/lit/ - Literature

>>9988851

>>6051164
>How do Protestants justify the reformation in spite of the belief of the Holy Spirit guiding the church from falter existing for 1,500 years prior?

Because the holy spirit came to them and required them to reform the church. The reformation was a feature of the holy spirit guiding the church rather than a deviation.

>If the church is to be recognized as the centralized institution, then the church would not have faltered to the point reformers felt a reformation was important.

That doesn't follow, it being centralized is not important it keeping in line with the teachings of christ and the guidance of the holy spirit is.

>If the church is the body of believers, then they could not have believed in church authority over scripture for over 1,000 years, as all sects did before the Reformation.

>Doesnt know about the lollards

Silliness aside the history of the church prior to the reformation was preparing the world so that the changes of the reformation could take place. A church being a body of believers was not viable on a global scale until the conditions of the 16th century (the printing press, increased urbanization ect) which is almost certainly why the holy spirit did not unleash the creative forces of the reformation until then.

>The only clear cut answer is that the Protestants are wrong.

Or that perhaps the holy spirit acts in ways contrary to your biases and preconceptions