Luther and Laughter
The venerable Scottish Psalter paraphrased Psalm 100 in this fashion: All people that on earth do dwell, Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice, Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell, Come ye before Him and rejoice. This is true to the meaning of the original Hebrew. However, many modern hymnals have changed the wording, replacing “mirth” with “fear”: All people that on earth do dwell, Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice, Him serve with fear, His praise forth tell, Come
Reformation: Recovery of the Gospel
Back in 2011 Todd Miles emphasised a vital point about the Protestant Reformation when he stated that, "The gospel was rediscovered some 500 years ago in Europe. The reason is simple: At its heart, the Reformation was about the recovery of the gospel. And it is worth remembering." He proceeds to list some reasons why this truth should not be forgotten: 1. The Reformation reminds us that the church is built upon the gospel, not vice-versa. "The Reformation teaches us from expe
Luther – The German Hercules
Hans Holbein was commissioned to create an image of Martin Luther. Published in 1523 it depicted Luther as the Greek 'super-hero' Hercules, attacking people with a viciously spiked club. In the picture, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, William of Ockham, Duns Scotus and Nicholas of Lyra already lay bludgeoned to death at his feet and the German inquisitor, Jacob van Hoogstraaten was about to receive his fatal stroke. Suspended from a ring in Luther's nose was the figure of Pope Leo
Luther's Bed in Production
Another item for our Reformation Room project is Luther's monastery bed. Here's a little (sneak) preview ... . More work needs to be done – a rough 'headboard,' suitable 'ageing,' etc.. One thing: it is not designed to be comfortable – and should prove a suitably 'knotty' experience for anyone who has the misfortune to try it out. "Who's been sleeping in my bed?" demands Martin. "I'll know it by the criss-cross pattern on your back!" The joke's a little ropey I know, but I th
The Shout That Awakened Nations
In an article written for the New Statesman, published on 30 January 2017, Simon Heffer traces the influence of Martin Luther across 500 years of world history. Though I cannot agree with all of his conclusions, some are unavoidable. What I particularly appreciate is the way in which Heffer describes the scene in 1517 when Luther 'sparks' the debate that accelerated to the break with Roman Catholicism. "Luther, who was 33 when he picked this argument with his Church, had beco
You Can Read The Bible On Your Phone Because Of Luther
Martin Luther had determined that the Bible should be brought to the homes of the common people. He echoed the cry of Erasmus that the ploughman should be able to recite the Scripture while he was ploughing, or the weaver as he hummed to the music of his shuttle. Therefore, during his exile in the Wartburg Castle, Luther grasped his opportunity to begin to translate the New Testament into German. He took a little more than a year to translate the New Testament and have it rev
The Ecumenical Reformation Truck
Rolling into Liverpool today is the very latest model of the ecumenical bandwagon. It’s destined for Cambridge on the 23rd February, then London on the 25th, before returning to Germany by the beginning of next month. They call it the Reformation Truck. Since its wheels first ‘hit the road’ in Geneva on 3 November 2016, it has visited just over half of its target destinations before it concludes its tour by reaching the key centre of the Protestant Reformation, Wittenberg, on
Protestant Reformers Church, Liverpool
This time last week I was in Liverpool, preaching at Salop Chapel Free Presbyterian Church, Walton. After the evening service Mr Robbie Riley took me on a tour of some famous churches in Liverpool, including the old Memorial Church of the Protestant Martyrs at Wavertree and the Ancient Chapel of Toxteth – a Puritan preaching house built in 1618 where Richard Mather ministered. (Richard was the father of Increase Mather and grandfather of Cotton Mather, two famous Puritan prea
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