Customer Reviews

The European Reformations

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This is a must-read. Lindberg's introduction to the Reformation not only weaves an exciting narrative about the men and women (mostly men) who shaped the Reformation, but provides insight to the culture that produced them with real sympathy and conviction.

In addition to the expected chapters on Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, the "radical reformers" et al, Lindbergh explains the Reformations (notice the plural--a key point of Lindberg's) as they unfolded uniquely in various countries and in response to peculiar stimuli. Political, social, and economic ramifications are also explored to some degree. Despite all this weighty content, Lindberg's writing is easy to read, his argument effortless. "The European Reformations" sheds light on both the 16th century and our own. I strongly recommend it.

I much liked this book on the Reformations, readable, informative and well written. The author makes a credible case about the plural in the title. It is well and clearly written and gives a real and lively 'feel' of the human angle and controversies surrounding these latter-day Reformist 'Church Fathers'; People like Luther, Zwingli, Karlstadt and Calvin come from the pages as human and not as dry names with dates attached to them. I also appreciated the broad sociopolitical context in which their lives & times are presented.
Although not a specialist in the field at all, i do think that the author presents clearly the theological arguments as such for a layman reader such as myself. However, I do sometimes get the impression that he oversimplifies, perhaps for the sake of brief clarity. I also wonder whether all that was theologically controversial and interesting during the Reformation only took place in German-speaking areas? On the other hand, perhaps that was indeed were the main action was.
The author does create the impression that many of the theological ideas emerging during the Reformations were actually new (or does nothing to dispel that idea). Although in some senses undoubtedly innovative, one can argue that many of the concepts were not new at all, and often can be traced to ideas that were alive and kept reemerging, throughout the earlier history of Christianity, often also with solid Catholic antecedents. However, people like Luther believed their insights were new and different from what they thought of as suffocating and terrifying Catholic orthodoxy. And to them that made all the difference. In any case, I thoroughly and unexpectedly enjoyed this book and i rate it as highly recommended.

Carter Lindberg's The European Reformations (Blackwell Publishing, 1996) provides a historical-theological look at Europe during the 1400-1600's, especially the events surrounding the Protestant Reformation. Lindberg seeks to combine historical reporting with theological commentary, and for the most part, he succeeds. The result is one of the most important books on the Reformation to come out in the past 20 years.

The European Reformations tells the story of the Reformation chronologically, providing theological reflection and background for the battles that ensued. Lindberg also concentrates his book on geographical locations, devoting certain chapters to Germany, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, and England. He balances historical information with theological explanations - never leaving out the theological impetus for the Reformation, while also taking into consideration the political and social factors that pushed for revolution.

What makes Lindberg's book stand out from other prominent works on the Reformation is the "s" in the title. He is aware that the Reformation was not a monolithic event, but a diverse uprising of pastor/theologians who were motivated by similar theological discoveries though they often disagreed on important doctrines of the faith. The differences between Luther and Zwingli on the Lord's Supper or the relationship between church and state are seen in their context. Likewise, the Protestant "make-over" of England differs substantially from the Anabaptist movement in the Netherlands. The differences between the "reformations" are fascinating, and the serious historian must take them into account when studying this period of history.

Lindberg's book is long and sometimes laborious, but this is because of the enormity of the information he must cover, not because of his writing style. For a good history of the Reformation that takes into account the theology that propelled the changes, The European Reformations is the book to own.

What the heck. This one is just plain READABLE. Many books contain the same--or more--information. A good example is Williston Walker's book on Christian history. But Lindberg conveys the information with a style that makes the reading enjoyable and informative. Given the amount of information that is encompassed and the time scale covered it is great to have a book that makes the subject matter come alive.

I had to read the book for a class I was in, I thought the book was quite boring because it was mainly a textbook which I had to write a summary on. Also the thing i did not care for in the book was how he would start talking about one thing then switch gears and said he will talk about something later which was very frustating to me as a reader of his works personally.