Next fall is the 500th anniversary of something called the Reformation—on that much all agree. The nature of that event, though, is more debated. Some historians characterize the Reformation as a social rebellion of the people over the papacy, or simplistically, as the religious arm of the Renaissance.
The Lutheran Study Bible
For many years the NIV Study Bible was my resource for personal Bible study. I found it a valuable aid. I never acquired the Lutheran version, the Concordia Self-Study Bible, so I had to make allowances for the Baptist-oriented theology of the notes.
Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses
As a Lutheran, in the past I often referred to the “95 Theses” but had never actually read Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses in their entirety. Martin Luther wrote the theses and nailed them to the church door with the intention that they would be a starting point for debate with other church leaders or scholars. However, the debate never happened.
Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther
Roland Bainton, in his landmark work on the life of Martin Luther entitled Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, presents a thorough and straightforward recounting of the life of the reformer. Bainton doesn’t hide Luther’s humanity but rather shows how God used him, his struggles, his weaknesses, and experiences to
Luther on Music: Paradigms of Praise
Carl Schalk, a Lutheran composer, author, and lecturer, wrote a short 56-page booklet, Luther on Music: Paradigms of Praise. Schalk states in the preface that “the purpose [of the book] is three-fold: (1) to establish the importance of music—especially in Luther’s early life, in his education in the schools, and in his life in the monastery
Don’t Tell Me That!
“Don’t tell me that!” cries a little boy as he covers his ears. That’s the title of the book that caught my attention as I was perusing the shelves in our Ambassador Publications’ bookstore. On the cover is a picture of a child screaming those words, with his hands over his ears. As a mother, I’ve been confronted with this situation, but even more so as a sinner myself, I relate to this child’s agony.
The Mother of the Reformation
If you were to ask someone, particularly a Lutheran, to name a woman involved in the Reformation, Katharine von Bora Luther is probably going to be the woman named. While far from being the only woman involved in the Reformation, as Martin Luther’s wife, she stands out as an influential and intriguing figure. Which is why last June,
Lutheranism 101
Lutheranism 101 presents a good overview of confessional Lutheranism in an easy-to-read style through the use of short articles, sound bites, sidebars, and illustrations while offering a concise, easy-to-read explanation of what Lutherans believe and why.
The Large Catechism
Martin Luther’s Large Catechism remains for most Lutherans an unheralded and unknown document. We are familiar with the Small Catechism, as it is generally a required textbook for most confirmation classes, but the Large Catechism has not enjoyed the recognition of its shorter counterparty.
Martin Luther: A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought
Most books about Martin Luther are either biographical or theological, but this book by Stephen J. Nichols is both. This book is “a marvelous mixture of biography, history, theology and anecdote” (Sinclair B. Ferguson, back cover).
Convicted by the Spirit
Convicted by the Spirit published by Lutheran Press is the written record of Luther’s Postil 235 – John 16:8‒13. This sermon was never preached publicly by Luther but was published with the intent that it would be read in public by someone other than the author. It’s committed to being a help in the preparation of a sermon or is to be read for personal edification of the one reading it.
Reading the Psalms with Luther
Reading the Psalms with Luther (published by Concordia Publishing House, 2007) serves as a simple but excellent daily devotional book for meditation on the Psalms. The book consists of brief meditations on all 150 psalms. Each meditation in the book is followed by the text of the Psalm drawn from the English Standard Version. The text of the Psalm is then followed by a brief prayer.