"What will you be doing at Edinburgh?" Part 2 or Frequently Asked Questions

As promised in part of one of this little series, I wanted to answer a few questions that several of you have asked. Before I do that, let me just say “Thank you” to everyone who has come to talk to me after reading the previous note. The conversations have been encouraging, humbling and deeply meaningful.

Visiting

Q: Can I visit?

A: Yes, of course you can! Based on my present understanding of things, the rigor of the program at Edinburgh has no other parallel in my life so far. I will be working harder than I’ve ever worked in my life. But I will always make time for dear friends.

Q: Can I stay with you?

A: I will be living in a dormitory not that dissimilar from Campus East at LU. I’ll have my own room (no room mate) and my own bathroom. I will share a kitchen and living room area with other students. The extent of my knowledge concerning guests is that for the most part, they can only stay two nights, though some are permitted to stay a full week if you obtain permission. The bottom line is, I won’t have a lot of space to put people up. But if you’re coming, perhaps we can try and work something out.

Q: Will you be in a dorm next year (The fall of 2011 and beyond)?

A: I don’t know! I don’t know what the coming years will bring. We’ll have to wait and see what happens, what opportunities open up, and whether or not it’s more fiscally responsible for me to remain in university housing.

Q: If I can come and visit, when is the best time?

A: I will set aside time for you anytime. But as to when the best time is for ticket prices, I don’t know. You’d have to scout that out yourself on Expedia or Orbitz. But I think it would probably be between February and April. But don’t quote me on that. There are festivals in Edinburgh throughout the year, and you can find that information online if you’d like to be in town for a particular festival or other event.

Personal

Q: How often will you be coming home?

A: Well, right now I really have no clue. But I figure I’ll probably be able to get back home about once a year (probably Christmas time) to visit the Louisiana family.

Q: What can I pray for?

Homesickness will be a tough one for me. Whether it’s missing my family or missing my Lynchburg and Liberty family, I know that that will be a struggle for me. Pray that I would be encouraged and quickly put down roots in a church community.

Spiritual and emotional strength will be a constant need. The nature of my research will mean that the topics of doubt, despair and depression are constantly in front of my eyes and on my mind. I will need to keep perspective, take care of myself and honor God with my time.

Strength for the work ahead is also critical. Between keeping my Attention Deficit Disorder under control and controlling the temptation to play tourist everyday, I will need constant focus and determination if I am to finish this degree, and finish well.

Temptation. To be perfectly frank, I’m a 26-year old single guy who will be in a totally new world by myself. Loneliness makes one weak and frail, and prone to make stupid decisions, so I would covet your prayers that I remain disciplined, faithful, focused, and joyfully content with my present lot.

Finally, pray that I find a solid church home and dependable Christian friends that I can trust and learn from.

Q: How can we keep in touch?

A: There are a few methods

Facebook. It’s always been the best way to keep in touch with me, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. I will be on facebook less once I get over there, simply because I’ll be working so much. So while I probably won’t be on facebook chat that much anymore, I will still use facebook to keep in touch with people

E-mail. If you’re the kind that likes exchanging long e-mails, I’d rather stick with actual e-mail than facebook messaging. I’m at dbryanrhodes@gmail.com

Cell phone? I don’t know if I’ll have a cell phone while I’m over there. If I do, the number will be visible to facebook friends.

Skype. I’ll be using Skype a lot to keep in touch with friends and family. My Skype ID is dbryanrhodes

Snail Mail. I’d love to hear from you the old fashioned way! I’ll post up my mailing address on my info page as soon as I figure out what it is.

Blog & Twitter. After I arrive in Scotland, I will be starting a blog to chronicle my time there and keep all of you updated about my adventures, friends, church, research and spiritual journey.

Thanks

Here at the end, I want to take a moment to thank all of you who mean so much to me.

To my former roommates: Jason, Brett, Blake, Adam, Chris and Rory. You have impacted my life more than you know. Your patience with my mess was humbling. All of you have taught me so much and have had a significant hand in shaping me into who I am today. You were (and still are) for me, paragons of patient kindness and brotherly love.

