73: Why So Many Churches?: Corruption in the Medieval Church – Part 6

Welcome to the Ready for Eternity podcast, a podcast and blog dedicated to inquisitive

Bible students exploring Biblical truths that might not be fully explored in typical sermons or Bible studies.

My name is Eddie Lawrence. The Roman Catholic Church stood mighty in the

Middle Ages, but corruption hollowed its core, preparing the way for the

Protestant Reformation. By the late

Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church was the most powerful institution in Europe.

It shaped laws, crowned kings, and claimed authority over the people.

But behind its authority and rituals, corruption had taken root. Many ordinary

Christians had grown uneasy, knowing that something had gone terribly wrong.

Over time, the church had gained wealth, land, and influence.

With that great power came temptation. Leaders began to treat spiritual positions as tools for personal gain.

Instead of serving the people and pointing them to Christ, many used the church to enrich themselves, reward their families, or control politics.

Jesus warned that you cannot serve God in money, but by this point, money had clearly taken the lead.

So what had happened to the church in the West? Several patterns of corruption had become disturbingly common.

One of the most common problems was simony, the practice of buying and selling church rolls.

The name comes from Simon the Sorcerer, who offered the apostles money so he could receive the power of the

Holy Spirit. That's in Acts chapter 8. Peter rebuked

Simon. He said, may your silver perish with you because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money.

In the same spirit, wealthy families in the Middle Ages paid to have their sons placed as priests or even bishops who were leaders over regions of churches.

God meant these rolls for godly men called to shepherd the church, but people treated them like goods in the marketplace.

It was about money and power, not ministry. Nepotism was another major issue.

Church leaders gave important positions to their relatives regardless of their character or calling.

Popes handed out powerful rolls to their nephews, cousins, or even their secret sons.

They made these appointments to keep power in the family, not to serve God's people.

As a result, the church became tangled in family politics and lost focus on the gospel.

Another problem was clergy who just didn't show up for work. Many church leaders collected money from more than one church or monastery, even though they could only live in one place at a time.

This practice was known as pluralism. Some oversaw several regions but never visited the churches under their care.

Others left local priests in charge while they lived in distant cities. These absentee leaders enjoyed the benefits of their offices without doing the work.

Jesus modeled exactly the opposite. He said, I am the good shepherd.

The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Another big issue was paying for the forgiveness of sins.

Originally, an indulgence aimed to reduce time in purgatory. Purgatory is a

Catholic teaching about a place where people go after death that it's not hell but it's not heaven and you spend time there suffering, being purged of your sins.

So those who had repented of their sins and performed acts of penance, if they obtained an indulgence, it would reduce the amount of time they had to spend in purgatory.

But over time, indulgences were sold for money. Priests claimed that if you paid enough, you could free a loved one from purgatory or even secure your own salvation.

This turned God's forgiveness into a financial transaction and confused people about the true nature of grace.

Forgiveness is a gift of grace, not a product for sale.

There were also serious moral failings in church leaders. The church required priests and monks to remain celibate, but many ignored the rule.

Some kept mistresses in secret or fathered children. Monasteries, once devoted to prayer and service, gained reputations for laziness and luxury.

But the New Testament never required celibacy for church leaders. In fact,

Paul wrote that an overseer must be the husband of one wife. Rather than encouraging marriage and moral accountability, the church elevated a rule that many could not or would not keep.

The result was hypocrisy, scandal, and broken trust. Secular kings and rulers often influenced who became pope.

In return, popes acted like political leaders, making deals, declaring wars, and defending their power with armies.

This made it hard for people to see the difference between spiritual leadership and political control.

James offers a sobering test for such ambition. He said, "...where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice."

James 3, 16. That describes this era in church history very well.

In the late 1300s, the Roman Catholic Church fell into open division. For nearly 40 years, there were two, and at one point, three men, all claiming to be the true pope.

Each one had his own supporters. This crisis, which was called the Western Schism, wasn't about theology.

It was about power. The confusion left many wondering who, if anyone, truly spoke for God.

It badly damaged the church's unity and reputation. So what we ended up with was a church that looked like a political kingdom.

The church owned massive amounts of land and wealth, bishops and cardinals wore fine clothing, lived in palaces, and held banquets like nobility.

Spiritual offices became high -paying careers rather than humble callings.

And many ordinary believers began to ask, is this what

Jesus intended? These problems didn't develop overnight. They grew over centuries.

And though some people raised concerns, few had the power or the courage to push for real change.

But the pressure kept building. By the early 1500s, the church was like a dry forest in the summer.

All it needed to catch fire was a spark, and that spark was coming soon.

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