Die gemeinsame Grundlage der christlichen Religion und deren strittiges Grundverständnis

As Luther emphasized, the Reformation was not meant to shake the foundations to which the medieval church also adhered. Yet Luther's precise critique of the »supplements«, which had accumulated on these foundations with religious severity in the course of history, shows that the basic understanding of Christianity had been altered. As far as the medieval churches were concerned, the »supplements«, if they had been recognized at all, derived their legitimization from the clerical hierarchy's authority to make new religious habits and practices obligatory. However the comprehension of what Luther advocated as a genuine basic understanding of Christianity requires the reconstruction of his concentration on the word of God in the relationship between law and gospel. The distinction between the common foundation of the Christian religion and its debatable basic understanding might prove to be beneficial to a pragmatic ecumenism.