“Luther the Reformer”: A Review
James Kittelson’s “Luther the Reformer” was published in 1986 by Augsburg Publishing House. In his preface, he writes “The year 1983 [the 500th anniversary of Luther’s birth] then brought with it an additional avalanche of exhibitions, commemorations, lectures, festivals, articles, and still more new books…such is the enduring importance of Luther the reformer.” This may be worth noting. Kittelson’s book is likely included in this avalanche! The assertion that Kittelson may have been swept up in a flurry of enthusiasm for Luther would not be unfounded, which may lead some to disregard this work as a mere product of a fad. I must propose that even if this were true, the book is unlike any other written in that time frame. Kittelson, regardless of his motivation for writing when he did, has explicitly stated his motivation for writing what he did: “The primary purpose of this book is to tell the story of Martin Luther to readers who are not specialists in the field of Luther studies…” Better still, he delivers.
Kittelson describes in his preface multiple issues with other biographers’, theologians’, and even psychologists’ attempts to write biographies of Luther. Biographers often ignore certain periods of Luther’s life altogether; theologians treat him as if he were a disembodied mind floating outside the world in which he lived; psychologists reduce Luther’s behavior to a byproduct of his psyche. Kittelson’s approach is different: he treats
Luther Man between God and the Devil is wonderfully written book that was authored by Heiko A. Oberman. The author of the book focuses on Luther’s life history with the overall purpose of discovering the under explored aspects of his life lessons. Oberman hoped to link Martin’s life with eternity and not a continuous progress towards heaven inspired by the chaos in the last days of eternity (Oberman, 1989, 12). Heiko is conscious of the monumental time difference between Martin Luther’s death and the period he constructs the details which comprise this work. During the author’s time of researching the history, theology, and character of Luther. We could argue that one of the over riding focuses of this book is that Luther’s poignant point of view for his life was symbolic of a struggle against the devil, or at the very least our interpretation.
The beginning of the Protestant Reformation is often marked by one man’s appeal for change. Therefore, the life of Martin Luther is a thought-provoking subject not only for the scholar, but also for those curious about the history behind Lutheranism. Consequently, Roland H. Bainton has written Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther. Selling over a million copies, it was first published by Abingdon-Cokesbury in 1950, which awarded it a prize of $7,500.00. Bainton, an ordained minister, was a member of the faculty at the Yale Divinity School for 42 years. He is recognized as an authority on the
Bainton’s Here I Stand is a chronologically arranged biography of Martin Luther’s life which seeks to show his philosophy and ideas for the reform of the Catholic Church without seeking to perform psychoanalysis of the Reformer.
Dutch Historian and Theologian, Heiko A. Oberman, composes a book titled, Luther: Man between God and the Devil. This book regards the origins of German Reformation forerunner Martin Luther. Although it is considered an actual biography of Luther’s life, it is more of a review of many noteworthy topics normally found in a traditional Luther memoir. Whilst many individuals may have read or studied the story of Martin Luther previously, Oberman's account of Luther’s life takes special care to highlight the thoughts of young Luther which enables the reader to see what may have shaped his thinking as an adult. Oberman embarks on a well-defined and truthfully written account of the major episodes of Luther’s life which took place from his birth
This is because of Bainton’s passionate account of Luther’s life, character, and theology, which makes the book a delight to read for any audience. It can be enjoyed by both scholars and non-scholars due to its strong historical base and ease with which it can be read. The purpose of the book is both to provide another historical perspective on Martin Luther and increase interest in Luther and the basis of the Reformation, which transformed the Church, Europe, and the
Heiko Oberman’s book, Luther: Man between God and the Devil, explores Martin Luther’s life, theology and legacy. Oberman does not simply focus on Luther’s actions and behaviors as a Reformer, nor does he evaluate Luther from a purely Protestant or Catholic point of view. Instead, the book examines Luther’s continual battle with the Devil. In order to truly understand Luther, it is important “to grasp the man in his totality-with head and heart” (Oberman, 1989, xix). Luther is not merely a monk, professor, heretic or a reformer, but he was a man who 's spiritual struggle with the Devil deeply affected his life, as well as the Church.
