Honoring Ellen Babinsky

This past Friday night Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary marked the retirement of Rev. Dr. Ellen Babinsky. Faculty, students and alums gathered to share memories and honor the impact she has had on faculty and students alike. While I was taking church history my junior year, I came up with songs to help me study for the tests.

One of the pieces of information that no student could leave Ellen's class without having committed to memory was the date of the nailing of Luther's 95 Thesis to the door in Wittenburg, October 31, 1517. With that is mind and in tribute to Ellen, I post this song here (it and others like it can be found at sillyseminarysongs.blogspot.com)


Reformation - Luther

(To the tune of the Addam's Family)

Halloween (snap, snap), 1517 (snap, snap),
95 theses on the door at Wittenburg (snap, snap)

The reformation started,
from the Catholic Church they parted,
for the contrite hearted,
Luther in Germany

Fredrick "the Wise" defended,
Pope’s authority up-ended,
Leipzig debates were ended,
Luther was condemned.

Edict of Worms (snap, snap), Condemns reforms (snap, snap),
Luther could be, killed on sight, that was the norm (snap, snap)

Charles the 5th wore the crown,
Luther’s writings all around,
the reformation abounds,
as Luther is kidnapped

Revolt of the Peasants (snap, snap), right to shoot pheasants (snap, snap),
Thomas Muntzer violent and radical, death wasn’t pleasant (snap, snap)

1st Diet of Speyer,
regulation by each sire,
to do as they desired,
in 1526.

Believers in Christ’s name,
church to believe the same,
"Godly prince" soon became
Luther’s church order

Speyer 2 diet (snap, snap), Catholics didn’t buy it (snap, snap),
Resolved to enforce, Edict of Worms, hoped Luther would bite it (snap, snap)

Lutherans lodged a protest,
they came to an impasse,
Protestant described them the best
Luther’s church reform (snap, snap)