The English ReformationView series

The English Reformation: Origins and causes

By Revd Dr Richard Turnbull  |  2018 Autumn Lectures

The English Reformation: Origins and causes

Why did the English Reformation take place and why is it important?

Popular piety on the eve of the Reformation was largely shaped by superstition and seemed far removed from the gospel of Jesus Christ. In essence, the Reformation represented a crisis of authority between the Bible and the Church.

Some see the English Reformation as a political expediency imposed from above on an unwilling people. Yet there was a clear demand for reform as individuals came to grasp hold of the biblical idea of justification by faith alone. The Bible, doctrine and liberty are among the many reasons why the English Reformation remains so important.