Reforming the morality of usury: A study of differences that separated the Protestant reformers (Ph.D. Dissertation)

Within the Protestant Reformation on the continent of Europe the Church underwent a philosophical shift in interpreting the morality of usury. The leaders of the three major theological streams in the continental Protestant Reformation sought to reform Roman Catholic moral teaching on the practice of usury. This dissertation examines how the leader(s) of each major stream in the Protestant Reformation took a different approach to reforming the view of usury in Christian moral teaching. The primary reason Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the leaders of the Anabaptist movement espoused varying positions regarding the morality of usury is that they each held different views regarding the nature of the relationship between Church and culture. This work explains how the Protestant Reformation played a crucial role in economic reforms, and also reviews the status quo position of the Roman Catholic Church on usury leading up to the Reformation.