history of the reformation

Why study the Reformation?

Steven Nichols writes, "If he said it once, Martin Luther said it a hundred times: 'The church’s true treasure is the gospel.' Luther lived at a time when this true treasure had been traded for something worth far less. As a monk, he stood in a long line of succession that stretched back through centuries of theologians and churchmen who had heaped up layer upon layer of extrabiblical teaching and practice, obscuring the church’s true treasure of the gospel. Like scaffolding that surrounds and hides the beauty of a building, these layers needed to be torn down so the object that mat­tered could be seen without hindrance and without obstruction. Luther, with a little help from his friends, tore down the scaffolding, revealing the beauty and wonder of the gospel for the church once again. Luther called his own (re)discovery of the gospel a 'breakthrough'..." (Steven J. Nichols)

The Biblical Studies Institute is offering a course this spring on the history of the Reformation, taught by the Rev. Chris Hutcheson. The book being used for the class will be The Reformation (The Penguin History of the Church, vol 3) by Owen Chadwick. We recommend that you order this book in advance of the class to allow for delivery time. 






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