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Theology of the Reformers

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Timothy George is founding dean and professor at Beeson Divinity School. He has also been a pastor and editor of numerous Christian magazines. Currently he is executive editor of Christianity Today.

It was a refreshing change to read Theology of the Reformers. George comes to the subject as a Christian. He does not fudge difficulties presented to believers, but, as we shall see, seeks to assist in our growing in faith and knowledge of God through the reformers.

George moves from the familiar to the unfamiliar in that most theological students have read biographies of Luther, Zwingli and Calvin, but probably not Menno Simons. The chapter on Menno Simons, then, is couched in a familiar setting which presented me with some quite new and challenging material.

The basic aim of this book is to bring out the emphases in the theologies of these four reformers. In being faithful to this aim, George has assisted in breaking down a number of myths commonly held about the reformers. For example, rather than Calvin being a melancholic and unemotional theologian, he is shown as a pastor who (page 212) "...was frequently called on to counsel those Protestants who had been imprisoned for their faith and who often faced imminent martyrdom." A quick scan of the footnotes between pages 238 and 246 will show that Calvin greatly drew on the Pastoral Epistles to shape his theology.

The key phrase used in the four main biographical chapter headings are something that won't easily be forgotten by most readers: "Yearning for Grace: Martin Luther"; "Something Bold for God: Huldrych Zwingli"; "Glory unto God: John Calvin"; and "No Other Foundation: Menno Simons". These chapter headings are tied in with major threads of each of the respective reformer's theologies, and could be used as mnemonics for subsequent reflection.

All four reformers are presented in a sympathetic light. However, George doesn't shirk from showing the reformers belligerently holding on to their divisive approaches to the sacraments, when compromise (or at least temporary concession) may have been better for the church at large. Whilst not misrepresenting the unique perspectives of each reformer's viewpoint nor espousing a "facile ecumenism" (page 316) George proposes a way forward of sorts in his final chapter The Abiding Validity of Reformation Theology namely, to hold to the essentials but continue to promote the importance of the sacraments.

Regarding this final chapter, Baker (Baker, J.W. (1991) Theology of the Reformers (Book Review). Church History 60, 387-389.) asserts that George "...may have exceeded the reach of his study". I do not agree with this statement for the following reasons: first, given the overall fine quality of the book and George's extensive experience in the pulpit, lecture hall and editor's desk, he is qualified to provide guidance in applying the knowledge he has gleaned from the reformers discussed; second, given the importance of the topic (i.e. the way forward for unity among Christians) it is warranted that George contributes to resolving the schisms that past doctrinal differences have caused.

George's description of the disagreement between Luther and Zwingli (along with a number of associates) at Marburg was quite moving. He brings home to me the lasting importance of unity within the Christian church and the need for flexibility in the face of military backlash (cf Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

Should this book have been aimed at theological students, it seems odd that German, Swiss, Dutch and Latin phrases are documented so precisely whilst New Testament Greek (a language of considerable usage by three out of four of the reformers studied) is only touched on thrice (pages 241, 293 and 257), and then only as transliterations. On page 70 George points to a "Greek verb", but fails to mention which verb he is referring to. On the other hand, a sound knowledge of Latin seemed to be assumed by the author throughout. In many theological colleges, such as BCV (Australia), Latin is not taught, but Biblical Greek is. For this reason it seems hard to justify "ordo salutis", for example, not being mentioned in the glossary, nor explained in the passage (page 270). It would be helpful to have a copy of Muller's Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms handy when reading a book such as this (Muller, R.A. (1985) Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms: Drawn Principally from Protestant Scholastic Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Books).

Further to the level the book is pitched at, note that in Baker's review of this book he says (in connection with his usage of the book for an undergraduate Reformation history class) "...it was clearly a challenging text for some of them". So, if it is pitched at a high level, why all these other European languages and so little Greek?

Perhaps a good introduction to the subject would be to read McGrath's Reformation Thought first (McGrath, A.E. (1988) Reformation Thought: An Introduction. Oxford: Basil Blackwell). Similarly sized, it takes a more thematic/topical approach than George's, which is more biographical. McGrath has a similar sized glossary, but it includes less non-English words. It is interesting that McGrath only mentions Menno Simons twice in his book. This is not to say that George could be criticised for placing the obscure Menno Simons next to the renowned Luther, Zwingli and Calvin. As I noted previously, there is value in moving from the familiar to the unfamiliar. As is the case with reformation studies, and doubtlessly so many other historical subjects, the amount of repetition in what is published is enormous. The chapter on Menno Simons is a welcome addition.

