#REDIRECT {{summary | text=In the 16th century, the practice of buying [[indulgences]] for the [[forgiveness of sins]] was prominent in the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. A number of prominent Christians questioned the teaching of purgatory and indulgences, culminating in 1517 with the German [[Martin Luther]] circulating his [[95 Theses]] disputing indulgences. This marked the start of the Reformation and the Protestant Church. The ideas in Germany were taken up in other northern European countries, England and Switzerland. The [[Protestant Churches]] taught that the [[Bible]] had [[Sola Scriptura|sole absolute authority]], that every believer could come to [[God the Father]] through [[Christ]] without the need for a [[priest]], and that [[justification]] was through faith alone. The [[Roman Catholic]] response to The Protestant Reformation is known as The [[Counter Reformation]].}} {{overview}} {{topics}}* [[Protestantism]] | [[Roman Catholicism]]* [[Martin Luther]] | [[95 Theses]]* [[Wittenburg]]* [[Counter Reformation]]* [[Indulgence]] {{opinions}} {{quotes}} {{returnto}} [[Church history]]