I try now and then to recommend some of the good books I run into. I just finished this biography of Martin Luther by Eric Metaxas. Having spent so much time studying the restoration of the Gospel and the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, it wasn’t until reading this book that I realized how little I really know about the reformation and religious history throughout the apostasy in general.
A few highlights:
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Details about the doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church prior to the reformation. Some crazy stuff!
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Parallels between Martin Luther and the Prophet Joseph Smith. Lots of similarities, but you can see how Joseph was behind a restoration, not a reformation, and there is a difference.
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Insight into how important Luther and the reformation were to the eventual restoration. He was inspired of God, no question.
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Glimpses of Martin Luther the man. He had an irreverent, comedic streak. And suffered from constipation for much of his life.
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Sobering reminders about life in the middle ages in general. Despite all the troubles in the world, we live in a supremely wonderful time in history!
It’s long, and you might need to read along with a dictionary because Metaxas gets a bit ambitious in his vocabulary here and there, but it’s a worthy read. Check it out on Amazon here.
Brigham Rupp 