Luther burning the papal bull: Encouragement to flaunt church discipline? (1)
This article by Douglas Kuiper examines Martin Luther's 1520 burning of the papal bull Exsurge Domine as a historical event and explores its proper application for modern believers. Kuiper clarifies that while Luther's act was justified in response to an apostate church, it should not be invoked to justify resistance to legitimate church discipline exercised by a true church through her elders and consistory.
The scene was Wittenberg, Germany; the date was December 10, 1520. Toward a fire burning in a courtyard, a procession of students made its way. There were dozens of students, led by Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon, with arms full of books that taught the heresies of Rome. On the fire went the books, their words and pages reduced to nothing. Along with them, Luther burned one other document: the bull Exsurge Domine, in which Pope Leo X threatened Luther with excommunication. By this act,...
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