There is a need for this book in that short biographies are used to explain reformation theology, which may otherwise be quite dry to the new reader. George certainly achieves his aims in this book. The lives and theologies of the four reformers are well elucidated. It is well written, easy reading, yet deep enough and applicable to modern thought and practice (I say this in connection with the discussion on the Marburg Colloquy above).

Timothy George develops a great introduction to the theology of the four most influential reformer's during the Protestant Reformation. The first two chapters set the stage by giving a detailed description of the late Middle Ages.

The third chapter is dedicated to the life and works of Martin Luther and catalogs his pursuit for the doctrine of grace. The next chapter sets forth the life and works of Huldrych Zwingli and gives an excellent summary of the Marburg Colloquy. The fifth (and longest) chapter is on John Calvin. George spends time dealing with his Institutes of the Christian Religion but also delves further into the broad plethora of Calvin's writings. The sixth chapter gives a summation of Menno Simons and adds a new appreciation for this often misrepresented and underrated reformer. George concludes with a chapter on the relevancy of studying Reformation Theology.

This book is a great introduction that will leave you wanting more. No doubt after this is read the reader will find himself digging deeper into the Theology of the Reformation.

For a more in depth historical analysis see: Carter Lindberg's "European Reformations."

George's Theology of the Reformers explores the history and theology of four key reformation leaders: Luther, Zwingli, and Menno Simons. The writer displays the personal challenges and struggles of each of these men and the resulting impact on their faith and theology, for it is their theology that bears great impact on the theology of Christians today. As George himself states, "for those who stand committedly within the Christian tradition, it is a matter of genuine concern to understand what was so decisively at stake in the great debates of the Reformation" (7).

George's introduction to the work itself as well as to the historical and theological setting of the Reformation is very insightful. These first 38 pages take the reader through the milieu of the Renaissance and Reformation era. George points out that the Late Middle Ages was an era of "decline, disintegration, and decay" (22) which drove many to anxiety and on a search for meaning. In this quest, many sought to gain insight into the true meaning of the church (30-40) and to probe deeper into theology (40-49). These currents converged at the right time to birth what we know now as the Great Reformation.

To Luther, George devotes 57 pages as he outlines his journey towards justification by faith alone. The writer debunks some misconceptions of Luther as he details the Reformer's quest for truth. One poignant statement regarding Luther was of great significance to this reviewer. George states that Luther's theology was "a life-long process of struggle, conflict, and temptation" (61). Luther did not just arrive at the conclusions of the 95 Theses or suddenly become struck with the doctrines of faith, grace, and Scripture alone. Luther was, admittedly, a work in progress. The Reformer's theology of Salvation, Predestination, Scripture, the Church, and the State are examined and George concludes: "Luther's true legacy is his spiritual insight into the gracious character of God in Jesus Christ, the God who loves us and sustains us unto death and again into life" (106).

The "third man" of the Reformation, Huldrych Zwingli receives a total of 56 pages devoted to his life and theology. Zwingli is portrayed as a free-thinker, who arrived at conclusions on his own and debated them vigorously. He debated with the Catholics and began the reformation of Zurich. He debated the Lutherans and separated over the sacraments. He debated with the Anabaptists and supported their extermination. The aggressive man is portrayed by George as "a pastor, and a patriot, a theologian, and a politician" (111). After reviewing the progress of Zwingli's theology of creation, providence, Scripture, traditions, piety, the state, and the sacraments, George states, "from beginning to end he was single-mindedly concerned to uphold the sovereignty of God and to rout out every practice which encouraged placing of one's trust in the creature [rather than in the Creator]" (160).

