The Legacy of Luther
by
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Pub Date Oct 03 2016 | Archive Date Nov 03 2017
Description
Martin Luther was one of the most influential men of his day. When he posted a series of theses on the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany, he was merely inviting debate. He set off something much larger. The Protestant Reformation that began with his posting of the Ninety-Five Theses reshaped Europe, redirected Christian history, and recovered the truth of God’s Word. Five hundred years later, what is Luther’s legacy? In this volume, Drs. R.C. Sproul, Stephen J. Nichols, and thirteen other scholars and pastors examine his life, teaching, and enduring influence. Meet Martin Luther, the audacious Reformer who, out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, set the world ablaze.
Advance Praise
“A quick glance at the subject and the table of contents (including the impressive array of contributors) is about all that is necessary to commend this book. If you are interested in Luther (and if you are not, you should be), and if you are looking to learn more about him, his life and ministry, the larger Reformation context, and his influence, then add The Legacy of Luther to your required reading list for the five-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. This is a good time for the evangelical Protestant world to remember what the Reformation was all about. This book will help.”
—Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III
Chancellor and CEO
Reformed Theological Seminary
“Five hundred years after Luther’s nailing of the Ninety-Five Theses, the message of the Reformation is needed now more than ever. Not only has the culture drifted away from the truth, but it seems that much of the church has gone with it. The Legacy of Luther offers a clear, bold, and much-needed call to a new Reformation. May God use it to bring renewal to both the church and the world.”
—Dr. Michael J. Kruger
President and Samuel C. Patterson Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity
Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, N.C.
“Martin Luther was very insistent that the Reformation was not his work nor the work of any man but a great work of God brought about by His powerful Word. Thus, Luther wouldn’t have wanted us to celebrate him and his work but for us to share his biblical convictions and his commitment to Word ministry, so that God can accomplish His work today just as he did five hundred years ago. For this reason, The Legacy of Luther is a much-needed book. It helps us learn more about this great servant of God, but even more importantly, it reminds us of the biblical foundation of Luther’s work. And most importantly, this book challenges us not just to be admirers of Luther but to follow in his footsteps. Surely, this is the great need of Luther’s Germany today as it is a need of the church in all places at all times until Christ returns.”
—Matthias Lohmann
Pastor, Free Evangelical Church, Munich
Chairman, Evangelium21, Germany
“Among all the servants the Lord has given his church, none has encouraged me more directly, more consistently, and with greater challenge than Martin Luther. He is one of the titanic figures on the world scene—a man without whom the history of the world as we know it could not be told. He has been for me an example of Christian faithfulness and courage in the face of trial, of steadfastness in the truth, and of a Christian man in full. Luther was a passionate follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, a happy husband and an eager father, a man whose pastor’s heart should humble us all, and a man who was ready to stand, at risk of his life, on the word of God and not be moved. This new book by R.C. Sproul and Stephen Nichols is a wonderful introduction to Luther and to his theology. To know Luther the man is to know Luther the theologian. In this important book, Dr. Sproul and Dr. Nichols help us to meet Luther and to come to our own deeper commitment to the authority of Scripture and the sufficiency of Christ alone.”
—Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr.
President and Joseph Emerson Brown Professor of Christian Theology
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781567697100 |
| PRICE | $19.00 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Samantha W, Reviewer
With this year being the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, everyone should be reading something about Martin Luther, and this particular book is a good choice for either beginner or dyed-in-the-wool Lutheran. Everything from Luther's life, his teaching, his interactions with other reformers, and the legacy he left behind is addressed here.
This book is divided into three sections that are each addressed through a series of essays written by an impressive team of theologians. While it is interesting to read the writing of various scholars and appreciate the way their essays support one another, it also inevitably creates some repetitiveness. My favorite section was the first: Luther's Life, which is a brief biography of Luther including how his beliefs were formed and evolved throughout his life.
The writers do not attempt to turn Luther into something he was not, and his faults are part of who he was. God used this temperamental and at times judgmental man. 'Because of the magnitude of the disorders, God gave this age a violent physician.' Luther was not passive and conciliatory, but he was who as needed to put the Reformation in motion.
The second section of the book covers Luther's Thought. This is a highly spiritual discussion of the tenets of faith that may be less familiar to those who are approaching this as a scholarly rather than a devotional work. Scripture Alone does not sound like a controversial stance to take now, but Luther shook the world with it. Each chapter covers the main issues that were written about by Luther and how they impacted the 16th century.
Finally, Luther's Legacy, the third section of the book, looks at the various roles Luther filled and what his impact was long after his death. It is here where we learn that Luther not only translated the Bible into German, but he helped form the German language into its modern form when he did so. He not only wrote hymns that involved his congregation in spiritual music, he was inspiration for future musicians such as Bach.
To this day, Wittenberg and the entire country of Germany celebrate Luther for the sacrificial work he performed that continues to have an important effect on us all centuries later. If you have ever wondered what all the fuss is about, this book is a good place to start.
