Martin Luther: The Great Reformer

Heroes of the Faith

by Daniel E. Harmon

Recognizing from Romans 1 that God gives believers in Christ a positive righteousness, Luther refused to be silenced and became the great reformer.

Genres: Biography, History, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Childrens

206 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Daniel Elton Harmon

Reviews

[Farah Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rome is a harlot , I would not take a thousand gulden not to have seen it , for I never would have believed the true state of affairs from what other people told me had I. It seen it myself .The Italians mocked us for being pious monks ,for they hold Christian fools .They say six or seven masses in the time it takes me to say one ,for they take money for it and I do not .The only crime in Italy is poverty .They still punish homicide and theft a little, for they have to , but no other sin is too gross for them ..So great and bold is Roman impiety that neither God nor man , neither sin nor shame , is feared . All good men who have seen , is feared . All good men who have seen Rome bear witness to this ;all bad ones come back worse than before”

In January 1511, the weary Luther , his mind filled with conflicting thoughts ,started home with John von Mecheln .Once again he found himself walking through central northern Italy to Milan .Here he found to his amazement a group of priests refusing allegiance to Rome , saying they stood in the succession of the famous Ambrose , Bishop of Milan in the early fourth century.
Here too , throughout this winter , Leonardo da Vinci , now 58 was working .The exquisite Last Supper was in formation , and Leonardo’s genius was moving rapidly through the creative arts .
Northward and over the alps into his own German lands Luther walked .Some time in February the brothers entered Erfurt .

Sometime during this year 1512-1513 Luther for the first time focused his conflicting thoughts and saw them temporarily in such clarity and harmony that he called this experience the “birthday “ of his faith .In the tower of the Black Cloister , where he often studied , he kept his attention on the great text in Romans 1:17 “The just shall live by faith “.

Lurther’s mind marshaled to it’s task the positions of Bernard and Augustine, and he remembered the constant advice of Stapitz to look upon the crucifixion

[Dave E · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief biography of Martin Luther, this book proved to be a bit challenging for me through the mid section of the book, as I struggled with keeping up with Martin's contemporaries and what was going with his training and work in early adulthood. If you stick with it however, I found it very much a worthwhile read. I came away with a much better understanding of Luther's role and accomplishments in the Reformation, as well as a feel for the life he led not just as a theologian, but as a person.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for an overview of Martin Luther’s life and what the Holy Spirit achieved through him in this world.
Only thing I’d say is that I became a little confused over the amount of characters spoken about. A little explanation next to a name that hadn’t come into the pictures for a while would have been helpful to me. But perhaps that’s just personal preference.
I’d highly recommend this book.

[Pauline Rutschow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this one was interesting. It gave details I had not known.

[Sang · Rating 3 out of 5]

lots of facts and names and dates. they were valuable to hear but is tougher to digest. what a life he had.

[Manning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martin Luther did everything his father told him to do. He went to Law School and trained hard in his classes but one day God showed Martin (by a bolt of lightning) that He needed him to work as a monk. So Martin gave up his work and became a monk. Later he became unhappy with some of the things that the Catholic leaders were doing. So he left the monastery and started the Reformation of the Church, which would follow more of God and less of man. Martin later married and had a children, survived the Plague and would never stop teaching the truth. Martin Luther died of old age but we still follow his teaching today, after all we wouldn't have all the different kinds of Churches if it weren't for Martin Luther.

[Emma Filbrun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martin Luther: The Courage to Seek is the fifth book I’ve read in the Heroes of the Faith series. I found the other four quite interesting, but this one about Martin Luther was a hard one for me to get through. As a biography, it is very accurate. Interspersed through the story are a lot of quotes from Luther’s own writings or contemporary records. I found the writing style to be very dry, however. Maybe it was because I read an edited edition, or maybe it was because the author spent a lot of time talking about theological issues. I’m not sure.

Read my full review here.

[Giju · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief biography of the great Martin Luther. It is an honest account and no attempt is made to glorify Luther with even his weaknesses being addressed. The Luther story is truly inspiring in that he took on the mighty Roman Catholic church and the Pope. It also shows the liberating power of the Word of God. His conviction from reading The Bible changed not just his life but almost the entire world and continues to do so. Recommended reading for a quick understanding of the life and times of Martin Luther.

[Tyler Hochstetler · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an interesting man...