Protest Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol

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-2017 is a very special year

-for the Protestant churches.

-500 years ago in Wittenberg,

-Germany...

-..a monk called Martin Luther...

-..nailed a 95 article document

-to the door of the church.

-This was the visual symbol of the

-start of the Protestant Reformation.

-Welcome to Dechrau Canu

-Dechrau Canmol.

-# Soli Deo gloria

-# Soli Deo gloria

-# Soli Deo gloria #

-On this programme...

-..Revd Dr Alun Tudur will talk about

-Martin Luther's background.

-Martin Luther is one of the main

-reasons why we hold this in Welsh.

-There'll be a performance

-from Christian singer John Nicholas.

-We'll also hear

-from Reverend Aled Edwards...

-..about the way

-the church is taking a stand today.

-The church is fearless.

-It stands up for those

-who need support and justice.

-There's a collection

-of Martin Luther's quotes...

-..which were recorded when he spoke

-to his students around a table.

-One of these is...

-.."As long as we live,

-there is never enough singing."

-That's very appropriate

-for Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol.

-For the first hymn...

-..we join the congregation

-at St David's Cathedral.

-They're D Miall Edwards's words.

-"O Dduw, ein craig a'n noddfa,

-rho nawdd i'r gwan a'r tlawd."

-Revd Dr Alun Tudur is the pastor

-of Ebeneser Church in Cardiff.

-He has great interest

-in Martin Luther's life.

-Alun, who was Martin Luther?

-At the beginning

-of the Protestant Reformation...

-..Martin Luther was an unknown monk.

-His father

-was a fairly well-off miner.

-Martin Luther received quite

-a good education for that time.

-He considered becoming a lawyer...

-..but later decided to be a monk

-in a closed order.

-He fought against the Church. What

-were its weaknesses in his view?

-Martin Luther thought

-there was corruption in the Church.

-People were misusing its authority

-at the expense of ordinary people.

-One thing that got under his skin...

-..was indulgences.

-The Pope claimed he had

-the authority to forgive people.

-But he asked for money.

-In Germany, he had

-a special fundraising officer...

-..who sold indulgences...

-..in order to build

-St Peter's Basilica in Rome.

-You could buy forgiveness

-for all sorts of sins.

-More than that, it was possible

-to release people from purgatory.

-Cash only!

-The Catholic church's doctrine

-at the time...

-..was that, after dying, people's

-souls would go to purgatory.

-In purgatory, they'd wait thousands

-of years being cleaned and purified.

-When they were clean enough,

-they were released to heaven.

-At the time,

-he was preparing biblical studies...

-..on Paul's letter to the Romans.

-He read the two verses, 16 and 17,

-of the first chapter.

-"I am not ashamed of the gospel of

-Christ for it is the power of God...

-"..unto salvation

-to every one that believeth...

-"..to the Jew first,

-and also to the Greek.

-"For therein

-is the righteousness of God...

-"..revealed from faith to faith:

-as it is written...

-" 'The just shall live by faith'."

-Martin Luther realized that buying

-indulgences from the church...

-..wasn't the way to salvation.

-Doing good deeds wasn't either.

-Rather, it was through simple faith

-and a belief in Jesus Christ.

-That was one of the cornerstones

-of the Protestant Reformation.

-He then performed the dramatic act

-of nailing the 95 articles...

-..on the door of the church

-in Wittenberg.

-Apparently, on that day, 31 October,

-1517 - All Hallows Eve...

-..he'd left his monastery

-on one side of Wittenberg...

-..walked around half a mile...

-..to Castle Church

-on the other side of the town.

-He nailed the 95 theses or articles

-on the church door.

-The aim was to start a discussion.

-The main bone of contention was

-the sale of indulgences to people.

-They disadvantaged the poor,

-if they were real.

-One of the 95 articles was written

-tongue-in-cheek - number 82.

-"Why does the Pope

-in his love and kindness...

-"..not deliver all souls

-out of purgatory free of charge?"

-The Protestant Reformation

-grew into a large movement...

-..which changed the course

-of the Christian church in Europe.

-Is it important therefore that

-we celebrate the 500th anniversary?

-Yes, because the influence

-on Wales...

-..and on every nation in the world

-is huge.

-Crucial to us as Welsh speakers,

-Martin Luther decided...

-..that the Bible needed to be

-available in the native language.

-He translated the Bible into German

-in the 1520s.

-Because of that, William Salesbury,

-450 years ago...

