The reformers needed a counterclaim, and they found it in the authority of the Bible, almost always literally understood and called the “Word of God.” So “the church teaches” became the claim of one side and “the Bible says” became the claim of the other. When both sides in any conflict believe that they speak for God, the result is that each side demonizes the other. That was the backdrop through which each side, in that moment of history, endured the bitter and destructive struggle that we call the Reformation.
