Overheard On A Saltmarsh

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  Nymph, nymph, what are your beads? Green glass, goblin. Why do you stare at them? Give them me. No. Give them me. Give them me. No. Then I will howl all night in the reeds, Lie in the mud and howl for them. Goblin, why do you love them so? They are better than stars or water, Better than voices of winds that sing, Better than any man's fair daughter, Your green glass beads on a silver ring. Hush, I stole them out of the moon. Give me your beads, I want them. No. I will howl in the deep lagoon For your green glass beads, I love them so. Give them me. Give them. No. - Harold Monro (1879 - 1932)

Father Of A Revolution

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500 years ago today, a man made a public post that made him the "unfriend" of many for his post ignited a revolution that was already waiting to happen. Someone merely needed to open the door, as it were. Many lost their lives because of his post but more lives were changed because of it. Yes, long before the advent of the internet and social media those kinds of things happened.

Augustinian monk Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) did not agree with the Church's practice of selling salvation (among other practices). Already quite religious, Luther thought he understood most Bible doctrines until he began actually read scripture in order to teach it. His practice had been to simply do and think as he was taught, to believe as he was told. Since reading the Bible he could no longer agree and wanted to address errors being propagated by the Church so he literally protested by publicly posting his grievances. He wanted to talk. And so began the Protestant Reformation. 

Listen to Dr. Ed Smither explain Luther's situation and consider how you are impacted by the Protestant Reformation in this short presentation, "Luther, Authority, Vernacular." Dr. Smither is the Dean of Intercultural Studies at Columbia International University. 

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