The Reformation and Confession: A Dummy’s Guide & Thoughts on Protestantized Roman Catholicism

The Reformation sought to change the nature of confession. In Luther’s day, the church viewed penance as a means of satisfying the temporal penalty of sin. If you showed enough contrition and received priestly absolution, you could earn certain benefits in the world to come or reduce the debt of punishment for loved ones in purgatory. Luther wrote the 9…