# Documentary about Martin Luther



## cih1355 (Apr 25, 2010)

I recently watched a PBS documentary about Martin Luther. It discusses the major events that occurred in Martin Luther's life. It did not have an in-depth discussion of his theology, but one of the commentators mentioned that Luther believed that salvation is received with an empty hand. 

Alister McGrath was one of the commentators. 

Here is a link that describes the video:

Martin Luther | PBS


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## dudley (Apr 25, 2010)

I would say the the comment you say was made by the ducumentary about salvation shows some ignorance on the part of the person making such a comment. 

I would highly recommend The movie "LUTHER" which covers the early years of Martin Luther’s life, from his days as a monk in the early 1500s to the proclamation of the Augsburg Confession in 1530, which founded the Lutheran Church in Germany. It is a wonderful, entertaining historical drama that, despite some flaws, shows how one man’s faith in God changed the history of the world. 

At the same time, however, the Luther presented by this movie returns several times to the central issue that occupied his mind, and changed the world: the primacy of God’s Word, the Bible. “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason. . . I will not recant,” Luther tells the German and Catholic authorities accusing him of heresy. “My conscience is captive to the Word of God.” For history tells us it was the demands of study for academic degrees and preparations for delivering lectures as the teacher of biblical theology at Wittenburg University that led Luther to study the Scriptures in-depth. His study of the Bible, the source of Christianity, convinced him that the Church had lost sight of the central truths of the faith: Sola Scriptura! 

Luther DVD Color / 2003 2 Hrs. 4 Min.

Rated: PG-13 (Disturbing Images of Violence)

Dolby

Features: English 5.1 Surround, English and Spanish Subtitles, includes original theatrical trailer. _____________

Joseph Fiennes as Martin Luther. ____________

Have you received Christ as your Lord and Saviour? 

Find out how to do so on our page:

Plan of Salvation ______________ 

Tell others about Jesus like Martin Luther did: 

All Christians are called by God to share our faith (witness) with those who are not Christians. Some Bible verses that you will find helpful for doing this, and that you may want to commit to memory are found on other pages on our web site (see: Memory Verses; 2nd Set: Salvation!, Plan of Salvation, and Statement of Faith). _________________ 


"Engrossing. Compelling. Powerful." 

-Movieguide 

"...epic, ravishingly beautiful..." 

-New York Times 

Joseph Fiennes, Sir Peter Ustinov, Bruno Ganz, Alfred Molina, Claire Cox, Jonathan Firth, Uwe Osenknecht, Mathieu Carriere, Benjamin Sadler

Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) stars as Martin Luther, the brilliant man of God whose defiant actions changed the world, in this "epic, ravishingly beautiful" (The New York Times) film that traces Luther's extraordinary and exhilarating quest for the people's liberation.

Even when threatened with violent death, Luther refuses to back down...

Regional princes and the powerful Church wield a fast, firm and merciless grip on 16th century Germany. But when Martin Luther issues a shocking challenge to their authority, the people declare him their new leader -- and hero. Even when threatened with violent death, Luther refuses to back down, sparking a bloody revolution that shakes the entire continent to its core. _________________________


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## DMcFadden (Apr 25, 2010)

Luther is one of the most fascinating -- and frustrating -- figures in church history. Without his "bull in a China-shop" ways, where would the Reformation be (humanly speaking)? Or, in more theologically correct language, it is amazing how the Providence of God uses most imperfect instruments to accomplish his purposes.

No friend of the Reformed, he openly considered Zwingli and other early Reformed theologs to be "fanatics" and his favorite ephithet for them was the "sectarians." He even suggested that Zwingli was no better than a papist and that he could not get justification right. In January of 1526 Luther suggested that the "sect" had three heads, all under the driving force of the devil: Karlstadt, Oecolampadius, and Zwingli. Reformed theologians were classified with all other false religions of his day: "Papism, Mohammedanism, monasticism, the newest heresy, Zwingli and Oecolampad are all idolatry." "I regard Zwingli as un-Christian, with all his teachings, for he holds and teaches no part of the Christian faith rightly. He is seven times worse than when he was a papist."

He noted:


> "It is a marvelous thing and unknown to the world to teach Christians to ignore the Law and to live before God as though there were no Law whatever. For if you do not ignore the Law and thus direct your thoughts to grace as though there were no Law but as though there were nothing but grace, you cannot be saved."



For a GREAT viewing experience (along with almost impeccable history), the movie Luther (2003) is just about the best ever. I have watched it 20+ times and still find it a delight. And, from an historical point of view, the young Luther was quite slender, not unlike the portrayal in the movie. He did not put on weight until after enjoying Katy's cooking and her home business in the basement, a brewery!


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