History of Protestantism History of Protestantism Protestantism originated from work of several theologians starting in the 12th century, although there could have been earlier cases of which there is no surviving evidence. Any prominent dissent was subject to persecution by the Roman Catholic Church, and thus attempts to change anything in the Catholic Church were kept isolated or effectively eradicated up to the 16th century. One of the early Protestant Reformers was John Wycliffe, an English theologian and early proponent of reform in the 14th century. His followers, known as Lollards, spread throughout England but soon were persecuted by both the Catholic Church
Wycliffe USA Wycliffe USA Wycliffe Bible Translators USA (also known as Wycliffe USA) is an interdenominational nonprofit organization with a stated goal to "see a Bible translation program in progress in every language still needing one by 2025." Wycliffe USA was founded in 1942 by William Cameron Townsend and is a member of the Wycliffe Global Alliance. There are currently separate Wycliffe organizations in over 60 countries. The organizations are named after John Wycliffe, who was responsible for the first complete English translation of the whole Bible into Middle English. , translations of either portions of the Bible, the New Testament, or