Martin Luther is for the most part fascinating, sometimes annoying, and for many people perplexing: David Whitford provides an insight to the reformer's biographical context, his theological foundations and primarily his political theory. The basic nature of the content leads to an elementary understanding of Luther. At no point does Whitford evade discussing problems in Luther's theology, instead inviting discussion with him concerning his interpretation. The book should be read by beginners in Luther studies, taking their first steps, as well by scholars who seek a fresh look on Luther. -- Volker Leppin, University of Tubingen, Germany.
David Whitford's graceful new study does exactly what its title promises: guide readers who have only a vague notion of Martin Luther through his life, ideas, and key writings. The book explains complex theological issues in clear, but not overly simplistic, language, and does not avoid the controversies in which Luther was involved, many of which remain matters of debate today: Do humans have free will? Does religion allow one to oppose the government? How should Christians regard the Jews? How should Christians regard-and treat--each other? -- Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks, Department of History, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Venturing across centuries and continents to encounter great thinkers of the past always involves a cross-cultural experience, for which a guide is mandatory as we make the first trip. David Whitford takes twenty-first century readers without much background in the Europe of the sixteenth century in hand and offers views of Martin's life and thought that provide a path into his world and way of proclaiming the biblical message to his contemporaries. Readers in conversation with the author gain facts and flavour as they move across the bridges he builds from now back to then. -- Robert Kolb, Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis USA.
This is a text that should find its way into the hands of undergraduates, seminarians, and academics. They will be reminded of Luther's importance for life and faith today and stimulated to read the words of the reformer himself. * Religious Studies Review *
Whitford's study of Luther is a crisply written review of the reformer's life and teaching. He does an admirable job of summing up recent scholarship while paying close attention to core theological concerns. The result is a book that reads well as an introduction to Luther but can also serve as a refresher for those with a wider base of knowledge. * Religious Studies, Vol. 37, Issue 3 *
This is a very helpful little book which brings together in a short compass a great deal of scholarship. Books about Luther would, after all, fill a medium sized library so it is quite an achievement to present such a complex figure with economy but also thoroughness. Professor Whitford's style is readable and clear, fitting the book for the non-specialist and the general reader. There is a particularly good bibliography which would guide the brave into more specialized studies. -- Simon Iredale * The Goodbookstall *
