Examine the life of Thomas More using specific examples and explain the cost of Christian Discipleship.

Stephen Spring

Examine the life of Thomas More using specific examples and explain the cost of Christian Discipleship

Thomas More was born on February 7th 1948. He was educated at St.Anthony’s school in London but then he went on to study at oxford where he studied Greek and Latin literature. In 1490 more returned to London and studied Law and he became a Barrister in 1501 but even now he could not decide whether to go into law or religion. While staying at Lincoln’s Inn he decided to become a monk and subjected himself to learn the discipline of the Carthusians and this is where he started to experience what it would take to be a true follower of Christ while he lived at the nearby monastery. Living there helped him to learn the ways of monks and Praying, Fasting and Penance became part of his daily routine. He continued doing this even when he left the monastery which shows that his faith was very important to him. The life of politics finally came to him in 1504 when he entered parliament and married. One of More’s first acts in Parliament was urging a decrease in a proposed appropriation For King Henry 7th. In revenge the king had More’s father imprisoned but when the king died More became more active at once. In 1511 More’s wife died during childbirth but More quickly Re-Married to Dame Alice.

During the next decade More attracted the attention of King Henry 8th. More helped Henry to write his “Defence against the seven sacraments” and continued to gain Henry’s Trust and was made speaker in The House of Commons in 1523 but he refused to endorse Henry’s plans to divorce Catherine of Aragon because the church considered it wrong and he stood by his beliefs even though it meant going against the king of his country and his friend. Nevertheless in 1529 More became Lord Chancellor.

More resigned in 1532 claiming ill health although it is more likely that ...