# Overview of the Protestant Reformation



## Zach (Jul 7, 2013)

I'm looking for a book that provides a basic overview of the Reformation. For a book discussion group, I have to read a book that analyzes the Reformation and I want to have a more thorough grounding before I try to understand and critique the book's argument. Any recommendations?


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## Zach (Jul 8, 2013)

Thanks, Austin. I looked it up on sermon audio and found them but 55 is more than I'm looking for right now. I'm looking for something that is fairly broad and will be a quick read that can provide a foundational understanding for further study.


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## Andres (Jul 8, 2013)

How about The Unquenchable Flame by Michael Reeves?


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## PaulCLawton (Jul 8, 2013)

Zach said:


> I'm looking for a book that provides a basic overview of the Reformation. For a book discussion group, I have to read a book that analyzes the Reformation and I want to have a more thorough grounding before I try to understand and critique the book's argument. Any recommendations?



_Reformation: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow_ by Dr. Carl R. Trueman might fit the bill.


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## Zach (Jul 8, 2013)

Andres said:


> How about The Unquenchable Flame by Michael Reeves?



This looks perfect! Thanks, Andrew!



PaulCLawton said:


> Zach said:
> 
> 
> > I'm looking for a book that provides a basic overview of the Reformation. For a book discussion group, I have to read a book that analyzes the Reformation and I want to have a more thorough grounding before I try to understand and critique the book's argument. Any recommendations?
> ...



This also looks good. Thanks, Paul!


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## ooguyx (Jul 8, 2013)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_Reformation ?


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## py3ak (Jul 8, 2013)

Zach, though I did enjoy Dr. Trueman's book mentioned above, I don't think it's quite what you are looking for. As far as I'm aware, there is really no better _summary_ of the Reformation than Calvin's little tract, _The Necessity of Reforming the Church_.


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## Alan D. Strange (Jul 8, 2013)

Zach:

Ruben's suggestion of Calvin is a good one to grasp the basic roots of Reformation. Merle D'Aubigne is a classic sympathetic longer treatment. 

For the history of it I would recommend, as shorter introductions, Roland Bainton's _Reformation of the Sixteenth Century_ and Bob Godfrey's _Reformation Sketches_.

For longer works, I recommend Steven Ozment's _Age of Reform _(particularly for its lead into the Reformation with its coverage of the late medieval period, for which Heiko Oberman's _Harvest of Medieval Theology _is also good). Other fine scholarly treatments of the Reformation itself are Carter Lindberg's _European Reformations_ and Euan Cameron's _European Reformation_.

Peace,
Alan


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## Zach (Jul 8, 2013)

Thanks for your recommendations, everyone. Bainton's book sounds very good.


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## CharlieJ (Jul 8, 2013)

Zach, it depends on your goal. For solid empirical data and a non-biased (not specifically confessional) treatment, I would start with Lindberg. Bainton is a great read, but a bit too Lutheran for pulling out quotes to a neutral reading group. What is the book you're reading? Is it perchance Brad Gregory's? I have thoughts about that one...


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## irresistible_grace (Jul 8, 2013)

Bob Godfrey's _Reformation Sketches_ is an easy read. I loaned my copy to someone and never got it back. Needless to say, there is a sad void in my bookshelf... I loved that book! It only took me two nights to read it (and I'm a slow reader).


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## irresistible_grace (Jul 8, 2013)

This may be ...  

If you want to EXPERIENCE an Overview of the Protestant Reformation sometime in the future, I highly recommend Douglas Bond's books Betrayal (Based on John Calvin), The Thunder (Based on John Knox) & his Crown&Covenant Series (Based on the Scottish Covenanters of course).


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## Zach (Jul 9, 2013)

CharlieJ said:


> Zach, it depends on your goal. For solid empirical data and a non-biased (not specifically confessional) treatment, I would start with Lindberg. Bainton is a great read, but a bit too Lutheran for pulling out quotes to a neutral reading group. What is the book you're reading? Is it perchance Brad Gregory's? I have thoughts about that one...



It is Brad Gregory's, Charlie. Fortunately, I'm reading it with a bunch of other Reformed Presbyterians, so I'm not worried about running off to Rome if that's his goal, but I want a solid factual basis laid down first. What are your thoughts about it?


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## CharlieJ (Jul 9, 2013)

If I recall correctly, he plays the nominalism card pretty hard. I am convinced that nominalism is neither the boogeyman many Catholic philosophers say it is nor is it that connected to the Reformation. Many Reformers were inclined toward Thomism. Also, his explanation for the failure of medieval Catholicism is "sin." That is, the Reformation was caused by bad priests. Now, that's possible, but it requires demonstrating that Luther and many other Protestants were self-deceived about the root of their protest. No doubt they were appalled by sin, but their primary complaint was doctrinal. The Catholic Church, in their estimation, was not just sinful, but false.

On the other hand, it really is a very scholarly book with a wealth of information and quite a few perceptive remarks. I'm not sure, though, that modernity has failed quite so hard as some people say it has. Test question: would most people rather live in 2013 or 1413?


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## DMcFadden (Jul 10, 2013)

In addition to the many good suggestions already made . . .

History of the Reformation in The 16th Century (3 Vols.) J.H. Merle d’Aubingne 
History of the German Reformation Vol. 7 Philip Schaff 
History of the Swiss Reformation Vol. 8 Philip Schaff 
Reformers and the Theology of the Reformation William Cunningham
Reformation of Church and Dogma (1300–1700). Pelikan, Jaroslav (1984). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-65377-3.
The Intellectual Origins of the European Reformation Alister McGrath 
The Reformation: A History. MacCulloch, Diarmaid. New York: Penguin 2003.
The Story of Christianity, Vol. 2: The Reformation to the Present Day. Gonzales, Justo. San Francisco: Harper, 1985. ISBN 0-06-063316-6.

The older books tend to employ a believing historiography, accepting the "unseen hand of God" moving throughout the historical events. Books like Gonzales show a preference for neo-Protestant ideas as well as a more secular historiography. McGrath is NOT an evangelical (despite what _Christianity Today_ would like us to believe). However, he is a refreshing alternative to the skepticism of the bulk of contemporary authors.

Frankly, for a quick and dirty overview: The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World, Stephen J. Nichols. Crossway, 2007, or the less evangelical The Reformation for Armchair Theologians, Glenn S. Sunshine. Westminster John Knox, 2005. I read The Heroic Boldness of Martin Luther (Long Line of Godly Men Profiles) by Steven J. Lawson on the plane last month and enjoyed it. However, it is not a substitute for the other good books already mentioned.


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## Gavin (Jul 11, 2013)

Im really enjoying The Great Reformation by Merle D Aubigne, 512 pages, abridged by the original author from the complete edition- but its dated 1899. It would probably be perfect for a book discussion group.


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