Martin Luther is responsible for the birth of the Protestant
             Reformation with the publication of his Ninety-Five Theses on October 31,
             1517 in which he attacked the Church's sale of indulgences (Martin pp).
             Luther advocated a theology that rested on God's gracious activity in Jesus
             Christ, rather than in human works (Martin pp). The majority of all
             Protestants trace their history beck to Martin Luther in one way or another
             "Who would ever have divined that I would become
             a bachelor and then a master of arts, then lay aside
             my brown student's cap and leave it to others in order
             to become a monk, thereby of course earning for myself
             much shame so that my father was bitterly displeased;
             and that despite all I would get into the pope's hair - and
             he in turn in mine - and take a runaway nun for my wife'
             Who would have predicted this for me" (Peevers Pp)'
             Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483 in Eisleben in the Holy
             Roman Empire, in what is today eastern Germany (Martin pp). After his
             birth, his peasant parents, Hans and Magarete, moved to Manfeld where his
             father was a relatively successful miner and smelter (Martin pp). The
             second born child of four children, Luther and his brother James were the
             only two that lived to adulthood, the other two brothers having died during
             outbreaks of the plague (Martin pp). In order for Martin to have a better
             life, Hans pledged that he would do what was necessary to see that Martin
             could become a lawyer and saw to it that his son started school in Mansfeld
             at the age of seven (Martin pp). At the age of fourteen, Luther spent one
             year at Magdeburg and then enrolled in Latin school in Eisenach until 1501
             when he entered the University of Erfurt where he studied the basic course
             Luther's spiritual and theological development was the principal...