Martin Luther and Modern Times

Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Wittenberg Church door more than 500 years ago.

The actual date is October 31. Lutherans–of which I am one–usually remember the monk and his actions on that day.

Celebrating for the most part.

Was Luther a bad guy or a good guy?

The family in which I grew up “participated” in a church tradition that did not revere Martin Luther.

But when in my teens  I first understood the plan of salvation–Jesus as a personal savior who died for my sins–it was in a Lutheran church setting.

I began attending Trinity Lutheran Church and fell in love with the singing during the service.

Particularly when it slipped into four-part harmony.

Luther was partly responsible for that.

Literacy and the Bible

Because Martin Luther believed people should be able to read God’s word in their own language, he stressed the importance of literacy.

The point of literacy was Bible reading.

Having never been introduced to a Bible study before, I loved the fact a book could share God’s words.

I could pick it up and read it anytime, especially since I am literate.

The first Bible study I joined happened to be on the book of Romans–which is the text from which Luther finally grappled to an understanding of Law and Grace.

It changed his life and mine, too.

Denominations

While obviously a Lutheran church, Trinity didn’t place any emphasis on the founder, or at least I didn’t notice.

I just soaked up the truth of God’s word and my life changed for the better.

Jesus called me, not Protestantism or even Reformed theology.

I liked how Trinity Lutheran Church taught the Bible, sang, worshipped and loved each other.

But I didn’t need to be a Lutheran, per se, as much as I needed to be a follower of Jesus.

Amen.

Focusing on Jesus, not a particular denomination, is how I sought God. Through all our Navy moves, we attended the church God sent us to for His purposes at a given time or place.

Three of my children, however, went through Lutheran confirmation and have read and studied Luther’s Small Catechism (as did my husband as a child).

Recent popular media

We’ve worshipped with a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod congregation for many years, so when the movie Luther released in 2003, we attended with interest.

The film does a fine job of putting the Reformation into the context of the times. I learned a lot from it.

In 2016, Jody Hedlund wrote the Christy award-winning novel Luther and Katharina: a Novel of Love and Rebellion.

It’s an historical romance which puts a dramatic emotional spin on events leading up to a former monk marriage to former nun Katharina von Bora.

I didn’t know much about the relationship, which is why I read the well-written novel. Hedlund used artistic license to tell an exciting romantic story.

As a researcher, I prefered Michelle DeRusha’s commitment to the (few) facts available. Her biography, Katharina and Martin Luther: The Radical Marriage of a Runaway Nun and a Renegade Monk released in 2017.

From DeRusha’s book, I learned far more about the political and spiritual state of affairs in 1517.

It helped me put Martin Luther’s life into perspective.

I came to see Luther’s goal was not to protest the Roman Catholic Church at the time, but to reform it.

DeRusha helped me see why.

Martin Luther was a quirky, brilliant, focused, determined, God-loving man with many flaws and failures to his credit.

His goal, like the Trinity Lutheran Church of my youth, was to point me–and you–to Jesus.

Thanks be to God.

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