Current Reads: My Book Review of Martin Luther By Eric Metaxas

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In all honesty, I could NOT be more excited when I heard that Eric Metaxas was writing yet another biography.

Eric Metaxas’s books include Amazing Grace (biography of William Wilberforce), Seven Men (short biographies of men who have changed the world), and most of all his biography,Bonhoeffer.

I will freely admit that I am a bit of a biography junkie. Personally, I love delving into the stories and histories of famous people from the past-especially those of the Christian faith.

Let’s just say that I approached Eric Metaxas’s latest biography with HUGE expectations. 🙂

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My Knowledge of Martin Luther Prior To Reading This Book

Growing up, I remember reading a little bit about Martin Luther in my history book. Since I was home schooled, my parents made sure that I studied history from a Christian worldview.

Along with studying from the Christian worldview, I spent a large chunk of time studying Christian figures throughout the different time in history.

Which is why I must admit that I am surprised at how little I had ever read or heard about Martin Luther in spite of what a big role he played in the history of Protestant Christianity.

My knowledge of him was pretty much summed up in the fact that he did something called the Ninety-Five Theses (whatever that was!) and that he was considered the Father of the Reformation which led to the Protestant denominations.

Yeah, ONE measly paragraph to sum up my entire knowledge about an amazing figure in history. Kind of embarrassing!

My Thoughts On Martin Luther

Okay, first off, I  LOVED Martin Luther. Eric Metaxas is a masterful biographer who weaves the story of history into the person’s life so that you feel you really are there in the moment. Considering he is 500 years removed from his subject matter, that is especially impressive!

To start with, I had no idea how controversial a figure Martin Luther was, nor did I realize the Nazis had used some of his last writings (actually a few haphazard sentences) about the Jews to help their cause which tainted his image greatly to many present-day historians.

Frankly, the entire book was filled with shocking new things for me to learn about Martin Luther. Seriously, did NOT know that he was a Catholic monk before he became the man known for starting the entire Reformation! Wowsa!

Mr. Metaxas does a brilliant job of portraying Martin Luther for all his strengths (the man had a pastor’s heart and shepherded those in his care extremely well!) and all his weaknesses (can we say German stubborness anyone?)

Oh, and all Luther’s love for sharing his bowel movements (yeah, the guy wrote his friends A LOT about all his health problems related to his habits in the bathroom!)

Three Reasons Why You Should Definitely Read Martin Luther

Okay, if you in anyway have connections to the Catholic church, the Protestant denominations, women being granted more rights and freedoms, the Bible being available in your own language, music in the church, or even the principles of freedom that founded America, you have Martin Luther to thank for that.

Yeah, the guy seriously marked a watershed change in the culture and history of the entire world. And you should know more about Luther for that reason alone!

Second, I know I keep saying this but I have to say it one more time (bear with me!), Eric Metaxas is a fantastic author of biographies. Just because he wrote this book means you should read it. It is a masterpiece of writing that should be enjoyed!

And finally, it is important to understand our history as Christians, both the good and the bad parts of this history. Martin Luther lived in a time that was definitely highlighting the bad parts of Christian history and it is important to know what happened then so we do NOT repeat it!

Your Turn

Have you had a chance to read Martin Luther yet? If you have, share your thoughts in the comments!

Don’t forget to grab your copy of Martin Luther from Amazon!

Oh, and after you read Martin Luther, don’t forget to go read Mr. Metaxas’s other books, especially Bonhoeffer! 🙂

Thanks for stopping by!

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