I learned more about the Reformation in this all-too-short book than I have in the whole of my time in conservative Reformed and Presbyterian circles. The book is designed to draw our eyes to the actual shape of the history of the Reformation, rather than the Great Myth which all Protestants hear... ...more

James Payton has produced a remarkable book. He is already cutting the legs out from under many standard Reformed evangelical lecture quotables. I don't know if this book will make many friends for Dr. Payton in the world of conservative Reformdom (or conservative anything-dom), but it deserves a... ...more

"According to Luther, reason had given Christian teaching "the French pox" (i.e., syphilis) and Aristotle was the pimp who had arranged the tryst." (p. 197)

A capable and impressively comprehensive treatment of the Protestant Reformation, including the historical movements perched above and below... ...more

James R. Payton Jr., Getting the Reformation Wrong: Correcting Some Misunderstandings (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic 2010). Paperback / Kindle

Every now and then, I hear friends describe—denounce, really—some book as a work of “revisionist history.” What they mean by that appellation is that the... ...more

I found Payton to be less polemic and more humbly conversant than his title would suggest. Payton addressed common misconceptions concerning Reformation topics such as sola fide, sola scriptura, the "unity" among the Reformers, as well as other topics. He was extremely clear and fair in his argum... ...more