"FATHERS" of the "RE"-Formation.

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Malachi4U

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Gods peace be with you Theophilus,

I would like to know more about the ‘FATHERS’ of the ‘RE-Formation. These would include men like Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, etc… I have been accused of not knowing all the facts about these men and would like to know more. I think it would be helpful for all of us too.

Please include the good, the bad and the evil if any. Links and books would be of great use too.

Also one major point. Is the ‘re’-formation over? Did it end with the last ‘re’-former and who was that? How long did it last and questions like these would be good too. An example by comparison I am a citizen of the USA and we have a Constitution, Bill of Rights and a declaration of Independence. Some documents are closed and some can be amended, does this mean our experiment is still going on or did our experiment end in 1776 or so? What I am asking, was George Washington our last “reformer” so to speak or are we still “reforming” our government today and we can still have “reformer” tomorrow?

Please help me learn more about the “FATHERS” of the reformation.

Can we use the term “FATHERS” or is it a violation of Scripture?

1 Cor 4:15 “15 Even if you should have countless guides to Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”

Thank you for your help and Gods peace be with you,

The truth is out there!:yup:

Malachi4U
 
Luther:

Read his small and large catechisms (free on the web).

Read: Luther, Man between God & the Devil by H. Oberman.

That should scratch the surface.
 
There are articles on all the major figures of the Reformation at

www.newadvent.org
in the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Another good read is

How the Reformation Happened by Hillaire Belloc

and

The Cleaving of Christendom by Warren Carroll.
 
If you want a summary of Martin Luther’s theology, try reading his “Smalcald Articles,” written 20 yrs after the 95 Theses. They are short, and set out basic principles with Biblical citation.

For more in depth look at Luther, try the 755 page anthology of his theological writings, “Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings,” edited by Timothy F. Lull, with a foreward by Jaroslav Pelikan, Fortress Press (1989). (The entire “Luther’s Works,” by the way, spans 55 volumes in English.)

Something you need to remember about Luther: He is not a 21st century man. He is not an advocate of political democracy or political correctness. He was a 16th century man, whose writings reflect his turbulent, revolutionary times. Quite literally, he and his contemporaries faced death in wars to enforce or reject papal authority. The printing press was new, and so was publishing for mass appeal to a largely untutored populace. Today, he is criticized for his rhetoric, but compared with some, he was the conservative who advocated a slower, collaborative reformation of Church practices (see e.g., his Sermon of March 9, 1522, given in reaction to radical changes during his absence from Wittenberg). To others, he was the devil, bent on destroying God’s Kingdom.

I am not making apologies for him, but instead wish to stress that you will better understand him by understanding the historical context of his statements.

Good luck,

MartyL
 
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Malachi4U:
Also one major point. Is the ‘re’-formation over? Did it end with the last ‘re’-former and who was that?
Click to expand...
semper reformata baby!

-C
 
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