-..translated the New Testament

-into Welsh.

-Then William Morgan in 1588.

-Martin Luther

-might be one of the main reasons...

-..why we're doing this in Welsh.

-Alun, thank you for talking to me.

-Luther was a hymn writer

-and a musician too.

-Next, we're going to sing his words

-and a hymn tune he composed...

-..arranged by a great composer

-of the Protestant Church...

-..Johann Sebastian Bach.

-This is

-A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.

-Another of Luther's quotes

-is "next to the Word of God...

-"..the noble art of music is

-the greatest treasure in the world."

-Performing for us next...

-..is the Christian singer

-from Bridgend, John Nicholas.

-This is Ystyr Cariad.

-# Teach me something

-that I ought to know

-# Teach me something

-that will warm my soul

-# Show me what my eyes fail to see

-# Your words they fill my heart

-# Let all of my fear depart

-# If you want to know what love is

-# If you want to know what love is

-# If you want to know what love is

-# Take a look at yourself

-and how much you are loved

-# We love because

-we've been loved before

-# Long before we ever knew

-# I won't be anywhere

-if it wasn't for you

-# Your words they fill my heart

-# Let all of my fear depart

-# If you want to know what love is

-# If you want to know what love is

-# If you want to know what love is

-# Take a look at yourself

-and how much you are loved

-# Throw your arms

-around this wandering soul

-# Take my hand, don't ever let go

-# Throw your arms

-around this wandering soul

-# Take my hand, don't ever let go

-# If you want to know what love is

-# If you want to know what love is

-# If you want to know what love is

-# Take a look at yourself

-and how much you're loved

-# If you want to know what love is

-# If you want to know what love is

-# If you want to know what love is

-# Take a look at yourself

-and how much you're loved #

-As a matter of conscience

-and principle...

-..Martin Luther made his stand.

-Sometimes,

-the church must do the same.

-Joining me now

-is Reverend Aled Edwards.

-Aled, you've brought me

-to St John's Church in Cardiff.

-What's the significance

-of this building?

-It has a special history.

-From this church in 1315,

-Llywelyn Bren was executed...

-..mainly because

-he'd taken a brave stand...

-..in support of the poor

-of this area against the Normans.

-He was encouraged

-to go to Parliament in London...

-..when Edward II told him

-that if he was found guilty...

-..he'd be hanged.

-There was a rebellion here

-and he made a stand.

-When he realized the military forces

-were against him...

-..he sacrificed himself

-to save his men.

-What's striking...

-..is that when Owain Glyndwr

-came here about a century later...

-..he burnt Cardiff to the ground

-including this church...

-..apart

-from the Greyfriars' buildings...

-..because they were the only ones

-willing to bury Llywelyn Bren.

-Glyndwr remembered that.

-The modern church is courageous...

-..more so than perhaps

-any other part of society...

-..in standing up for those

-who need support and justice.

-Desmond Tutu recently challenged

-Myanmar's authorities.

-He told them they had to stop

-the genocide taking place there...

-..that's creating

-millions of refugees.

-It's striking in terms of what

-happened in Syria and the refugees.

-The churches in Greece

-fed the people as they arrived.

-The churches spoke up for them.

-In America,

-there have been racial tensions.

-It's the churches

-that have often challenged those.

-Here, in St John's Church, Muslims

-come here and the poor come here.

-Around the corner

-is where the city's poor are fed.

-Very often, it's the churches that

-speak on behalf of these people.

-When we speak on a political level,

-it can challenge politicians.

-Martin Luther's legacy of protest...

-..is alive and very real

-to us as Christians today.

-It can be seen in Wales,

-in the UK, Europe...

-..and, I'm sure,

-across the world too...

-..where churches need to be

-fearless, prophetic and confident.

-One of the important things

-Martin Luther taught us...

-..is the need

-for us as Christians...

-..to stand up against injustice

-inside and outside the church.

-When we see people using his

-authority to trample on others...

-..we should stand with them

-on the side of justice and truth.

-One of Martin Luther's

-most famous quotes is...

-.."Here I stand.

-I cannot do otherwise. God help me."

-We finish this programme in the

-village of Gwalchmai on Anglesey.

-The hymn was written

-by a native of Anglesey, Morswyn.

-"Arglwydd Iesu, arwain f'enaid

-at y Graig sydd uwch na mi."

-I hope you've enjoyed the programme.

-We look forward

-to having your company next week.

-Until then, goodbye.

-S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.

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