Word of the Day
November 24, 2022
Reformation
A 16th-century religious movement that sought to reform the Catholic Church, leading to the establishment of Protestant churches; more broadly, the act of making changes to improve something that is considered corrupt or unsatisfactory.
From Latin 'reformatio' meaning 'a forming again' or 'restoration,' from 're-' (again) + 'formare' (to form). First used in the religious sense in the 16th century.
Usage Examples
- The Protestant Reformation of 1517 transformed Christianity by enabling believers to have a direct relationship with God without church hierarchy.
- The Pilgrims were products of the Reformation, seeking religious freedom to worship according to their own understanding of Scripture.
- America's founding represented a political reformation as revolutionary as Luther's religious one.
From the Show
The concept of reformation pervaded the Thanksgiving 2022 broadcast as historian Bill Federer and author Scott Powell traced how the Protestant Reformation’s emphasis on individual conscience and direct relationship with God shaped the Pilgrims’ revolutionary approach to self-government.