To those who served with me on Liberty Student Leadership Teams: You set me on the road to Christian maturity and then helped to keep me on that road whenever I would wander. You believed in me when I did not believe in myself. Finally, you helped me through my decision to resign in 2007 with the utmost compassion and understanding. Thank you.

To all my friends in Lynchburg: It would be impossible to put into words my great love for all of you and what all of you mean to me. I love you, and I am so thankful that you are my friends. Through your love and service, I have learned how to better love and serve others.

To my Professors at Liberty: I am about to embark upon a journey that would never have happened without you. You are the reason I have chosen my present course. You have encouraged but not flattered. You have taught me how to learn as well as how to live. If I am entrusted with university students someday, you have modeled for me excellence in teaching as well as a humble and compassionate spirit that I pray I will be able to emulate.

To my Olive Garden co-workers: You have taught me more about myself than you will ever know. I am one of the few lucky people in the world who had the pleasure of loving the people he worked for and with. You have taught me that your co-workers can make or break a job, and you made it more enjoyable, hilarious, and meaningful than I could have possibly imagined. The inside jokes made the tough shifts bearable, and the camaraderie that formed when things got frustrating was truly endearing. I will miss you so much (and maybe the food…and the discount…but mostly you).

Finally, last but never least, my family. I realized a few years ago that I am happiest when I am with you. You have given me a foundation for my identity as a person, and so much more. I am proud to be a Rhodes (with Domingue blood!) and my love for all of you runs deeper than I can articulate. You are all, to me, a precious gift from God and I am so thankful for you. If I have my way, I will be moving back to Louisiana when my time at Edinburgh is finished. I can’t wait for that day to come, and I think about it all the time.

Coming Out of the Doubt Closet or "What will you be doing at Edinburgh?"

Many people have been asking exactly what it is I will be doing in Edinburgh, Scotland. I’ve given a variety of answers, and that’s because the opportunities being offered to me have been and still are constantly evolving. But I wanted to sit down and write out an explanation of what I’m doing, why I’m doing it and how you can help me in my work. I also wanted to answer the question in the title as well as several other questions I’m frequently asked. To that end, I’ve separated this piece into two parts. In the first, I will detail what has been happening in my life and how it has led me to select my particular course of study. In the second, I’ll answer several of those frequently asked questions and end with a word of thanks to you, my dearest friends and family.

But to tell the story of Edinburgh, I have to take you back a couple of years. As some of you know, in the Spring of 2008, I underwent something of an emotional crisis and breakdown that included the end of a serious relationship, my early resignation from the Resident Assistant program at Liberty University and almost culminated in a decision to drop out of seminary. What most of you don’t know is that what followed was a two-year struggle with serious intellectual doubts about Christianity, and a state that I can only call “Spiritual Depression.” Believe me when I tell you that it was the most difficult time of my life to date, and I wouldn’t wish the nights of agony and confusion on my worst enemy. However, those two years have given me a perspective I could never have had otherwise. You read the Bible differently when you feel crushed by doubt. If you pray at all, you pray differently when you wonder if anyone is listening. There were days I felt I’d fallen away entirely, and days when I was full of hope, though not peace. There were good days, bad days, and awful days.

Eventually, I sought out friends and confessed my doubts. I was very careful about who I shared these things with. Modern Christians are sometimes trained to think that any significant spiritual issue can be solved in 15 minutes with a stern encouragement to read more Bible verses, pray more frequently and listen to the ever elusive “voice of God,” whatever that means. I wanted to talk with people I knew would listen, who would not try to “fix” me in 15 minutes (or less!), who wouldn’t panic at the word “doubt,” and who would be willing to come alongside me, lovingly shoulder my burdens, and walk at my pace. To that end, I am thankful for Elder Mike Sharrett of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Rory Tyer, and Dan Church. These men were willing to let the struggle take two years, or more, if that’s what needed to happen. Would that all Christians could learn such patience in their discipleship of others.

