bwaugh
As remembrance of the Reformation approaches at the end of this month some books from the past by Stephen J. Nichols are helpful. The first selection is titled Pages from Church History, 2006, which provides not only a brief survey of the Reformation including short biographies of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Bunyan (Puritan), but it also summarizes the ancient, medieval, and modern eras of church history. This book is beneficial for introducing readers unacquainted with church history to key people and events that shaped Christianity and it gives background information for some of the practices that are distinctively Protestant. The second title, Martin Luther, 2002, has three parts—first, is a biography of forty-three pages that gives the essentials of his life; second, is “Luther the Reformer,” which provides discussion of some key doctrinal issues and controversies he faced; and third, is “Luther the Pastor,” which considers his hymns, sermons, and ideas regarding the marks of a true church. Both Pages from Church History and Martin Luther are volumes in P&R’s Guided Tour Series, which includes in conjunction with the biographical information in each book a bibliography, illustrations, and chronological tables to help the reader navigate the subject matter. Dr. Nichol’s third title is the pamphlet, Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, 2002, which has a brief biography of Luther that emphasizes the significance of the theses and the use of indulgences in Roman Catholicism at that time. A helpful aspect of the booklet for non-professionals is that in many cases the individual theses are annotated with helpful comments that explain the historical context and meaning of the thesis. The trouble with general and church historical books is they are often written for historians, but Nichols’s books bring the people and events of the past to life for a more general readership. [posted 10/8/2026]
