Have you ever heard of Peter Waldo? He is the founder of the Waldensians. Born around 1140 AD in Lyons, France, he was a wealthy merchant who became disgusted with the corruption in the Roman Catholic church. He became convinced that the Scriptures, not the Pope or Catholic tradition, are the sole authority for Christians. The Catholics used the Latin Vulgate, which few could understand, and claimed that ordinary Christians would be corrupted if they read the Bible for themselves. He paid to have the Bible translated into the current French language. After reading what Jesus told the rich ruler to do, “to sell what he had and give to the poor”, he sold what he had and lived as a beggar preacher. His followers sold or gave away what they had: they came to be called the “Poor of Lyons”. He believed that the Bible should be preached, even by lay preachers, which was also condemned by the Catholic church. Waldo’s followers, the Waldensians, were persecuted by the Catholic church. The infamous Roman Catholic Inquisition was a special church court established in the 1200’s to inquire about and judge matters of “heresy”. The inquisition lead to fierce persecution of the Waldensians. They lost their property and many were burned at the stake. The Waldensians were numerous in Italy, France, and Switzerland, and then spread throughout Europe.

Here is a list of the doctrines of the Roman Catholic church that Waldo and the Waldensians rejected?

• They rejected all claims to authority besides Scripture.
• They rejected all mediators between God and man, except the man Christ Jesus (though Mary was venerated for quite a while).
• They rejected the doctrine that only a priest could hear confession, and argued that all believers were qualified.
• They rejected purgatory, and thus rejected indulgences and prayers for the dead.
• They believed the only Scripture-sanctioned sacraments were baptism and communion.
• They rejected the Church’s emphasis on fast and feast days and eating restrictions.
• They rejected the priestly and monastic caste system.
• They rejected the veneration of relics, pilgrimages, and the use of holy water.
• They rejected the pope’s claim to authority over earthly rulers.
• They eventually rejected the apostolic succession of the pope.

You can see why Peter Waldo was considered one of the forerunners of the Protestan Reformation movement of the 1600’s. That list of objection to Catholic doctrine was the same as that of the Protestant Reformation movement. Any Waldensians in the 1600’s eventually joined the Protestant Reformation.

So what do we learn from the story of Peter Waldo? We see how corrupt the Catholic church was. The church tortured and burned heretics. They wouldn’t let common people read the Bible in their language. It is hard for us to imagine that religious environment. We have had freedom of religion so long that we take it for granted. What if you lived back in the 12th century under the tyrannical power of the Catholci church? Would you have the courage to stand up to the church even if it cost you your life?

So, what do you believe? At our Christian school the board came up with a “statement of faith” that the school believed in and practices. It is basic Christian doctrines, similar to those of Peter Waldo. Such a statement of basic beliefs became even more needed as issues like homosexual marriages and gender identity arose in the current culture. In a way, the anti-Christian culture of today is something that we Christians have to stand up to just as Waldo stood up to the Catholic church.. If you proclaim basic fundamentalist Christian teaching on marriage, homosexuality, and. gender you will be mocked. If you stand up for the Bible as the sole authority for doctrines, you will be mocked. Maybe not tortured or burned at the stake, but you will be persecuted and mocked. I hope the example of Peter Waldo will inspired you to have the courage to stand up to today’s anti-Christian culture.

Wouldn’t it be great to talk to Peter Waldo? Maybe one day we can.