The first lights came when I began to read Martin Luther and discover that he too had had powerful battles with doubt. Just realizing that I wasn’t alone, that other good Christian men had struggled with this (even ones so notable as Luther) was a wonderful encouragement. I no longer felt isolated or hopeless. More lights came with the work of C.S. Lewis who reminded me what Christianity was and what it wasn’t—a critical thing to understand if you are thinking about Christianity at all. Some powerful resolutions to the dissonance of doubt came with Tim Keller’s work, The Reason for God, which I commend to all.

The turning point came in a commissioning service for the new pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Forrest, VA (it’s my understanding that this church has been renamed—forgive me, I don’t know the new name). I watched the Church be the Church. I witnessed joyful worship. I listened to a sobering call to the new pastor to love his family. I watched a compassionate community care for the hurting among them. In addition to my intellectual doubts being helped greatly by Lewis and Keller, my heart longed for a place in this holy community of unconditional love, joyful faith and intellectual depth. Since that service, my perspective on Christianity has changed significantly. I know that I am not the inheritor of a political party or a social agenda or an American creation. I am a follower of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, a 1^st century Jew who claimed to be the Son of Yahweh. He cast a vision for what it meant to follow Him, delivered a gospel of hope, joy and liberation that invites me to a new, better, more joyful existence and died to give me that life, in spite of my filth, failures, blasphemy, my hatred of God and others, and even my doubt and unbelief, and secured it all with a Resurrection.

Now, I know many of my friends, family and professors probably want to read the words “And now all the doubt is gone, all the faith is restored and everything is wonderful.” I’m sorry to disappoint you. Many of the doubts are still there. I’m still a work in progress. But I’ve decided to trust Jesus in the meantime, because against all odds, it seems to me to be the most reasonable and desirable thing to do. Christianity gives me a realistic picture of myself and the world around me, and then provides for me a way to deal with that self and that world that is an infinitely better option than anything I’ve found.

Perhaps now you will better appreciate my course of study set to begin this September at Edinburgh. My PhD research will focus on Martin Luther and his remedies for his own doubt and spiritual depression. Luther was crushed by his doubt, but there was light at the end of his tunnel. When he found peace, he began to use what he learned to help others deal with their doubts. I want to take Luther’s work on doubt—everything from his personal accounts to his pastoral letters, and use them to form a methodology that can be used by pastoral counselors, pastors and laymen to heal doubt. This will involve making use of the disciplines of Historical Theology, Practical Theology and Psychology & Counseling.

So, why Edinburgh? Well, Dr. Smither recommended Edinburgh to me at the end of my Masters program at Liberty, but I never really took it seriously. I’ve never been “that guy” that wants to fly off to Europe for four years. Give me my kitchen table, my books and a cup of coffee and I’m happy. But about a year ago when (with the help of Rory and my father) I began piecing this idea together to study Luther and Doubt, I discovered Dr. Simon Podmore at the University of Edinburgh, who’s specializations included 1) Martin Luther, 2) Doubt and Spiritual Depression, 3) Psychology and Practical Theology. As you might imagine, I became very excited and sent him an e-mail introducing myself and explaining my research interests. Dr. Podmore was very agreeable to my topic, and was no small help in securing my place at Edinburgh, and the rest is history.

But, a PhD program is not what I will start in September of this year. Technically speaking, I was not admitted to the PhD at Edinburgh. I was admitted to a one-year Masters of Theology (MTh), which will serve as a sort of preparatory year. If I prove to the faculty of Edinburgh that I am capable of three years of PhD-level research, I will be admitted to the PhD in September of 2011. Additionally (and very sadly), Dr. Podmore will not be remaining at the University of Edinburgh. His post has ended and he will be seeking employment elsewhere. But this is not the end of the world for several reasons:

1) At the end of my MTh at Edinburgh, I have the option to transfer schools, to complete my PhD work elsewhere. If it seems suitable to transfer to where Dr. Podmore moves so I can continue my research under his supervision, I will do so.

