Resilient Reformer: The Life and Thought of Martin Luther

by Timothy F. Lull, Derek R. Nelson

Overview

Some would argue that there is no need for yet another biography of Martin Luther. The story has been told many times, and very well at that! And yet, interest in Luther’s life and thought remains high, and each generation brings its own set of questions to the task.

This biography, begun by Timothy F. Lull prior to his death and capably finished by Derek R. Nelson, is marked for its fresh, winsome, and invigorating style—one undoubtedly shaped by the years that each author spent in undergraduate and seminary classrooms.

In this telling, Luther is an energetic, resilient actor, driven by very human strengths and failings, always wishing to do right by his understanding of God and the witness of the Scriptures. Luther is portrayed here more as a loud tenor in a Reformation chorale than as a solo voice of dissent against church and empire, as he and his work are closely linked with his many collaborators.

At times humorous, always realistic, and appropriately critical when necessary, Lull and Nelson tell the story of an amazing, unforgettable life, one that impacted our world in countless ways.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506400259
Publisher:	Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date:	08/01/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Timothy F. Lull was president of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, and professor of systematic theology there before his death in 2003.
Derek R. Nelson is associate professor of religion at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He is the author of Sin: A Guide for the Perplexed (2011) and What’s Wrong with Sin: Sin in Individual and Social Perspective from Schleiermacher to Theologies of Liberation (2009) and coauthor or editor of six other books.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Prologue: Here I Sit The Crisis of Summer 1545 xix

1 A Family's Hopes 1483-1505 1

2 From. Brother Martin to Doctor Luther 1505-1517 19

3 Critic of the Church 1517-1519 41

4 Theologian for the Church 1519-1520 73

5 The Trial of Martin Luther 1520-1521 107

6 Luther the Prisoner 1521-1522 139

7 The Reformation in Wittenberg 1522-1524 178

8 Becoming Martin Luther The Decisive Year 1525 221

9 The Birth of Lutheranism 1526-1531 263

10 Being Martin Luther 1532-1539 303

11 Darkness with Shafts of Light 1540-1545 333

12 Death and Vindication 1545-1555 361

The Forty-Six Players in the Lutheran Reformation A Brief Guide 387

Index of Names 395

Index of Subjects 401

Index of Martin Luther's Published Writings 401