This post originally appeared at The Evangelical Pulpit as part of Patheos Evangelical’s Reformation Day celebration of Martin Luther’s influence on Western Christianity and Civilzation. When we think of Martin Luther, we tend to consider his Ninety-Five Theses, the “here I stand” statement of the Diet of Worms, the importance he placed on justification byContinue reading “The Value of Luther’s Two Kingdoms Today”
Tag Archives: Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reactions to Vatican II: Introduction
Over the next two weeks, Pursuing Veritas will be offering an overview of Protestant Reactions to the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church. This series is presented with at least one major caveat: Not every Protestant reaction to Vatican II has been examined — indeed, many of the most “interesting” were omitted dueContinue reading “Protestant Reactions to Vatican II: Introduction”
Luther on Secular Authority
Martin Luther No one even somewhat familiar with the life and work of Martin Luther would deny either that he wrote massive amounts of material over the course of his life or that he was extremely vitriolic and opinionated in some of these writings. For all of Luther’s famous reformation ideals and his seemingly deepContinue reading “Luther on Secular Authority”
The Catholic Reformation of the Individual
The sixteenth century was for Western Europe a time of much socio-theological consternation and change. Numerous theological reformations occurred (or sought to occur) in a variety of social contexts, for a plethora of reasons, and employing numerous methodologies. One such reformation was that of the institutional Catholic Church under the auspices of such leaders asContinue reading “The Catholic Reformation of the Individual”
Radical Reformers
Though hardly an accurate representation of the varieties and differences among the plethora of multiform reformation theologies and practices at work in Europe during the 16th century, the term “Radical Reformation” has long been used as a ‘catch-all’ phrase describing non-magisterial reformers such as Conrad Grebel, Michael Sattler, and Pilgrim Marpeck. In this paper weContinue reading “Radical Reformers”
Book Review: Introduction to the History of Christianity (Dowley)
Writing history is something of a difficult task, in no small measure due to the incredible amount of information that historians must shift through and subsequently leave out when offering their account of the past. Even a rote retelling of a single day in the life of a human leaves out certain contexts and eventsContinue reading “Book Review: Introduction to the History of Christianity (Dowley)”
Readings from Martin Luther
Martin Luther Martin Luther remains one of the most influential men in Western History, as his attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church sparked nearly 500 years of debate and division within Western Christianity. It has been said that more has been written about Luther than any other person aside from Jesus of Nazareth, asContinue reading “Readings from Martin Luther”
The Historical Luther: Conclusions
This is the final post in our series on the Historical Luther. Today’s post summarizes the perspectives of Oberman, Hendrix, and Kolb on Martin Luther, and offers some concluding remarks. After this series on the Historical Martin Luther, we are left with some questions: Which of the works that we have surveyed best describes andContinue reading “The Historical Luther: Conclusions”
Comparing Historical Luthers: Reformation Breakthrough
This post is part of our series on the Historical Luther. Today’s post examines Oberman, Hendrix, and Kolb’s respective positions concerning Luther’s “Reformation Breakthrough.” Scholars have long debated over Luther’s critical and radical breakthrough that led to the reform movement in Wittenberg (and indeed across Europe during the Age of Theological Reform); whether this understandingContinue reading “Comparing Historical Luthers: Reformation Breakthrough”
Comparing Historical Luthers: Education and Background
This post is part of our series on the Historical Luther. Today’s post, the beginning of our second week, examines Oberman, Hendrix, and Kolb’s respective positions concerning Luther’s education and background. The educational and spiritual formation of Martin Luther has received a great deal of attention in recent years, and the studies of Oberman,Continue reading “Comparing Historical Luthers: Education and Background”
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