2) Dr. Podmore has offered to co-supervise my work from wherever he will be in the coming months and years. This means we will keep in touch through e-mail, skype and the occasional visit by train, and he will continue to advise me as my research develops.

3) Perhaps most importantly, it’s my understanding that the University of Edinburgh frowns on students doing “double duty” for their Masters and Doctoral work. In other words, they wouldn’t want me doing “Martin Luther and Doubt” for an MTh thesis topic and then just copying and pasting that into my doctoral dissertation some two years later. So I’ll have to choose an entirely different direction for the moment, and for the year. I’m presently considering a number of topics including:

- The objective value of faith and religious belief in a secular age

- Reconciliation and Peacemaking

- The English Puritans and the development of Reformational Counseling

- C.S. Lewis on the nature of sin, doubt and faith.

So there's the answer, and my story. I'll publish another post in the next day or two, answering questions that I've been getting from a lot of you including questions about where I'll be living, visiting me in Scotland, what to pray for, and how to stay in touch with me.

A More Edifying Contribution

As a new phase of my life swiftly approaches and I will soon be robbed of the generous amount of free time I presently enjoy, I’ve begun to think on the ways I spend my time. I don’t think it’s any secret to my facebook friends that I spend a lot of time in political dialogue and debate with friends and family. I’ve been reflecting today as to whether or not that’s a wise investment of time, and I’ve come to some conclusions I wanted to share.

Yes, I believe it’s good to stand up for what you believe, and that sometimes those convictions will naturally align you with particular political agendas—whether or not you mean for that to happen. For instance, I believe that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are God-given rights to all human beings from “womb to tomb.” These opinions naturally dictate positions on abortion, the size and scope of government, and so-called social justice, respectively. While I believe these issues are important, I’ve come to realize that I’ve often let my faith dictate my political persuasions, rather than my view of politics. It’s a subtle but important difference. It seems to me that if I believe Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom of heaven, that belief should radically affect my entire approach to politics, not just my political opinions.

For the record, I do believe the agenda of the present administration will leave America with crippling debt, weak national defense, and rather blatant violations of the Constitution. But I haven’t justified why that should press a follower of Jesus to spend a good deal of his time promoting political and philosophical arguments against the present administration. I have no explanation for how these conclusions legitimize endless arguments with friends and family.

I think much of it has to do with a sense of purpose and belonging. If you believe the nation you love is crumbling or settling into a pitiable state, it’s understandable that you would want to join up with the people who claim to have alternatives to that outcome. Additionally, it’s difficult overestimate the security that comes from camaraderie, and rallying around an idea or set of ideas with like-minded people. But I don’t think God is impressed with my political affiliations. Further, if this nation suffers a heavy downturn under the present administration (and it probably will), God will still be God over America, Venezuela, Cuba, Russia, and even the Middle East. It’s a simple enough statement, but I make it because I don’t think I live as though I believe it.

I believe that standing up for life and liberty is good, and I think the founders of America had good ideas that are worth preserving. But I am not a student of politics or political theory; I am a student of theology. So it seems to me that a better use of my time would be to explore how I, as a budding theologian, can uniquely contribute to these conversations, rather than occasionally sounding like a mouthpiece for a political party.

I would enjoy your feedback.

"The Unlikely Disciple" by Kevin Roose

For those who don’t know, The Unlikely Disciple is a firsthand account of the journey of Kevin Roose, an English major and journalist from Brown University who transferred to Liberty University in the spring semester of 2007. Roose wasn’t coming to my alma mater with the happy anticipation that I suppose is common for most young evangelicals who enroll at Falwell’s school. But then, Kevin Roose is not an evangelical. Roose has described himself as “God ambivalent” and though he refers frequently to his Quaker heritage in this book, he is not a “true Christian” by most evangelical standards. He transferred to Liberty after realizing that conservative, evangelical Christianity was entirely other to his liberal, left wing, Ivy League world. He came to Liberty as a mole, an undercover journalist, and his goal was to show the world what Liberty University was “really like.”

