Protestantism

Removed the saints but kept the greed. Filtered the Word through denominations.

The Denomination Trap

Protestantism's great achievement was breaking the monopoly of Rome. Its great failure was replacing it with a thousand competing denominations, each claiming to have the truth. Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Anglican, Pentecostal, Evangelical — a marketplace of faiths where each seller peddles its own version of the Word.

Faith Alone

The doctrine of "faith alone" is a convenient fiction for the wealthy. If salvation comes by faith alone, then good works are unnecessary. The rich can buy their way into heaven with a tithe, while the poor labor in the fields. It is a theology that justifies the status quo.

The Blood of the Reformation

The Reformation was not a peaceful reform. It was a civil war that killed millions. The Thirty Years' War devastated Germany. The English Civil War beheaded a king. The Puritan invasion of Ireland slaughtered the native population and confiscated their land.

And now, the American Evangelical Empire, with its megachurches, television ministries, and political power. The prosperity gospel sells wealth as a sign of God's favor, while the poor are told to have faith and wait.