Reformation Thought: An Introduction

Rating:
Summary: Good book, baaaaad editing
Review: I just had to write a review of this book, because I think it is the most poorly edited published text that I have ever read. Not only is it chock-full of typos, but the author repeats himself unnecessarily in a number of places. The sorry state of this text is even more surprising given that it is a third edition. One would expect better from Blackwell's. That said, the book does serve as a good general intro to the topic. The author is interesting and clear, and seems to hit the important points.

Rating:
Summary: Who does this guy's proofreading?
Review: I thought that this book served as a good introduction to the topics addressed. I would have preferred more depth, less breadth, but it is an introduction. Different ideas on justification, predestination, and the Lord's Supper were discussed in an accessible way. I particularly benefited from seeing the opinions of less-well known reformers, as well as getting historical and social background. The main detraction from this work was the prevalence of typographical errors. It was difficult to take McGrath's academic opinions seriously when there were spelling errors on every other page! If this bothers you, look for an updated edition.

Rating:
Summary: A fine, accessible introduction
Review: The book is a terrific thematical overview of the Reformation. It starts out with the development of Renaissance humanism that provided a philological basis for the Reformation (direct review of Scripture in the original languages) and the heritage of scholasticism that the reformers criticized.

There is a brief biographic section of the key players that follows. This is followed by reviews of the key themes such as; justification by faith, the role of the church, predestination and so on.

What impressed me most about this work was how well the different trends of reforming thought were delineated. For instance, Luther's emphasis of theology stemming from the fact that he taught theology and the deference of Lutheranism to the state from his need for political protection with the Holy Roman Empire is contrasted with the Reformed Church's (how the author refers to what is popular, but apparently inaccurately, called Calvinism), emphasis on scripture as a moral guide and the elect as a community, from the role that Zwingli and Calvin played in influencing Geneva. The response of the Catholic church is well covered with emphasis, as it should be, on the positions of the Council of Trent. Also useful is the separate treatment of the English Reformation. The development being different because there was an act of state nationalizing the church first, and then a challenge to it's ideology. There were some questions I still had, for example, what is the role of good works, or the importance of moral behavior, in a predestinarian theology, but that can be understood as this is an introductory work that can't cover every questions.

I have two quibbles. I would like to have seen more on the Radical Reformation. It's trends can be seen in groups like the Mennonites and the Amish and I would like to have known what other influences it had. The other is the proofreading. I wasn't checking for typos but I came across close to a dozen.