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Rating: 
Summary: Needed guidance...
Review: In this text, Stein's first chapter sets the stage, presenting high medieval Roman Catholicism in a reasonably fair portrait, looking at both spiritual and political dimensions, for this was a time where there was no separation of church and state. The beginnings of dominant structures of nationalism, capitalism, enlightenment/Renaissance ideas, and various cultural changes called for modifications and reforms inside and, ultimately, outside of the official Church structure. Ultimately, however, it wasn't warfare or political shifts that changed forever the nature of Christianity in the West (and, consequently, for the entire world). It was the spiritual searching of a few, beginning primarily with one man. Martin Luther Martin Luther was indeed an unlikely reformer. A member of the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church, he was trained by the same Church, and very devote and committed as a champion of Christ in the world through the Church. Luther had a profound sense of call, however, that placed a primacy on the grace of God that overcomes any earthly act or structure, including that of the Church. Like most of Luther's life, his spiritual direction toward Reform was a gradual and considered one. Luther's call to monastic life took time to be formed. Luther translated the bible into the common language, and argued that all should have unfettered access to the scriptures. This would become a common theme among Reformers, and later became an accepted practice among Roman Catholics. Ulrich Zwingli It is astonishing how many Protestants in America have never heard the name of Zwingli, considering how influential his ideas ultimately became, particularly with regard to communion and the Lord's supper. Zwingli was another Germanic reformer, working in Switzerland. Things were relatively safer there for reform, given the isolation and separation of the Swiss cantons from the rest of the Holy Roman Empire. In examining Zwingli's insights for Christian living, Stein points out that many people object officially to many of Zwingli's assessments while still holding to many of his principles. The practical and somewhat stark assessment of humanity's condition set forth by Zwingli in the 1500s rang true in the bloody 1900s; Zwingli's idea of communion as sign but not the signified still holds sway in most Protestant, and even many Catholic, congregations. John Calvin Calvin's understanding of faith was centered on the scriptures, most particularly the gospels and the revelation of Jesus Christ. No knowledge of God could come to humankind without it being a revelation from God. Calvin looked to scripture primarily as a document of salvation. The idea that Calvin originated the idea of predestination is absurd; predestination and election are biblical concepts, and Augustine wrote on these topics extensively more than a thousand years earlier. But it was within the framework of Luther and Augustine that Calvin encountered and modified these concepts. Calvin understood how difficult these concepts were, and hence omitted them from discussion in his children's catechism. What Calvin was ultimately driving at with this doctrine, one he could never express with complete satisfaction, was the powerlessness of humanity to save itself, and the absolute necessity of God and God's gracious act for salvation. As a result of this understand, Calvin's principle insight for Christian living would be that Christians are to live for God's glory and not their own, and as demonstrated in his own involvement in the secular political world, this life for God's glory must be one of action and involvement in the world. Menno Simons Like Zwingli, the name of Menno Simons is not one that is well known among modern American Protesants. This is unfortunate, given the basis of Simons' theological outlook and its influence on modern American ecclesial and political structures. Menno Simons' insights for Christian living include the recognition of value in suffering, particularly as defined through scripture and example in the life of Jesus, and in the insistence that a 'New Birth' would bring about new life. Living his life without the comforts of an official sanction from any political entity, Simons often referred to himself as a homeless man. Simons lived a life of simple piety, devoting not so much writings and codifications as his legacy, but his very character. Thomas Cranmer Thomas Cranmer did more than any other man to solidify the way Anglicans practice their faith, and given the way in which theology and biblical authority are constantly debated, it is the Book of Common Prayer, which owes its origination to Cranmer, that ultimately provides the tie that binds all Anglicans together. Cranmer's understanding of Christian faith was first to last one devoted to practice. And yet, salvation for Cranmer is not one of works, but of faith and the grace of God alone. This underscores the difficulty of designating Anglicans as purely Protestant or purely Catholic. Cranmer's Eucharistic theology closely paralleled Luther's, and not Zwingli's; Cranmer's overarching theological framework was undoubtedly influenced by Calvin, as much of Anglican tradition later was, particularly through the institution of the Twenty-Nine Articles. Conclusion These men provide a framework for a living tradition, one that continues to this day. It is a diverse tradition, but one rooted strongly in principles and understandings derived from scripture and the gospel message. The 'Protestant Principle', as Tillich coined the phrase, that living, restless movement of faith, is still growing. Ironically, it seems that in the twentieth century the Protestant Principle was more at work in the Roman Church, with Vatican II, than in the Protestant denominations that derived from the sixteenth century splits. However, the Holy Spirit continues to move and shape and find being in all expressions of Christianity, and all continue to strive toward God with thanksgiving. Stein provides at the end of each chapter a series of conversation and study questions, making this book useful for private devotion and practical for group and class work.
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