"Reform: The Church at the Birth of Protestantism" by Luke H. Davis. A Review.

 

Two major trends seem to be emaciating much of Christianity in the West: (1) dwindling knowledge of the Bible, and (2) a deficiency of the history of the church. To recover in both areas would build mass and muscle. Luke H. Davis, a teacher of ethics and church history at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis, is doing his part to remediate the lack regarding church history in his "Risen Hope" series written for teenagers. The newest installment is a 176-page paperback that addresses the Protestant movement in the 16th Century, "Reform: The Church at the Birth of Protestantism".  This is quite a handy, easy-to-digest volume that walks readers through a very complicated historical season with twelve attention-catching sketches. But there's more here than just chronicled events.

Davis takes the time to develop the role and significance of the five solas to the reformation churches. He shows what these meant, and still mean, and why they were and are important. "Yes, the Protestant Reformation was a time of confrontation, hope, and rich variety. But most of all, it was a movement of the solas, each of which led into the next one. If we believe in Scripture alone, we see that we can only have hope in God's grace alone, which we receive through faith alone in Christ alone, and thus we can live to the glory of God alone" (15).

But also, peppered throughout are "Fact Files." These are short articles that address specific issues such as worship in the Reformation, Charles V, and martyrs, to name a few. These short pieces are informative, but not laborious. They fill in the nooks and crannies that couldn't be covered in the storied episodes. But the main part of the book spends time delving into the tales of various people, the big names and the lesser. Jacques Lefevre d'Etaples, Luther, Zwingli, Hamilton, Calvin, Catherine Parr, and more. Here Davis takes real historical people and factual settings, and adds imaginative conversations that fit. The effect is to show how human each actor was, while making their courageous faith all the more bold.

"Reform" is a very readable work. Teens in Christian schools and churches would benefit from reading the work. But, dare I say it, adults will find the manuscript helpful and enjoyable at the same time. And the more details we know about the history of the Christ's Church, the healthier Christianity in the west can become, once more. I highly recommend the work.

My thanks to the author and Christian Focus for thinking of me as this book surfaced. They sent me a review copy, but made no demands on me. Therefore, this evaluation is freely made, and freely given.