For those who have started a collection of Luther commemorative stamps / First Day Issues, some fabulous designs continue to appear on the market. Ebay is one source among many. Featured on this post are some superb examples of 500th anniversary stamps from Mali and Hungary.

The biblical teaching of justification by faith alone was one of the distinguishing marks of the Protestant Reformation. It is a non-negotiable 'red line' for all who value true theology. As Dr. Thomas L. Schreiner points out in an excellent article, famous commentator N.T. Wright is wrong in his stance on justification. Wright states in his book, 'Justification: God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision,' (p. 232): "It is therefore a straightforward category mistake, however venerable wi

The Universitätsplatz (University Square) in Heidelberg is over the foundation walls of the former Augustinian monastery. To commemorate Luther’s visit to the monastery and debate (Disputation) in 1518, a memorial plaque was installed at Universitätsplatz in 1983. The plaque reads: “Martin Luther (1483-1546): zum Gedenken an seinen Aufenthalt im Kloster der Augustiner und an seine Heidelberger Disputation am 26. April 1518. Im Lutherjahr 1983.” // “In commemoration of his Hei

The saying goes that, "Records are made to be broken." One of the puzzles in the Reformation Rooms involves trying to beat the 1-minute egg timer to arrange the available letters into the sentence, "The just shall live by faith" Gal. 3:11. From average ratings around the 1 minute-plus mark, one of the Primary School classes brought the target to beat down to a remarkable 45 seconds. The excellent efforts of another church group shaved almost 5 further seconds off this time. H

Fond of books, like his father, Martin Luther made daily visits to the library of the university of Erfurt and spent hours amid its treasures and revelled in the riches around him. One day, at the age of 20, when he opening books one after another, he came to a volume unlike all the others. To his surprise found that it was a Bible – the Vulgate, Jerome's Latin translation of the Scriptures. The Bible he had never seen till now. His joy was great. There are certain portions w

Among his voluminous works, Luther penned at least 36 hymns. His "A Mighty Fortress is our God" is easily the most popular and is often described as the "battle hymn of the Reformation." Based on Scripture The words are a loose paraphrase of Psalm 46 and celebrate the sovereign power of God over every earthly and spiritual power, and focus on the certain hope we have in Him because of Christ. After its publication, this hymn became extremely popular across Reformed Europe. As

An idyllic little town south-east of Leipzig on the river Mulde in Saxony, Grimma had a special significance for Luther: Katharina von Bora, who later became his wife, lived in a convent here for 14 years.​ Martin Luther visited the city several times and achieved significant influence through his sermons in the abbey church. The citizens of Grimma quickly joined the Reformation. As early as 1519, Luther commented that 'the converted are already clearly in control' of the tow

The second illustration in this series dates back to Luther's schooldays at Eisenach. in 1497, Martin Luther was 14 years old and attending school in the city of Eisenach. Eisenach was approximately 100 miles from home. In those days, students from out of town had to pay to stay with someone else. Many students went from house to house asking for money and food. Party singers (Parteken - Particles for the Maintenance of Life) as they were called at that time were musicians wh