Why Did the Reformation Happen | Theology for Kids

Why Did the Reformation Happen? Teach your kids (ages 8-11) what caused the Protestant Reformation with a book about theology for kids.

Why Did the Reformation Happen? Church History for Kids

Ideas have consequences.

In his book, The Consequences of Ideas, the late R.C. Sproul (1939-2017) wrote:

Grab your FREE 130-page Bible Study Tool Kit--and learn about Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible!

Foundational thinking cares about the difference between truth and falsehood because it cares about good and evil.

Theology for kids matters. It matters because ideas have consequences, and those consequences shape the course of world history. Often, we hold strong ideas at the core of our belief system without really understanding where those ideas come from. Are they truly biblical? Where did our belief system come from?

Fortunately for our kids, ideas have a history and history is a story. Our kids love story, and they learn well through the telling of story and biography.

Why Did the Reformation Happen?

Lost things, once they are forgotten, can be hard to find again. Have you ever cleaned the back corner of your closet, only to find something you once dearly loved? Maybe it was your favorite shirt and now you are too big to wear it.

Alas–that’s a word which means oh no!–just over five hundred years ago, God’s people lost his Word to us.

Why Did the Reformation Happen?, Danika Cooley (Christian Focus Publications, 2021), page 6

The Protestant Reformation (1350-1648) was a theological movement that changed the Christian Church–and the history of the world. It is important our kids know the history of the Reformation–and its causes.

Take your kids through the Bible in just three years! Try out Bible Road Trip™ with a free three-week sample pack.

From the street preaching of early Reformers like John Wycliffe and Jan Hus to the birth of new denominations and movements like the Anabaptists, Baptists, and Puritans, the Reformation was a fight to return to the truths of the Bible. Those truths were expressed in easily shared slogans we now call the five Solas.

The Who What Why series is the perfect way to teach your kids, ages 6-11, about the history of our faith!

What Caused the Protestant Reformation?

The time of the Reformation in Europe was marked by the domination–and corruption–of the Roman Catholic Church. Each of the Reformers fought for a return to the inspired, inerrant, infallible truths of the Bible.

There were many converging forces and new technology that both impacted and allowed for the Reformation. There were a few primary causes that our kids need to know about in order to understand why the Reformation happened:

God’s Word alone is our authority and the Bible is sufficient for salvation.
We are saved through Christ alone. It is his atoning work on the cross that saves us from our sin.
Our salvation is by the grace of God alone–not through anything we can do to cause God to save us. It is a gift from him.
Salvation in Christ by the grace of God is through faith alone. It is through the faith that God gives us that we are able to believe on Jesus and be saved from our sins.
Our lives are to be lived to the glory of God alone, and all things work to bring glory to his holy name.

The Protestant Reformation was caused by a return to the truth of Scripture that our faith is in Jesus, not in councils, human tradition, or men. Our children need to know and understand what caused the Protestant Reformation.

Who What Why Reformation Free Printable Lapbooks

Learn more about the Who What Why series and get your FREE Reformation Lapbooks here.

The Reformation | Theology for Kids

Your kids can learn about the the causes and history of the Reformation, the impact, and the Reformers God used to bring the gospel to the Christian Church.

In a fun and engaging tone, the Christian theology and history book Why Did the Reformation Happen? will take your kids through the story of the Protestant Reformation.

Why Did the Reformation Happen? chapters:

Chapter One: The Finding of the Gospel
Chapter Two: Sola Scriptura
Chapter Three: First Steps Toward Truth
Chapter Four: Solus Christus
Chapter Five: Reformers Reforming Things
Chapter Six: Sola Gratia and Sola Fide
Chapter Seven: More Reformers Reforming Things
Chapter Eight: Soli Deo Gratia
Chapter Nine: Reformation Going Forward
Timeline

Your kids will learn about major Reformers:

John Wycliffe (c. 1328-1384), England
Jan Hus (c. 1369-1425), Bohemia
Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498), Italy
Martin Luther (1483-1546), Germany
Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531), Switzerland
John Calvin (1509-1564), France / Switzerland
Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556), England
John Knox (c. 1513-1572), Scotland
William Tyndale (1494-1536), England
Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560), Germany
Katharina Zell (1497-1562), Germany
Renee of Ferrara (1510-1575), France / Italy
Charlotte de Bourbon (c. 1546-1582), France / The Netherlands

Once your life has been forever changed by Jesus, you cannot help but live differently. It is not good living that makes Jesus love us. But when we love Jesus, we live good lives for him because we are so grateful for how he loves us. Christians desire to worship and praise God the way he wants us to be adored.

The last slogan the Reformers used to help us remember the truth is soli Deo gloria, which means to the glory of God alone.

Why Did the Reformation Happen?, Danika Cooley (Christian Focus Publications, 2021), page 68

Fabulously illustrated by Martyn Smith, the Who What Why series books are each 95 pages long with 8-9 chapters, perfect for your middle grade (ages 8-11) readers. The fun narrative makes each book an engaging family read aloud, but kids will love, too, that they can read the books on their own.

In fascinating sidebars, your kids will learn about important Reformation documents:

Five Slogans for Truth
Sentences by Peter Lombard (c. 1150)
Ninety-Five Theses by Martin Luther (1517)
Institutes of Christian Religion by John Calvin (1536, 1539, 1559)
Book of Common Prayer by Thomas Cranmer (1549, 1552)
Acts and Monuments by John Foxe (1563)
Heidelberg Catechism by Zacharius Ursinus and Caspar Olevianus (1563)
Canons of Dort by Synod of Dort (1619)
Westminster Confession of Faith (1646)

Why Did the Reformation Happen? is a fun way for kids to learn about a major movement in world history, important biblical truths, and the people God used to remind his Church that his word to us in the Bible alone, we are saved in Christ alone through grace alone by faith alone, and we are to give glory to God alone.

Purchase Why Did the Reformation Happen?

Your kids will love the Who What Why Reformation series with illustrated narratives for 8-11 year olds. And, Martin Luther’s young adult historical fiction story makes the perfect family read aloud!
Grab the autographed Reformation Family Bundle!

Christian Biographies for Kids | Christian History for Kids | Theology for Kids

“As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” – Psalm 16:3, ESV

Christian History Matters for Our Kids.

History matters. Now, more than ever, we see how important it is for our children to know and understand history and the Bible.

Here’s why:

God is the sovereign ruler of all things. It’s important for our kids to see his hand in the history of nations and in the lives of both peasants and kings.
Christian history is the story of our family history. Our kids get to see how people who love Jesus follow him.
Understanding history can help our kids learn historic and biblical theology. They learn what the Bible says and what that means for us. They also see when the study of Scripture has taken important turns that have changed the Church.
Reading Christian biographies and history can be a wonderful way for kids to think outside their own time and culture. God’s Church spans centuries and includes people from every nation.
Christian biographies help kids consider their own faith, walk with Jesus, and the impact their witness may one day have on others–and on history.