About
Our Historical Basis
In the year 1517, the reformer Martin Luther nailed 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, marking what is considered the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Luther envisioned a church where the on-going proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ would establish people in the freedom of a living faith. Luther further encouraged that such faith would free the Christian to be active in service to the neighbor.
In 1521 at the Diet of Worms, Luther made his famous public defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ, stating that “unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason, I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience.”
Our Purpose
Continuing Luther’s vision, the purpose of 1521 Foundation LLC is to carry forward this dual legacy of supporting the proclamation of the freedom of faith in Christ and encouraging service on behalf of the neighbor. Therefore, the mission of 1521 Foundation LLC is to promote gospel freedom and service to the neighbor in two mission fields.
One mission field advances the Great Commission of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:16–20) through the support of ministries falling within the Lutheran Confessional tradition that believe, teach, and confess justification by faith apart from any merit in works—relying solely on the freedom of forgiveness and salvation in Jesus Christ alone. To inform and interpret this understanding of the Christian faith, we rely especially—though not exclusively—on the books of the Old and New Testaments and the published writings of Martin Luther and Gerhard O. Forde.
The other mission field supports charitable organizations that serve the public benefit by providing for the relief and assistance of people in need regardless of race, religion, or creed.