Customer Reviews

Luther the Reformer

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4 star:		(6)
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This fascinating book is a biography of that first and most famous of the Reformers, Martin Luther. However, it is much more than a biography. In this book, the author traces the evolution of Luther's theology, as he moved from being a faithfully conforming monk, to being a loyal reformer, to being a violent opponent of the Roman Catholic Church. Along the way, the author explains Luther's opinions, where they came from, and how they evolved.

I must say that I found this to be an absolutely riveting book. At first, I was somewhat worried that the author, a Lutheran professor, was taking far too biased of a look at Luther. However, this book is not intended to be an exposé, but a look at Luther's theology. All people, from all sides, presented in this book are covered in a sympathetic way, accepting them as they appeared, and not attributing any spurious attitudes or motives to them.

Overall, I found this book to be quite interesting and informative. If you are interested in Lutheran theology, or just reading about Martin Luther, then I highly recommend this book to you.

Kittleson's concise treatment of the life and work of Martin Luther is a wonderful starting point for those interested in knowing more about Luther who are NOT interested in minute detail. Kittleson covers the major writings, the famous "here I stand" moments, and all the other basics to understanding Luther and his beliefs. While this is not as in depth as Oberman or Erikson's treatments, it is informative and well-though out, put together in a manner which reads easily and stays in your head permanently, a must for seminarians and others who read quickly and forget even faster. Kittleson has done a marvelous job presenting Luther here; I highly recommend this book for others.

This book easily eclipses Bainton's and others in providing an accurate, yet readable for the layman as well as pastor and scholar who wants to begin understanding Luther and the Reformation. Not bogged down with the scholarly drawl of painstakingly covering all the angles and previous opinions on this most intriguing of historial figures. Great maps and index. Highly recommened.

This is a terrific book, both for people who want a first book to read about Martin Luther, and for those who know the story well. Luther has been the subject of many biographies; Kittelson's book is unique in blending the development of Luther's theology with an account of the life of the man. Kittelson's expertise allows him to tell a complex story clearly and concisely. The book inspired me to read more about Luther, including some of his own writings.

This was an exceptional biography of Martin Luther. While most biographies tend to focus on only a small portion of his life (usually his initial "discovery" of his doctrine of justification and the initial break from Rome), Kittleson tackles the life of Luther as a complete story. While he did spend far more time (i.e. the first 200 pages) on Luther's early life and "conversion," he spent the remainder of the book looking at the often neglected later life of Luther. While Bainton's biography was groundbreaking, and is still a good book, this one surpasses it in it's fairness and completeness (though it does lack a little of the entheusiasm that Bainton had).

This book makes Luther's life and theology very accessable to non-historians. Kittleson always puts Luther's ideas and writings in context, giving us a feel for why he said what he said. While many of Luther's words still seem harsh and divisive, they are at least a little more understandable when looked at in context. Further, Kittleson does what most biographers fail to do when writing about Luther: he really helps the reader understand what Luther's personality was like. Instead of presenting Luther as a disembodied intellect pumping out ideas, he gives information that helps us put together a picture of what Luther the person was really like.

The only complaints I have about this book are the brevity of his treatment of Luther's later life and his slight bias in favor of Luther. While I can tell that he is trying to be fair, he often ends up defending Luther's harsh comments and actions. While I do admire Luther, I have no problem admiting that Luther was wrong about some things, was far too harsh at times, and really was far more divisive than he needed to be. Kittleson seems to realize this, but always tries to defend Luther's words or actions by explaining that he was doing these things because he was so devoted to defending his conception of true doctrine. That may be, but does that really mean he was not wrong about some things? Lest you think that this book is merely a defense of Luther, it is really not so blatant as I am making it sound. In comparison to most Luther biographies written by a Lutheran, I imagine that it is very objective. Kittleson never explicitly says that Luther did no wrong, he just seemed to lightly imply it in many places. The mere fact that he actually presents the distasteful writings/actions of Luther in the book should speak volumes about his desire to be fair, and my complaint is really very minor.

Overall, this is definitely a recommended book. It seems to be THE place to start in learning about Luther, even above Bainton's excellent biography. I have obviously not read every Luther biography out there, or even a decent portion of them, but I would be very surprised if there were a better one than this which covers Luther's whole life.

Overall grade: A

Fortress Press sent me a review copy of Luther the Reformer: The Story of the Man and His Career by James Kittelson. I am very impressed with this book. There are lots of biographies of Luther out there. I've read a few that focus on some particular theological aspect of Luther's writings. This book provides an easy to read history of Luther's life based on the some of the best research without forcing the reader to wade through all the scholarly opinions. I am by no means an expert on Martin Luther but from the works of Luther that I have read, Kittelson seems to be an honest interpreter. He doesn't seem to have any ax to grind or particular agenda. With someone as important and prolific as Luther, it's always easy to use quotes here and there to create the person in your own image. But Kittelson doesn't do that. He just tells the story of Luther's life accurately and honestly. For most of the quotations, Kittelson provides his own translations which are not filtered as they are in some other English translations. Luther's language can be more than a little jarring at times but it also shows how strongly Luther felt about the issues being debated. Luther would not fit in well at the modern ecumenical conferences. The book's goal seems to be to provide a portrait of Luther that Luther would recognize as being himself and I think it lives up to that standard. In around 300 pages the book gives an excellent of Luther's entire life and theology. My only gripe is with the sections dealing with private confession. If all you read was this book you might be led to think that Luther was completely opposed to private confession. Luther was opposed to the way it was conducted in the Roman church but continued the practice of private confession in an evangelical way.

Brought up as a Roman Catholic in the thirties and forties, I had a negative take on Luther. He was the heretic who caused so much trouble. I am no longer a Catholic, but mostly Buddhist. However, unable to find a Buddhist community in my area with which I could identify --- I tried some Christian churches, of which, naturally there is an abundance. I happened upon Peace Lutheran Church here in Las Cruces, NM, and found a place where I thought I might settle down at least for the sake of some spiritual community.

I decided to read a biography of Luther -- starting but not finishing -- one by Ronald Bainton. I stopped reading it partly because of the writing style, and because i wanted some more time spent on Luther's theological explorations and the views that he came to have about Jesus and the Church.

Luther the Reformer by Kittelson fitted my needs almost perfectly: It was clearly stated, well written, interesting, delving below the surface, but still not getting bogged down in erudite details.

It was insightful, helpful, and an enjoyable book for me. Highly recommended.

Provides a very readable introduction to the life of Martin Luther. Covers Luther's entire life rather than only a portion of it. Especially valuable is the inclusion of the political climate and culture of medieval Europe in which Luther lived and developed his understanding of the Christian faith.

Luther the Reformer is a good history of Luther's life and his leadership in the Reformation. The author doesn't coverup the warts in Luther's persona, and quotes some of the strong and barn yard words Luther used; Kittleson's book provides good reading,and keeps one wanting to read more.

Luther had many contributions to the history of the Christian church. He was the father of the Protestant reformation. Many of the reformers looked to him as inspiration, if nothing else. He also promoted the pillars of the Reformation: sola scriptura, sola fide, sola sacerdos, sola gracia, and sola Christe. He changed how people relate to God and impact people's daily lives. People denounced monastic vows and embraced marriage. Luther single-handedly weakened the power of the Catholic Church. By teaching Scripture, he undermined the sale of indulgences, destroyed the Church's sacramental system and undermined its ecclesiastical authority. The Church would be forced to clarify its teachings at the Council of Trent, which would push it farther away from the possibility of reform.

After just reading a tortorous biography on John Wesley, this biography was much better. Even while Kittleson discussed theology, he kept it interesting and in context.