To be frank, it would be impossible for me to write down all of my thoughts on this book. Even if I could, it would take you far too long to read. That being the case, I’m simply hoping this review will stimulate conversation. Furthermore, a published review, found at http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/columns/bookoftheweek/090323.html is a fantastic summary of this work. I see no reason to reinvent this already well-designed wheel. Instead, I’ll just offer a few of my thoughts. If you’ve read the book (or even if you haven’t) I’d love to talk about it with you.

- First, this is undoubtedly one of the best books I have ever read. The book reads like a novel, and Roose is an incredible writer. He weaves his words with a brilliance matched only by his wit, humor, and insight. I could not put this book down.

- Roose is brutally honest throughout the entire book. As someone who was initially unfamiliar with the cultural memes of modern evangelicalism, Roose’s immersion into the Liberty community produces some humorous stories. However, it also provokes him to a few indictments of modern evangelicalism. Some of these are justified (indeed some of them I have made myself) while other conclusions are little more than first impressions that fail to comprehend the entire picture.

- Roose’s dorm provided him with quite a variety of people. Roose made his home on Dorm 22 while living on a hall with a hyperactive, bubbly fellow, a few “rebels” by Liberty’s standards, a nonbeliever, an angry racist from the deep south and a host of other personalities. While this led to some unfortunate moments, it seemed to demonstrate to Roose the reality that I learned during all four years at Liberty—no two Liberty students are exactly alike.

- When one considers this, it makes the act of branding all Liberty students with any particular label a thoughtless move. All these things considered, I find it odd that Roose frequently labels Liberty students as “homophobic” and consistently fails to distinguish between the disapproval of a lifestyle and the hatred of and fear of a person or group of people. This is an example of the chief weakness of Roose’s book—he frequently criticizes the conclusions of evangelicals when he finds them repugnant, yet fails to realize that the only basis for many of his criticisms are his own secular assumptions.

- The book has been well received by both sides, the unfair criticisms of Liberty’s administration notwithstanding (Roose remains vigilant in his rejection of evangelical Christianity and conservatives don’t like unhappy endings). I am profoundly struck by how much good this book can do for America’s culture war. Every secular liberal and hard-line religious conservative (and everyone in between) should read this book. There is much we can learn.

- Roose makes several observations and offers several insights, especially toward the end of the book. Many of these are certainly worth reading, but I think it’s better if I simply share one of his final thoughts. “While I don’t think you’re right [addressing evangelical Christians], I do think I was wrong.” (paraphrase) He admits to being wrong about many of his assumptions about what conservative evangelicals were like, and it seems that his entire Liberty experience had a very humanizing effect.

- What surprised me most about the book was how much I learned about Liberty, and perhaps that is instructive. I can give you the inside scoop on Liberty, but it’s based on my experiences, and my perceptions of the average Liberty student, which are influenced by my circle of friends within the Liberty community. On the one hand, I can appreciate some of Roose’s conclusions, especially when one considers the people he met during his semester here in Lynchburg. On the other hand, I think it’s good to realize that calling one semester of the freshman foundational courses a “well-rounded look” at Liberty University is a little like saying the Travel Channel provides you with an “authentic experience” of the Scottish countryside.

Overall, I think this book will do much good for the culture war, the country, and Liberty University. I don’t agree with all of Roose’s conclusions, but I am thankful for his honesty and his open-mindedness. I hope that Liberty students who read the book will take his criticisms to heart, some of which are timely, appropriate and humbling. I hope that people of other faiths, as well as Christians of a more liberal persuasion will realize that evangelical Christianity is an inherently good thing, not a cultic band of hypocrites or a wart to be removed. Most of all, I hope wise and discerning people will use the story of this “unlikely disciple” to realize that submission to stereotypes is easy; but honestly dealing with fellow human beings on their terms is a challenging task that is not without its rewards.

