This week in Christian history: Old Fashioned Revival Hour, Reformation dispute, Missionary Society formed

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, September 29, 2019

Colloquy of Marburg begins – October 1, 1529

German theologian and religious reformer Martin Luther.

This week marks the anniversary of when a meeting was held between Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli aimed at trying to unite the Protestant Reformation.

Held in Germany from Oct. 1-4, the goal of the Colloquy was to unite Swiss Protestants under Zwingli and German Protestants under Luther.

While the meeting found both sides agreeing on 14 points of belief, the two leaders ended up failing to reconcile their two camps due to differing views on Communion.

Luther believed that the Lord's Supper literally became the body and blood of Christ, whereas Zwingli believed that the terminology was not meant to be taken literally.

“Luther refused to shake hands with Zwingli when he departed and he made his dislike of Zwingli very public. With Luther's standing in northern Germany so high, it is easy to understand why the beliefs of Zwingli did not take root there,” explained The History Learning Site.