Watch MoviestoWatch. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Christian Martin Luther followed his calling and became an Augustinian monk in Erfurt. However, his life in the monastery confronted him with his fears of a judging God. These were finally taken away from him through the study of his religion, which emphasized a merciful Creator. As a theologian in Wittenberg, he then went public with his 95 theses, which criticized the church's practice of forgiving sins in exchange for money. A momentous dispute began.