"The Political and Social Ideas of St. Augustine" by Herbert A. Deane

Deane’s work is an attempt to break down Augustine’s social and political thought. In the preface, Deane explains the need for such a work, pointing out that unlike Thomas Aquinas, with his Summa Theologica, there is no central, systematic work from Augustine’s pen that neatly categorizes his thoughts on different subjects. He laments that most students seeking to learn about Augustine’s social and political ideas are simply told to read City of God. Deane points out that City of God is a long work that deals with a variety of topics and is not an exhaustive treatment of Augustine’s social and political thought. Personally, I read the book as a kind of introduction to Augustine’s thought, to prepare me for the task of reading City of God, which I plan to tackle later this month.

Deane begins with Augustine’s doctrine of man, as that is foundational to how one deals with social and political issues. Even a student only vaguely familiar with Augustine will find little new information here. Augustine affirmed man’s total and complete depravity and inability. Such a view necessarily influences Augustine’s perspective on politics. He views the state as a kind of tempering force, an extension of the grace of God, without which anarchy would dominate and chaos would reign. In that sense then, the government’s job is to ensure that anarchy and chaos do not reign. It does not exist to reform men, only to consistently punish lawbreakers so as to provide an incentive against rebellion, destruction and violence.

Deane also spends a great deal of ink detailing Augustine’s change of heart during the Donatist Controversy as it related to the Church-State relationship in dealing with heresy. At first, he was not in favor of the state punishing heretics. However, over time and after seeing the effectiveness of the threat of punishment on the Donatist party; he began to affirm state-sponsored persecution of the Donatist sect. This change of heart provided Augustine with another perspective on the state: that it was the tool of God to be used to bring heretics back to orthodoxy. Deane insists that this is not a contradiction with Augustine’s perspective that the state is only a tempering force in the City of Man.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Deane supports his points with frequent quotations from Augustine’s works and intertwines Augustine’s thought with the work of other philosophers before and after Augustine, such as Plato and Hobbes. Deane’s knowledge on the topic shines most impressively in his conclusion, where he draws Augustine’s social and political thought into a few paragraphs and reflects on Augustine’s impact on the church after the fifth century. He references the possibility of Augustinian influence on medieval political theory, then goes on to discuss Augustine’s thought as it is seen in the work of Luther and Calvin, right up to the 20th century, where the calamities of world war and human oppression have been boldly displayed, leading to a resurgence in Augustinian perspectives.

After reading the conclusion, I did some thinking of my own and affirmed that St. Augustine and I would agree on a great many things—the nature of man, the function of government, and the illusion of the possibility of utopia within the City of Man. Some would call Augustine’s perspective “pessimism.” However, I would call the African bishop’s perspective “biblical realism,” comporting with both scriptural teaching and human experience.

I think Augustine might have a bit of encouragement for America today, as we tend to put our hope in our political leaders. The longings that we have that are today giving way to a kind of socialism are not new longings. They are the longings for justice, peace and happiness that are common to every human being. What Augustine teaches us, however, is that the answer to these problems is not a messianic leader, or a social program, but a resolute focus on the reality that these longings can only be satisfied when we become residents in the City of God.

3.5 out of 5 stars

"A History of the Medieval Church: 590-1500" by Margaret Deanesly

Margaret Deanesly’s work is a straightforward account of the Medieval Church from the time of Gregory the Great to the beginning of the Renaissance. There is a particularly strong focus on monasticism and the activities of monks and friars during the medieval age. I think that most readers would find Deanesly’s work to be fairly boring. The account is rather dry and Deanesly spends almost no time reflecting on the significance of the changes that led to the establishment of Christendom. She spends very little ink reflecting on political motivations behind various problems and schisms, and commentary on the social aspects of the age is all but absent, except for a few mentions of the class structure of feudalism.

The preface claims that the work is for both the general reader and theological students at the University of Manchester. I doubt the former would find the book very accessible. I would only recommend the work to those with a rudimentary knowledge of the medieval age itself, and at least a mild familiarity with feudalism, and the rise, establishment, and success of the Holy Roman Empire. Deanesly assumes this knowledge on the part of her readers, so I’m critical of the recommendation to the general reader.