During the course there were very interesting people and events, but Martin Luther was who I consider the most interesting. There are several reasons why this character caught my eye. In the first instance, Martin Luther begins a reform and separation of the Catholic religion with his "Ninety-five Theses", in which he does not agree with the position of the church and the Pope due to indulgencies. These indulgences were bought by the parishioners, and by this action their sins were forgiven for which they did not need confession. According to Luther, after analyzing the Bible, the only source of salvation was to have faith in the promises of God made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. To this point I find the reform of Martin
The Fall Of The Titans, also known as the Titanomachy was a huge turning point for Greek Mythology. This war had many other names such as The War Of The Titans, Titanomachy, and even Titan war. This is because the Titans were a powerful race that ruled before the Olympians. Although, this all changed after the war broke out. Many new Gods and Giants were born during the war. In fact, many of them would not be here without the war.
This paper will address the churches political and religious practices that Luther disagreed with, the theses he posted on the church board, what he did to show his disagreement and gather support from the community and how he was able to challenge the church at the
Luther the Reformer: The Story of the Man and His Career by James M. Kittelson is a biography of the famous German monk turned theologian and reformer, Martin Luther. This is one of the most influential men in history, and as a matter of fact, “In most big libraries, books by and about Martin Luther occupy more shelf room than those concerned with any other human being except Jesus of Nazareth” (Kittelson 9). This fame of Luther’s isn’t only postmortem, “This extraordinary interest in an extraordinary man reaches back almost half a millennium. Even in his own time Luther was a ‘media personality’ the first of such in three thousand years of human history” (Kittelson 9). Luther was a subject of great controversy in his own time, as well as in our, and it has only driven his name and message into the spotlight. No matter or what one aligns himself with, “People still find themselves taking sides on the question of Luther” (Kittelson 9). It is for this reason that James M. Kittelson wrote this survey. He tells us that “The primary purpose of this book is to tell the story of Martin Luther to readers who are not specialists in the field of Luther studies” (Kittelson 10). This book is a general overview of all aspects of Luther, not just a precise dissection of one aspect, which allows for “as faithful a picture as possible of the whole man” (Kittelson 11).
The book Luther The Reformer, by James Kittelson focused on the life, death and work of Martian Luther. Luther came from humble beginnings, born the son of a peasant. From these humble beginnings, Luther unintentionally created a revolution within the world of the church and an empire of Protestantism. Luther was not the person to start this spark nor did he want to create a new religion, rather his idea was to reform the church , but it was his views that were carried forth and spread. He was simply in the right place at the right time. Luther created a ripple effect that has shaped religion into what it is today. Whether we realize it or not, these teaching and views of Luther affect every aspect of our daily lives. The freedoms
Martin Luther, born in 1483, grew up in a devout Roman Catholic household, where the church stood at the center of his world. However, he suffered at the hand of his parents’ harsh criticism. His father had emerged from the feudal system into the new middle class as a successful Coppersmith. His desire was for his son to also climb the social ladder. To assist with his son’s success, Luther’s father was a fierce judge of the character of his son, and often punished him severely for his failures. From these experiences, Luther developed a low self-esteem and fear of failure, which encroached on every aspect of his life, including his theology.
By reading the story ‘The boy who saved me from myself’, we learned that we need to have grit while confronting a problem and get over it by ourself. To have grit is important because it helps people to develop their growth mindset. For one the protagonist, Ryan White, had shown his grit in the story. Although he had two horrible diseases, instead of defeating by them, he was still struggle with them. Unfortunately for Ryan, people around him were not kind.
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Martin Luther (November 10, 1483 - February 18, 1546) was a Christian theologian, Augustinian monk, professor, pastor, and church reformer whose teachings inspired the Lutheran Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines of Protestant and other Christian traditions. Luther began the Protestant Reformation with the publication of his Ninety-Five Theses on October 31, 1517. In this publication, he attacked the Church's sale of indulgences. He advocated a theology that rested on God's gracious activity in Jesus Christ, rather than in human works. Nearly all Protestants trace their history back to Luther in one way or another. Luther's relationship to philosophy is complex and should not be judged only by his famous