When browsing recently at the Ambassador Publications store, I picked up and began reading Martin Luther, a Man Who Changed the World. Within moments I knew I had to purchase the book. The twenty-six page, large format book would be perfect to share with my grandchildren. Yes, the oldest is only two, but it is always good to be ahead of the curve. Besides that, if I only had one historical man who lived after Bible times to introduce my grandchildren to, it would be Martin Luther. He’s simply that significant.

The author, Paul L. Maier, grabbed my attention in the first two paragraphs of the book:

Our loving God helps His people turn from sin and error. In the Old Testament, He sent prophets to warn them. In the New Testament, He even sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to reform and save the world. And in the centuries since then, God sent others to keep the church pure.

The greatest of these was Martin Luther, an extraordinary man who started the Reformation just when the church needed it most.

I kept reading. The full-page, classical, richly-colored illustrations by Greg Copeland were as well-crafted as the concise, easy-to-read summary of Luther’s life that spanned from 1483 to 1546. The double-page spread showing Luther standing before the emperor, Charles V, came alive. I could almost hear Luther’s courageous answer: “My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen!”

I realized anew why Luther’s life was so momentous. The good news of the Gospel was once again setting people free. His translation of God’s Word in the language of the people increased the power of the reformation. His influence was so great that five hundred years later most scholars agree that Luther changed the course of Western history.

The thought that a simple book could capture my mind amused me. Maybe that’s what C. S. Lewis meant when he wrote, “No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally—and often far more—worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.”

Solveig Hjermstad
AFLC Board of Publications and Parish Education
Bagley, MN