The protestant reformer, Martin Luther, managed to live after refusing to recant at the Imperial Diet of Worms, AD 1521, due to the support of his powerful sovereign, Elector Friedrich of Saxon. [ Ref 1 ]
The Bohemian reformer, John Huss, who preceded Luther by 100 years, was not so fortunate. He was burnt at the stake for arguing that Christ alone is head of the church, that a pope “through ignorance and love of money” can make many mistakes, and that ‘to rebel against an erring pope is to obey Christ.’ [ Ref 2 ]
In 1559 John Knox preached that all people were equal in the eyes of God, and that Christ – not the Pope, not the Bishops, not the King, but Christ alone is the only authority to be answered to. [ Ref 3 ]
{ The influence of John Knox on Scottish culture is an underlying factor of the 18th century industrial revolution in Scotland. Knox’s insistence that Scottish church halls provide for the teaching of reading resulted in a high proportion of Scots who could read, write and count while most of the English and the Europeans could not. }
The United States relationship to Protestant churches, is different from “divine right Monarchy” {The King’s ruling authority is from God – Louis XIV (AD 1638-1715), King James (AD 1603-1625).}, and “church/state partnerships” {Holy Roman Empire (AD 800AD-1806), Byzantine Empire (AD 330- 1453)}.
Calvinism’s insistence that human rulers tend to err played a significant role in the founders’ prescription of limited government and fed the distinctly American philosophy in which political freedom for citizens is held as the highest value. – David Hall, The Genevan Reformation and the American Founding, 2003