to give him food or shelter, and it was decreed that anyone could kill him without reason. Happily for Luther, he was spirited away into exile at Wartburg (“my Patmos”, he called it) and avoided the criminal charges against him.

Of course, that’s not the end of the story, either. Sometime you should read about Luther’s exile, his marriage (it involves a former nun and a herring barrel), and most of all, you should read some of Luther’s writings. He was a complicated, marvelous, earthy, saintly, silver-tongued, foul-mouthed, brilliant priest-theologian-revolutionary-husband-father who was at once both courageous and stricken with self doubt.

There is a lot we can learn from Luther’s example, but here's perhaps the most helpful piece for our church in these days: Standing for orthodoxy will require some patience and time. It won’t all be over with a single act. Recently, FOPC clearly and overwhelmingly laid down a mandate for denominational affiliation and, with it, a statement about standing for biblical clarity. Next, the local Presbytery clearly and overwhelmingly affirmed our decision and the work of the official negotiating teams. But our stand for biblical truth will still require patience and, most likely, take some time to sort out. It may be inconvenient or occasionally frustrating, but, thanks be to God, we will most likely not be subjected to the hail of accusations and charges that Luther was. But you can't nail your beliefs to the church door and not expect to have some difficulties. Reformation is not a quick, simple event. Much like history, it's usually messier.

And in the meantime? To paraphrase Luther: "Unless [we] shall be convinced by the testimonies of the Scriptures or by clear reason...[we] neither can nor will make any retraction, since it is neither safe nor honorable to act against conscience. Here [we] stand. [We] can do no other. God help [us]. Amen."