Episode 8 – Power struggles between Church, Society, and Family

• After things went so poorly in Augsburg, Luther snuck out of town early in the morning, leaving a note for Cardinal Cajetan bidding him farewell.
• Frederick the Wise continued the negotiations on Luther’s behalf with Cajetan.
• Luther returned to Wittenberg and wrote his account of the proceedings there.
• Luther has completed the first stage of mapping out what it means for Catholic theology to have been saved by grace and not works. This work will continue as he is asked again later to answer to the Catholic leadership in Leipzig but, for now, he has a little break from that battle.

How did the investiture controversy lay the ground work for a small town friar in Germany to lead a revolution of power that is built on the truth of God’s Word?

The investiture controversy was an important conflict between the religious and secular powers in medieval Europe. The dispute developed in the 11th century  concerning who had the authority to appoint bishops.

Martin Luther pastorally cares about the vocation that all people have in their callings in the church, state, and the family. The balance he sought for these powers is built on his desire that we use our gifts to serve others instead of seeking people to serve us.