Tag Archives: Martin Luther

book reviews, Church History, The Reformation, The Renaissance

Voices of the Renaissance and Reformation

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Greenleaf Press proudly announces the publication of Voices of the Renaissance and Reformation, edited by Robert G. Shearer. Voices includes 31 original source selections by 19 of the key figures from the Renaissance and Reformation.

The Renaissance selections include sonnets by Petrarch, a letter by Lorenzo de’ Medici, excerpts from the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, sermons by Savonarola, and excerpts from Machiavelli’s The Prince.

The Reformation selections include important writings from Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox including autobiographical accounts of their own conversions. Also included are The 67 Articles of Ulrich Zwingli, the Schleitheim Confession by Michael Sattler, and the Reply of John Wycliffe to his Summons by the Pope to come to Rome.

We are particularly pleased to be able to include in this collection several recently published texts from the Reformation, including two letters from Conrad Grebel (the leader of the Anabaptists in Zurich) to Thomas Müntzer, the leader of the Peasant Rebellion, written in 1525. The letters of Grebel are included by permission from Herald Press of Scottsdale, PA.

Also included in the collection is a lengthy selection from William Tyndale‘s An Answer Unto Sir Thomas More’s Dialogue in which Tyndale eloquently defends his translation of the New Testament into English and his use of the words congregation, elder, and love (rather than church, priest, & charity) which More had charged were serious errors.

The selections from Martin Luther include the complete text of The 95 Theses (1517), as well as lengthy selections from his three great essays of 1520:

  • Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation ( Aug 1520)
  • On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church ( Oct 1520)
  • On the Freedom of a Christian (Nov 1520)

The selections from John Calvin include The Geneva Confession of 1536 and his Reply to Cardinal Sadoleto, written in 1539.

Editor Robert Shearer observed, “Textbooks provide an overview of a time period. A biography helps us to understand the significance of a historical figure, but if you really want to know the people and the times, you must read what they wrote in their own words.”

The source collection should prove to be a valuable resource for students of all ages who wish to study the Renaissance and Reformation, particularly for high school and college students.

Voices of the Renaissance and Reformation is an 8″x10″ paperback, 194 pages and is available for $18.95 directly from Greenleaf Press.

book reviews

The Fabricated Luther

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Fabricated Luthersubtitle: Refuting Nazi Connections and Other Modern Myths.
by Uwe Siemon-Netto

Was Luther an anti-semite?

Was Luther (and/or Lutheranism) responsible for the rise of Hitler and the acquiescence of the German people in the crimes of the Nazi’s?

Uwe Siemon-Netto is uniquely qualified as an author and a theologian to write on these topics. He gives his reasons for writing in the preface to his book:

“1) I am a journalist.” Siemon-Netto spent 50 years as a correspondent, first as a reporter on American affairs for German language publications, and then, eventually as the religious affairs editor for UPI. He covered events from the assassination of President Kennedy and the Vietnam War to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the first Gulf War in 1991.

“2) I am a Lutheran.” Not just a nominal Lutheran – Sieman-Netto is a German-born, committed Lutheran who learned a deep faith from his devout, courageous grandmother and who at age 50 decided to pursue both ordination and earned a masters and doctorate in theology.

“3) I am a Leipziger.” Siemen-Netto was born in Leipzig in 1936. The Mayor of Leipzig (Carl Goerdeler) was a committed Lutheran Christian and a member of the “Confessing Church” in Germany (along with Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Niemoeller) which resisted Hitler.

The first two chapters in the book present the problem: the association of Luther with Hitler publicized by William Shirer, Thomas Mann, and Lord Vansittart of the British Foreign Office.

The remaining three chapters demolish this cliche and show what a false picture of Luther it presents. Those who would accuse Luther of being a racist anti-semite must overlook his 1523 essay: That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew. Here is a quote from Luther from that essay: “If I had been a Jew and had seen such dolts and blockheads govern and teach the Christian faith, I would sooner have become a hog than a Christian.”

In the remaining three chapters, Netto first examines the religious backgrounds of the Nazi leadership (none were Lutheran – Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels, and Streicher were all lapsed Catholics) as well as their stated religious convictions (they were all rabidly anti-Christian neo-pagans). Netto dryly observes that no critics appear to have blamed Hitler on Catholic theology. Netto then goes on to examine Lutheran theological teaching on obedience to authority and resistance to tyrants. In his historical analysis, Netto is able to show that Luther’s teaching is no different from Calvin’s (who is usually credited as the author of the doctrine of godly resistance).

Finally, Netto gives two historic examples of Lutheran resistance to tyranny – both historically centered on Leipzig. He analyzes at length the opposition to Hitler by the Lutheran Mayor of Leipzig, Carl Goerdeler, who was executed in February of 1945 for his part in the plot to assassinate Hitler (Dietrich Bonhoeffer was also among the conspirators who was executed). He shows convincingly, that the profound Christian faith of Goerdeler and Bonhoeffer led them to resist Hitler, rather than to acquiesce. He shows that they were the authentic heirs of Luther.

His second example is the Lutheran leadership of the resistance to the East German government in the uprisings in Leipzig in 1989. The fact that the East German government was overthrown with almost no bloodshed is remarkable. Netto documents the role played by the Lutheran church in resisting the tyranny of the communist government in East Germany. See, for example, this essay on the internet: An Introduction to the Role of the East German Protestant Church in the Peaceful Revolution of 1989.

There may have been some defect in German character or German political traditions which allowed the rise of Hitler to power and the failure to prevent his crimes – but it cannot be laid at the feet of Martin Luther. Committed Lutherans opposed Hitler. Lapsed, uncommitted, nominal Christians looked the other way. Neo-pagans and secularists supported him.

This is an important book. Those who would criticize Luther, or blame him for the rise of Hitler should read it. It will give them pause, and suggest that the responsibility for Hitler lies elsewhere.

Those interested can order the book from Greenleaf Press.

– Rob Shearer
Director, Schaeffer Study Center
Publisher, Greenleaf Press