A Celebration of Five Centuries of Evangelical Heritage

By Shelby McGuire

Cedarville faculty and students joined together in the BTS building for a different kind of celebration on Halloween night. After stopping at Schmidt’s food truck for some classic German eats, curious students stepped into the foyer of the BTS, which was briefly transformed into a cathedral as the voices of the Concert Chorale group rang out, singing Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” After the performance, there were opportunities for students to mingle through different sessions about Renaissance German culture and the Reformation’s history and impact on Christianity.

Professors from the Bible department, clad in 16th-century monk attire, hosted talks about topics on the Protestant Reformation including the translation of the Bible and Luther’s life. Along with these educational elements, there were also opportunities to have fun with a lesson in German dance and a Reformation-themed photo booth where students posed as Luther nailing the 95 Theses.

The purpose of this event was to commemorate and celebrate the Protestant Reformation initiated by Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg in 1517. Oct. 31, 2017, marked the 500th anniversary of this event, and as a Christian university, Cedarville celebrated this event as an important element of Evangelical Christian Heritage.

According to Dr. Jason Lee, dean of the School of Biblical and Theological Studies, this event was created with three main goals in mind: to have fun, to educate students about the theology of the Reformation, and to provide a chance to learn about Martin Luther’s contributions to the Reformation.

These goals were accomplished for freshman youth ministry major Bethany Sullivan. Sullivan said she was interested in coming to the Reformation Celebration after learning a little bit about the Reformation in her majors’ assembly meeting this month. After attending the Reformation Celebration, she said that she learned more about the gravity of the impact that Luther’s theses had on the church.

“The Reformation was so important for the church. Without the 95 Theses we wouldn’t have the church,” she said. “It helps us to understand the basis of why we believe what we believe from the Bible.”

Shelby McGuire is a Freshman Journalism major and writer for Cedars. She enjoys drinking tea, crocheting scarves, and power lifting.