October 31, 1517: Martin Luther and the Day that Changed the World - Tapa dura

The date that entitles this brief quincentennial prologue may not be immediately recognizable, but it as momentous. On it, Martin Luther posted 95 theses about Christian faith on the door of a church in Wittenberg, Saxony, and launched the Protestant Reformation. While directly prompted by the selling of indulgences, whereby the buyer reduced suffering for sins, the document was fundamentally about salvation through Christ. Luther asserted that salvation was effected by God's grace alone, approached by faith alone. Faith was manifested by repentance: "the whole life of believers should be penitence," says the first thesis. Marty, the dean of American Lutheran church historians, argues that, eventually, Luther's stance, from the beginning acknowledged by the Catholic Church as essentially correct (disagreement's in the details), became the means of reunifying Christianity through ecumenism, a movement that became explicit and official with the Second Vatican Council of 1962-65. This volume is small but weighty and a solid addition for all modern Christianity collections. - Ray Olson, Booklist On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, angry and disappointed with the corruption of the wealthy Catholic church, nailed on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, 95 theses calling for a Reformation. This momentous moment in Christian history is captured and assessed by Martin E. Marty, the Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he taught for 35 years. The author of more than 60 books, he has participated in Christian ecumenical programs and is, according to Catholic theologian James Martin in the foreword, "a peerless scholar and superb writer." The central point of Luther's bold act of protest was a call for repentance or a change of heart within the Catholic Church which at the time was overrun with corruption due to the selling of indulgences. Instead, Luther emphasized justification by faith and an acceptance of the grace of God. Marty mentions that in 1983, the 500th anniversary of Luther's birth, there was talk that more books in the Western world had been written about this reformer than anyone else except Abraham Lincoln and Napoleon. Other interesting topics covered in the book are the present day existence of some 40,000 Christian denominations (part of Luther's legacy), the continuing dialogue between Lutherans and Catholics, and their sincere efforts to come together in common prayer and joint action. -Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Practice, Resources for Spiritual Journeys

Released in time for the 500th Anniversary of Martin Luther's 95 Theses, and the Protestant Reformation. "This is an invitation to a party, one which commemorates events that began five hundred years ago in Europe and have consequences throughout the world today. My title suggests that this book is about two things, a "heart" and a "soul." Yet the chapters that follow deal with relations between the two, the first belonging to Martin Luther and those in his legacy, and the second to the Roman Catholic Church and those who belong to its community or communion." -Martin Marty Includes the 95 Theses of Martin Luther