Most disappointing was the fast-paced nature of the book, which resulted in the already mentioned absence of reflection on the significance of various events. There are few explanations of the subtle factors involved in the changes happening within Christendom. For example, when Deanesly arrives at the topic of the Avignon Papacy, one of the most peculiar and tensional events in Church History, she briefly mentions French political influence and then simply adds “…the papacy was so much under French influence that for seventy years it resided beyond the Alps” (p176). She then launches into a list of the Avignon Popes without any further elaboration.

In spite of my criticisms, I understand that this book, first published in 1925, was likely one of the first of its kind in the English language, and so I’m somewhat sympathetic toward Deansely’s straightforward manner. With that in mind, however I still reject her suggestion that the book is appropriate for the general reader, recommending it instead to someone with a rudimentary knowledge of social and political changes in the Middle Ages.

2.5 out of 5 stars

"Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther" by Roland H. Bainton

Bainton’s work has long been hailed as an excellent portrayal of Luther's life, and I can certainly see why. The book is incredibly thorough but not in such a way that the reader becomes bored. Bainton exercises caution not to present Luther as perfect or overly saintly. Yet he clearly has affection for the great reformer that is seen throughout his work. He approaches Luther’s critics with a plea for understanding, insisting that Luther’s supposed mistakes should be understood in light of the tensions and fears that constantly plagued him. In that sense, Bainton gently presents what some might see to be shortcomings. That does not, however, mean that Bainton’s picture of Martin Luther is unrealistic. At numerous points, Bainton addresses Luther’s fears and depression, his insecurity and errors in judgment. In the pages of Bainton’s book, the reader will meet the real Martin Luther, in all his simplicity, bravery, fear and depression. In fact, the pictures of Luther’s depression are surprisingly cold and drastic, and will awaken the reader to the reality that this great man was not without his weaknesses and struggles. Furthermore, Bainton’s presentation of Luther’s life is a fantastic historical work that boasts an impressive accuracy and depth of research. Bainton’s use of primary sources is refreshing. The reader becomes acquainted with Martin Luther through the reformer’s own works—letters, sermons, tracts, books, and even notes from Luther’s university students. The shortcoming of many biographies is that the subject is talked about rather than being allowed to speak for himself. Bainton’s work is clearly free of this criticism. Additionally, the illustrations within the book are helpful and illuminating. They include woodcuts, paintings and other pictures that grant the reader a firsthand look into Martin Luther’s world. To continue on that point, Bainton spends a notable portion of the work detailing historical context for his readers—an extremely helpful labor. This adds to the overall suspense of the work as the reader begins to comprehend the depth of Luther’s boldness in light of the political risks he was taking and paradigms that were being destroyed. Finally, the overall readability of the work is very impressive. Bainton, a Yale Professor maintains a stunning eloquence throughout the book and posses a style that both scholar and layman can appreciate, as Bainton does an excellent job of writing well without sacrificing readability.

Perhaps the only criticism of the work that this reader can confidently offer is that Bainton’s picture of Luther’s theology is given too much protection. Bainton makes clear that Luther was one man struggling against centuries of Roman Catholic teaching, yet he too often uses that reality to excuse some of Luther’s philosophical and theological inconsistencies. Furthermore, at a few points in the work, Bainton seems too eager to preach and permits his own agreements with Martin Luther (which appear to be legion) to produce homilies on the truth of Luther’s conclusions. While these defenses are certainly not offensive to me, they occasionally take up more ink than necessary.

The warm praises that have surrounded this book since its publishing are, in my judgement, entirely appropriate. Bainton’s Here I Stand is a fair and honest examination of Martin Luther’s life and his contributions to the Christian faith that are still honored today. Bainton’s picture of the reformer is accurate and informative but not at the expense of being dull or tedious. The work should be recommended to any student of history or person of faith seeking to know more about this incredible man, his struggles, victories and remarkable reform.

5 out of 5 stars