“Since your most serene majesty and your high mightinesses require from me a clear, simple, and precise answer, I will give you one, and it is this: I cannot submit my faith either to the pope or to the councils, because it is clear as the day that they have frequently erred and contradicted each other. Unless therefore I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture or by the clearest reasoning, unless I am persuaded by means of the passages I have quoted, and unless they thus render my conscience bound by the word of God, I cannot and I will not retract, for it is unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I stand, I can do no other; may God help me. Amen.” –The Great Controversy, 160
Five hundred years ago the world experienced one of its great turning points. On October 31, 1517 an unknown Augustinian monk in an obscure university posted ninety-five propositions to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany. His ideas challenged Roman Catholic docrtin and practice. The action itself was not remarkable. To the contrary, it was a common academic practice of the time for scholars to publicly post their positions as an invitation to debate. That was all Luther expected to happen. But Luther's Ninety-Five Theses soon jumped the fence separating the academic world from that of personal Christian piety and politics, and they ignited a revolution–a Reformation. They transformed not only the Western world but eventually affected the entire planet through worldwide mission.
Although separated in time by centuries, Seventh-day Adventists see themselves as heirs of the Protestant Reformation started by Martin Luther 500 years ago. This volume explores the various facets and contours of Luther and compares them with Seventh-day Adventism.
Over 25 scholars from throughout the world have come together to create this one-of-a-kind volume exploring:
- Historical foundations
- Echoes of Luther in Adventist theology
- Eschatology and politics
- Dialogue and legacy
