Protestant reformer. Martin Luther was the first and greatest figure in the 16th-century Reformation. A composer of commentaries on Scripture, theology, and ecclesiastical abuses, a hymnologist, and a preacher, from his own time to the present he has been a symbol of Protestantism. In 1505, he made a decision that changed the course of his life radically: he decided to enter the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt. This decision shaped the rest of his life, and his search for a merciful God and His Will culminated in the development of the Reformation of the Church. Luther's negative personal experiences with the ecclesiastical means of grace resulted in not only increasing criticism of the deplorable state of affairs within the church but above all to a fundamental reconsideration of medieval theology.
The most important and influential event since Biblical times to the present occurred when Luther stood before the Pope (the most powerful man in the world at that time - when he spoke, kings trembled) and stated after being told to recant his teachings/views, "Here I stand - I can do no other." This event were more consequential and changed the course of history more than the invention of the printing press, the discovery/use of the A-Bomb, or either World War (as important as these events were)!!! - Howdy http://xrl.us/dyt2