Rescuing the Gospel, by Erwin W. Lutzer
Lutzer, pastor of Moody Church in
Chicago, has done the evangelical world a favor in two ways. First,
he has written a concise history of the Reformation that is
accessible to any reader. And second, he demonstrates that the causes
of the original Reformation—the distortion of the gospel by the
Catholic Church—persist unto this very day.
Lutzer begins with an honest assessment
of the medieval church and its moral corruption. He traces the
beginning of the glow of the Reformation through Wycliffe and Hus,
and then devotes the bulk of the book to Luther. Luther’s path from
terrified monk to fearless reformer is given in sufficient detail to
allow the reader to come to know Luther the man.
Zwingli, the Anabaptists, and Calvin
occupy most of the remainder of Lutzer’s attention. Lutzer is brief
enough that the reader is not awash in details, and yet specific
enough to flesh out the primary doctrinal and historical highpoints
of each of his subjects.
Lutzer’s retelling of the Reformation
is a valuable—if brief—introduction to a tumultuous time in
history. But the real value of the book is in the final chapter, in
which Lutzer documents that the issues initially separating Luther
and Calvin from the Catholic church persist unto the present day. In
an age in which philosophers and theologians seem to have an almost
desperate craving to unify the Catholic and Protestant faiths, Lutzer
demonstrates that there is only one side compromising its beliefs:
the Catholics are holding firm to their historic pronouncements and
distinctives while the Evangelicals are being tempted to move the
doctrine of Justification to a back bench for the sake of “unity.”
If you are looking for a concise
history of the Reformation with an equally concise and clear list of
the issues that continue to separate Catholics and Evangelicals, this
book is a good place to start. Four stars.
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