Theology Thursday: Living in the Reformation

What was the Reformation? We may have a vague idea of Martin Luther standing up to the pope and nailing things to doors, but what were the major ideas that all these people are wiling to fight and die for? Perhaps more importantly, what ideas and doctrines were developed because of the Reformation?

These questions are for us because every week when we go to Brooklyn Baptist Church and not to Saint Patrick’s, we are living in and carrying out the spirit of the Reformation. Our doctrines and practice are a direct result of the the ideas put forward during that time. If we don’t study the ideas that brought us here, we don’t really know who we are and what we’re doing, and if we don’t reapply them for our day, they will be lost for following generations.

In church history class, we’ve studied the Middle Ages and the corruption that brought the faithful to the point of the Reformation. As we finally get to the Reformation itself, we will briefly cover the main events, but we won’t have time to read through the actual writings of the Reformers. If you’ve never read the Reformers, this book is a good introduction: The Unquenchable Flame: Discovering the Heart of the Reformation by Michael Reeves. As always Reeves is precise, readable, and warm in application. Get this book and be ready to learn more about this time in our history. All of church history is our story, but the Reformation is certainly the most important in influence for us today.