Yea, yea, yea … it’s Halloween. But today also mark 505 years since the good Doctor Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to a Wittenberg Church notice board, sparking nothing short of a revolution in the church and the rest of Europe. Martin Luther and the Reformation are regular muses for Mbird, so on this day some thankful appreciation is in order:

• From the 500th anniversary celebration, Prof. Simeon Zahl offers his appreciation for the Wittenberg reformer: “Luther [was] a kind of artist who at his best transmuted his personal sufferings into theological ideas that can inform an utterly compassionate vision of Christianity as a religion of honesty and mercy for suffering and screwed up human beings.”
• An excellent quote from Luther on Freedom and the Bondage of the Law
• Philip Melanchthon on the Consolations of Faith: “Faith justifies in this way: that it simultaneously makes alive, that is, it cheers and consoles consciences and produces eternal life and joy in the heart.
• Luther offers a helpful guide for How to Read the Gospels.
• What’s the big deal about the Reformation anyway? “The Reformation was nothing if not a complete reversal of the direction of devotion; no longer would people be singing of salvation as something done by us or something done in us, but something done for us.”
• Brad Gray asks why Luther grabbed a hammer in the first place? “For all his zeal, Luther’s espoused religion was unable to give him the assurance he so desperately craved.”
• An excellent personal reflection the significance of Martin Luther comes from Joey Goodall: “I was 33, with a divorce and a number of other dashed hopes under my belt, before I was able to really hear the Gospel — thanks in large part to many of Luther’s insights (the distinction between Law and Gospel, bondage of the will, etc.).”
• Prof. Jonathan Linebaugh offers a home run analysis on what makes grace so vibrant: “Martin Luther was especially sensitive to, and also especially grateful for, the incongruity of grace. It is only because this God gives this grace, Luther says to the weary, that there is “rest for your bones and mine.”
• See also this talk by Sarah Condon, “When Katie Met Luther”
• And finally, here’s David Clay on Martin Luther’s less famous theses (given a year after the 95), which might just be one of Luther’s more significant contributions. A rare instance where the sequel is better than the original.

COMMENTS

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2 responses to “Happy Reformation Day!”

1. dan says:

   10/31/2022 at 3:08 pm

   I’m sure it was just a simple oversight, but you forgot to link to the Reformation Polka! 🙂

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4TeJJmQJqU

   Reply
2. Rosemary says:

   11/01/2022 at 10:52 am

   Martin Luther’s tweet is epic, it made my day!

   Reply