Most of us live in a bubble. We experience the people, perspectives, and circumstances of our particular time and place in history. I know some of my readers are well-traveled to countries and cultures that are substantially different–that has an eye-opening and broadening effect.
Even so, we’re all living in the 21st century, dealing with the Church in its current place in time.
I love reading Christian biographies because I get outside my bubble. I get to learn about the Church in a different place and time. Moreso, I learn about the sacrifices others have made for the cause of Christ. Kingdom living isn’t easy. I find it so encouraging to read the stories of other men and women who kept their eyes on eternity, chose to abide in Christ (John 15:1-17), and ran the race well.
Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV) says: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
I love that visual. We’re surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses through time and space. We can lay aside every weight and sin, keep our eyes on Jesus, and run the race before us.
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Reformation Women
Rebecca VanDoodeward has a new book out on Reformation Women (Reformation Heritage Books, 2017). It’s excellent.
When I was researching the Reformation in order to write When Lightning Struck!: The Story of Martin Luther, I was shocked by how tough the Reformation period (1350-1648). We like to rail against the internet comments we see about religious figures and that are posted in response to articles today.
Imagine if those comments were, instead, swords. So very many people died over comments they made and works they wrote.
The reaction of the Roman Catholic church to dissent was to kill the dissenters. In return, some Reformers killed some Roman Catholics. Mennonites were equally persecuted by both groups (though some Mennonite groups were quite violent.) It was a mess.
I am so grateful for the sacrifices made by the men and women who sought to follow Christ with a right biblical doctrine. They lived difficult lives, they lost loved ones, and sometimes they lived at extreme odds with those in their own households.
In Reformation Women, Rebecca VanDoodewaard covers the lives of 12 Reformed women who sought to uphold the cause of Christ above all else. The 128-page book is an encouragement, and a reminder that this life is a passing training ground for eternity to come.
I want to thank Reformation Heritage Books and Cross Focused Reviews for providing a copy of Reformation Women: Sixteenth-Century Figures Who Shaped Christianity’s Rebirth in return for my honest opinion.
Purchase Reformation Women
Or purchase at ChristianBook.com: Reformation Women (book) and Reformation Women (audiobook)
Women Covered in Reformation Women
- Anna Reinhard
- Anna Adlischweiler
- Katharina Schütz
- Margarethe Blaurer
- Margarethe de Navarre
- Jeanne d’Albret
- Charlotte Arbaleste
- Charlotte de Bourbon
- Louise de Coligny
- Katherine Willoughby
- Renee of Ferrara
- Olympia Morata
What I Loved About Reformation Women
I knew the life stories of several of the women of the Reformation detailed in the book, but many were not familiar to me. Mrs. VanDoodewaard covered their lives in an engaging narrative, with sources well-cited. Though each biography was short, I had a lot to think about after reading each one. I spent four years researching the Reformation and Martin Luther, yet I came away from this book with a deepened understanding of both the period and the people in it.
My favorite part of the book was the last chapter, the conclusion. Rebecca VanDoodewaard takes the time to outline seven principles we can take away from the lives of these twelve very different women. These seven principles were encouraging and applicable to our lives today. This paragraph in particular struck me:
These women lived as they did because of sanctification: as selfless love replaced natural selfishness, they became fruitful. This sanctification was not a passive process. These women were not hanging out on social media or mommy blogs, waiting for spiritual maturity to happen. They actively pursued it: Bible reading, prayer, attendance at worship (often several times a week), fellowship with the saints, theological study and discussions, and conscious self-denial matured them into usefulness God blessed. Personal projects, comfort, and plans were subservient to the mission of the Great Commission. (Reformation Women, pg. 113)
Amen, Mrs. VanDoodewaard. Amen.
Not only is Reformation Women a wonderful read for you, it’s entirely appropriate for your middle and high school students. I highly recommend it.
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Martin Luther and the Reformation
Teach your teens about Martin Luther and the Reformation in an exciting, new way with When Lightning Struck!: The Story of Martin Luther! The book also makes a wonderful family read-aloud.
Martin Luther (1483-1546) is often referred to as “The Father of the Reformation”. Born during a time of superstition, tradition, and spiritual corruption, Luther gave up a lucrative career as a lawyer to become a monk in the Roman Catholic Church–a path he felt would certainly lead to salvation.
As Luther’s understanding of the spiritual corruption within the Church grew, and he despaired of true salvation, Luther (now a scholar and priest) sought the Bible for answers. Following his discovery of the true gospel in Scripture, Luther began to preach spiritual freedom to his congregation, and to teach biblical (rather than philosophical) theology at the University of Wittenberg.
It was on October 31, 1517 that Martin Luther penned his Ninety-Five Theses in Latin in response to the abusive indulgence sales practices of the monk Johann Tetzel in a nearby town. Luther nailed the Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, the scholarly bulletin board of his day, and mailed a copy to the Archbishop of Mainz. Luther hoped to start a scholarly debate about the practice of selling salvation through plenary indulgences. The response he received was greater–and more dangerous–than he imagined it would be.
Luther’s story is exciting. There are death defying moments, epic spiritual battles, narrow escapes, a kidnapping, revolution, and war. As the “Father of the Reformation”, Luther is a vital figure in Church history. His sacrifice and willingness to wage battle against the spiritual, religious, and political powers of his medieval world allowed Christians throughout time to embrace the truth of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone as explained by Scripture alone once again. May all glory be to God alone!
Read portions of the first eight chapters of When Lightning Struck!:
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