John Calvin, the theologian of the Reformation receives a greater amount of discussion (89 pages). After attacking some of the faulty perceptions of Calvin, George lays out the history and theology of The Theologian. The impact of Calvin's vocation and family is discussed and the writer stresses that Calvin was no ivory tower theologian, but ministered as part of a family with a wife and children (183-184). George also devotes some time to surveying the works of John Calvin and describing their impact. Some material in this section is a little dated, but is of great help nonetheless. After examining Calvin's theology of God, Christ, sin, salvation, faith, prayer, predestination, grace, and the church, George concludes by describing Calvin as a humble man who served as a light in darkness to point others to God (246-249).

The last Reformer, Menno Simons, was a member of the Radical Reformation and is described by George from time to time as the "odd fellow out" (303) of the four reformers chosen for the purposes of this work. Albeit, 56 pages are devoted to the little-known Anabaptist reformer whose tradition is preserved to this day in the Mennonites and whose theology, in part, in the Baptists. Simons is portrayed as a pastor who cared for a flock in tribulation. As a radical reformer, Simons did not share in the position and protection of the prior three reformers. Instead, Simons experienced a life of suffering as he developed his theology. His theology was always in tension with the more radical elements of his sect such as the Munsterites (256-257) and with the Protestant reformers (270-272). After reviewing the scant history of this reformer, George summarizes his theology of salvation, Scripture, Christ (including a fair treatment of one of Simons' more bizarre views in this area), the church, and the sacraments, George points out that "other Anabaptist leaders...may have surpassed Menno in theological depth and originality. Yet no other reformer embodied so fully... "the Anabaptist vision." Nor was any other Anabaptist as successful as Menno in transforming that vision into an enduring tradition" (303).
George's masterful conclusion ties together the, albeit disjointed, legacies of these reformers and applies their significance to the Sitz in Leben of the evangelical church today. Fittingly, George argues that "The abiding validity of Reformation theology is that, despite many varied emphases it contains within itself, it challenges the church to listen reverently and obediently to what God has once and for all said...and once and for all done in Jesus Christ" (310).

George's helpful perspective on such a challenging and significant period of history will prove immensely helpful to the student of the history and theology of the church. Although George's perspective is decidedly Baptistic and Calvinistic, those of other denominations and creeds will, no doubt, find the work to be insightful. The writer portrays the reformers with all their warts and foibles, but masterfully challenges the reader with each of their strengths.

I believe Timothy George offers the student of church history a great concise overview of the theology of the reformers. His presentation is honest and it calls his readers to learn from history.

I appreciated his clear and forthright view of the Anabaptist tradition that too often is misrepresented. I especially liked the last chapter of the book. I believe the "mainline reformers" have only given us a "half-way reformation." To be Protestant is still in many ways to be Roman Catholic... only reformed to reflect Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin thought.

George brings it all together in the last chapter and beckons the reader to examine their own theology. I believe he is right on when he says, "We have much to learn from each of these traditions, but we are bound to none of them. We are only bound to Jesus Christ." Bravo Mr. George! Bravo!

Timothy George's Theology of the Reformers (Broadman and Holman, 1988) has become a standard textbook for students interested in the theology of the Reformation. If you are interested in Reformation theology, but don't have time to look through the primary source material, George's book is where you should turn.

The book begins with a chapter that describes life in the Middle Ages - an appropriate place to begin if one is to understand the historical and sociological factors that led up to Luther's break with Rome. George surveys the theological landscape of the period, as well as the mindset of "death" and "rebirth" prevalent in Europe at the time. The corruption of the Roman Catholic Church of the era is also described.

After setting the Reformation in historical context, George analyzes the life and theology of three magisterial Reformers and one Radical Reformer - Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and Simons. Each chapter includes biographical information, quotes and excerpts from the Reformers' works and debates, as well as an overview of the high points of each one's theology. George does a fine job of hitting the highlights without entering into excessive detail.

My only point of contention was that sometimes George makes generalizations and doesn't provide support. (An example is his declaration that Calvin affirmed the later Calvinist concept of "particular redemption." Click here for my thoughts on that debate.)

One might wonder why George chose Menno Simons as the fourth Reformer to be analyzed in the book. It seems that other Reformers had more immediate impact than Simons, men such as Thomas Cranmer, Philip Melanchthon, or even Theodore Beza. Perhaps Simons is included as a representation of the Anabaptist strand of theology, which eventually led to an alternative view of church and state, as well as peaceful disagreement between different theological movements.

Theology of the Reformers is the place to start one's study of the theology that drove the Reformation.