A Place to Stand: The Word of God in the Life of Martin Luther

Leaders in Action

by Gene Edward Veith Jr., David Vaughan (Editor)

New entry in the Leaders In Action Series. Offers a spiritual biography of Martin Luther.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, School

256 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

Gene Edward Veith Jr., is the Culture Editor of WORLD MAGAZINE. He was formerly Professor of English at Concordia University Wisconsin, where he has also served as Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences. He is the author of numerous books, including Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture, The Spirituality of the Cross: The Way of the First Evangelicals, and God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life.

Postmodern Times received a Christianity Today Book Award as one of the top 25 religious books of 1994. He was named Concordia's Adult Learning Teacher of the Year in 1993 and received the Faculty Laureate Award as outstanding faculty member in 1994. He was a Salvatori Fellow with the Heritage Foundation in 1994-1995 and is a Senior Fellow with the Capital Research Center. He was given the layman’s 2002 Robert D. Preus Award by the Association of Confessional Lutherans as “Confessional Lutheran of the Year.”

Dr. Veith was born in Oklahoma in 1951. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1973 and received a Ph.D. in English from the University of Kansas in 1979. He has taught at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College and was a Visiting Professor at Wheaton College in Illinois. He was also a Visiting Lecturer at the Estonian Institute of Humanities in Tallinn, Estonia. He and his wife Jackquelyn have three grown children and live in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Thomas Alley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really opened up Martin Luther to me. Before reading this book, I knew a little about him but I didn’t know a lot. Martin is a very interesting guy and is definitely worth learning about.

[Sarah Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful book about Martin Luther, easy read, good for teenagers or people that want to begin learning about Martin Luther but don't want to delve too deep.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book on my favorite character from Church history written by one of my all time favorite authors. Veith is a great writer and this is a concise overview on the Life of Luther, his values, and his far reaching influence. I read Bainton years ago and did not want that much detail again so this was a nice little dip into Luther's life.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was young I could never get into history because I felt like is was dry and couldn't keep up with all the facts. I think I felt like I had to memorize dates and places but never fully appreciated the stories. This book is written in story form and his life is fascinating. Martin Luther is inspiring and reading this book made me want to be a better person. He was brave, he had integrity, he had grit, and he stood for what he knew what was right.

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book about the life of Martin Luther because a teen-aged friend of mine is required to read it as a part of her home-school curriculum. It was written by a professor at Concordia University, so it is, not suprisingly, a non-objective, laudatory treatment of the life and legacy of Martin Luther, sprinkled liberally with the author's own beliefs, prejudices, theology, and assumptions.

[Holli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t know a lot about Martin Luther so enjoyed learning more about him and the impact he made in challenging the practices and corruptions of the Catholic Church at the time. It got me thinking a lot about standing for what I believe in and the difference one person can make when they take a stand using truth as their guide.

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important man in history- while the book was average in my opinion, I'm glad I read it because I got to know an important man who changed the world by being curious. At times the book was a bit preachy, hence not 4 stars, but like I said, worth reading.

[Katie Kaiserman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really the kind of thing I'm interested in. I had to read this for school but if it wasn't required I doubt I ever would have picked it up.

[Lindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martin Luther was an incredible man who followed the word of God, as he interpreted it, with exactness cutting through the hypocrisy of those around him with words sharper than any sword. Yet, his fierce critique of his opponents in theological debate did not keep him from being a true christian and helping his fellow man with no regard for their prior abuses to himself. He was a powerful man and this book is a great apologetic introduction to his life.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a good overview of Martin Luther. I'm inspired to learn more. I love the leadership focus of this series. I am pondering the immense impact Luther had in his world and for today. I'm astonished at the domino effect he's had. So much to ponder here. I'm profoundly grateful that he took a stand.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never known much about Martin Luther, but after reading this book, I really admire him, love his personality and have a desire to be more like him and stand up for things that are important to me.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. What an awesome man!

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fine book that quickly tells about Martin Luther's life, puts it in context and tells why it matters. Even those who know about Luther would benefit.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fantastic book on the life and legacy of Martin Luther.

[Lisa V · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this was my favorite Dr. Veith book.

[LaRae☕️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book 4 stars because it was a bit repetitive, but I finished it feeling so inspired by the life of Martin Luther. I definitely recommend it.