Doctrines of Demons: the religious radicals

episode 1: Prophets of Violence: from Müntzer ... to Münster

Defenders of the Catholic Church against Martin Luther predicted that the Reformation would unleash ongoing religious fragmentation. And they were right.

Radicals of all kinds emerged, frustrated with the Protestant Reformers — or agreeing with some of their doctrines but wishing to push other ideas much further than Luther, Zwingli, Calvin etc. wanted.

These dissenters differed wildly among themselves, too. Some were violent revolutionaries; others, biblicist evangelicals who wanted to break the link between church and state. Still others emphasised inward religion at the expense of all outward ceremonies and institutions ... while others were rationalists who rejected the doctrine of the Trinity.

Inevitably, the reputation of all was blackened by the excesses of the worst. So today, we start with an examination of these disreputables whose doings, whilst lurid, nevertheless hold important practical lessons for us today.