Luther's Revolution: 500 Years of the Protestant Reformation

History Speaks in Stratford: Luther’s Revolution: 500 Years of the Protestant Reformation Martin Luther created a storm that not only challenged the church, it changed European culture. Prof. Jeff Kleiman will discuss this topic at 7 pm Monday, February 5, 2018, at Zion Lutheran Church, 700 N. Second Ave, Stratford. “Luther’s Revolution: 500 Years of the Protestant Reformation” is part of the History Speaks in Your Town series presented by the Marathon County Historical Society and the Continuing Education office of UW-Marathon County. The Roman Catholic Church was the only form of Christianity in Europe when Martin Luther initiated debate on the issue of indulgences, thought to guarantee divine pardon. Such debates about doctrine were common during the medieval times. Usually, this verbal sparring took place among church leaders, in academic settings closed to the public. In Luther’s time, the debate moved into the public arena. His thoughts sparked a firestorm that forever changed the direction of European – hence Western – culture. Jeff Kleiman will outline Luther’s legacy and events that sparked the Protestant Reformation, now marking its 500th anniversary. Jeff Kleiman is a professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Marshfield/Wood County. This talk is free and open to the public. All donations are appreciated. Registration is not required. For more information, please call the Marathon County Historical Society at 715-842-5750. The Historical Society is grateful to Janke Book Store and to Compass Properties for their sponsorship of the History Speaks series, and to the Murco Foundation and the Larry and Elsie Lohr Fund for their support for History Speaks In Your Town. For more information, please call the Marathon County Historical Society at 715-842-5750.