Was the Reformation a Mistake?

I. Introduction

A. Luther as Devil (Trent)
B. Luther as Half-Way Reformer (Anabaptists)
C. Luther as Apostle of Autonomy (Classical Liberalism)
D. Luther as Tragic Figure (Modern Ecumenism)
E. Reformation as Obstacle to Social Progress
1. Evangelicals and Catholics Together
2. New Perspectives on Paul
3. Federal Vision/ “Reformed Catholicism”

II. The Improbability of the Reformation

A. The Medieval Consensus on Scripture and Authority
1. Old Law/New
2. Scripture and Tradition
B. The Medieval Consensus on Grace
1. To Perfect Nature
2. Medicinal Substance Dispensed by the Church
C. The Medieval Consensus on Justification
1. Justification as Sanctification
2. Progressive and Future

III. The Necessity of the Reformation

A. The Moral Crisis of the Late Medieval Church
B. The Authority Crisis of the Late Medieval Church
C. The Spiritual Crisis of the Late Medieval Church