Stephen J. Nichols - The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World

ALSO BY STEPHEN J. NICHOLS:

Jonathan Edwards:
A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought

Martin Luther:
A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought

An Absolute Sort of Certainty:
The Holy Spirit and the Apologetics of Jonathan Edwards

The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards:
American Religion and the Evangelical Tradition (coeditor)

J. Gresham Machen:
A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought

Heaven on Earth:
Capturing Jonathan Edwardss Vision of Living in Between

Pages from Church History:
A Guided Tour of Christian Classics

The Reformation

Copyright 2007 by Stephen J. Nichols

Published by Crossway Books
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers
1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided by USA copyright law.

Cover design: Jon McGrath

Cover photo: Art Resource Inc.

First printing, 2007

Printed in the United States of America

Illustrations on pages 19, 27,33, 36, 40, 42, 43, 70, 75, 81, 83, 96, 117, 132, 133, 140, 142, and 144 are used by courtesy of Montgomery Library, Westminster Theological Seminary.

Illustrations on pages 49, 61,62,65,66, and 137 are used by courtesy of Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society.

Illustration on page 74 is used by courtesy of the H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies.

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Nichols, Stephen J., 1970
The Reformation : how a monk and a mallet changed the world /
Stephen J. Nichols.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 13: 978-1-58134-829-3 (tpb)
ISBN 10: 1-58134-829-0
1. Reformation. 2. Church history16th century. I. Title.
BR305.3.N53 2007
270.6dc22

2006024076

CH 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For

LESTER HICKS

SEAN LUCAS

DALE MORT

in appreciation of your friendship

CONTENTS

Why the Reformation Matters Today

Martin Luther and the German Reformation

Ulrich Zwingli and the Swiss Reformation

The Anabaptists and the Reformation

John Calvin and the Swiss Reformation

The Anglicans and the British Reformation

The Puritans and the British Reformation

The Untold Story of Women and the Reformation

In Their Own Words: Selections from Documents of the Reformation

Almighty God, who through the preaching of thy servants, the blessed reformers, hast caused the light of the Gospel to shine forth: Grant, we beseech thee, that knowing its saving power, we may faithfully guard and defend it against all enemies, and joyfully proclaim it, to the salvation of souls and the glory of thy Holy Name; through thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

Prayer for Reformation Day, Lutheran Service Book & Hymnal

Almighty God and Father, grant unto us, because we have to go through much strife on this earth, the strength of thy Holy Spirit, in order that we may courageously go through the fire, and through the water, and that we may put ourselves so under thy rule that we may go to meet death in full confidence of thy assistance and without fear.

A prayer of John Calvin

I am grateful to many who have contributed to this book. First, a grateful thanks to Steve Brown, Mike Horton, and Sinclair Ferguson for not only reading the manuscript but also finding something nice to say about it. A trio of friends also deserves mention. Sean Lucas deserves a deep word of thanks for continually honing my historical sensibilities. Dale Mort graciously read every word and was even more gracious in his suggestions for changes. Lester Hicks demonstrates again and again the value of friendship and collegiality. It is to these three friends that I dedicate this book. Were not quite a band of reformers, but we are trying.

I am deeply appreciative of those who assisted with illustrations, including Carolyn Wenger, Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, and Melvin Hartwick, Montgomery Library, Westminister Theological Seminary. Diane Fisher, whose friendship and skills as a reference librarian are deeply appreciated, graciously volunteered her efforts for illustrations. Eric Brandt, upon whose talents I am relying more and more, helped in a number of ways, including setting up the books web site.

Much of this material was worked out before some rather encouraging congregations and groups. I am grateful for the occasions provided by Westminster Presbyterian Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), Evangelical United Methodist Church (New Holland, Pennsylvania), and Pinebrook Bible Conference in the Pocono Mountains. These kind folks helped me think through the meaning of the Reformation for today. I am also grateful for the support and encouragement from my students, colleagues, and administrators at Lancaster Bible College.

The final chapter begins by noting the laudable wives of the Reformers. My wife, I can easily say, would rival any one of them. To Heidi I am grateful for everything.

Historians like dates. And one of the dates that historians like best is October 31, 1517. On that day one monk with mallet in hand nailed a document to the church door in Wittenberg. It contained a list of Ninety-Five Theses for a debate. The immediate concern was an indulgence sale to finance St. Peters Basilica in Rome and the Sistine ChapelMichelangelo didnt come cheap. Martin Luther, the mallet-wielding monk, could keep silent no longer. He got much more than a debate, however. He and his list of Ninety-Five Theses triggered a Reformation that would sweep across his native German lands, across Europe, and eventually across the entire world. The world would never be the same. Luthers act gave birth to the Protestant church, now nearly 600 million members strong. Luthers act also brought the world out of medieval times and into the modern age. Little wonder historians like the date of October 31, 1517.

While we like that date, and Luther for that matter, the Reformation is a much broader event than that singular day. To be sure, the Reformation began on that day. The Reformation, however, spanned two centuries and encompassed a cast of characters from a variety of nations. Luther may very well be at the center of the Reformation, but he does not stand alone.

This book offers a look at this cast of characters and what they accomplished for the life of the church. It tells the various stories that make up the one, grand narrative of the Reformation. We move from Germany down to Switzerland, then over to France and back again. We cross the English Channel to see the Reformation in Britain, and we cross the ocean to see the Reformations impact on the New World. Along the way we meet up with Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, Conrad Grebel, Menno Simons, and John Calvin. We also meet Thomas Cranmer, Kings Henry VIII and Edward VI, John Knox, John Bunyan, Lady Jane Grey, Anne Bradstreet, and many others. While some of these are rather familiar to us, perhaps we are meeting some of them for the first time.