October 31, 1517: Martin Luther and the Day that Changed the World

Written by Martin E. Marty and Bob Souer

Narrated by Bob Souer

“This volume is small but weighty and a solid addition for all modern Christianity collections.” - Ray Olson, Booklist With a foreword by James Martin, this classic reader on the Reformation by Martin Marty answers the question: Why is the Reformation relevant today? Most importantly, this book is about how the Reformation impacts us devotionally as Christians of any denomination. As we move toward the commemoration on October 31, 2017, this is the book you need. Accessible for church groups or personal reading, this is not a historical narrative of Reformation events, but an explanation of the issues that led to Luther's posting of the 95 Theses and their implications for the Church and the world. As one of the world's preeminent Luther scholars, Martin Marty also explores the concept of repentance as a central theme of the Theses. In a foreword, James Martin, SJ, offers context and a shared vision.This year began with the joint ecumenical commemoration in Lund, Sweden, on October 31, 2016, attended by Pope Francis and members of the Lutheran World Federation and other Christian churches. Martin Marty explains how this event, and indeed all ecumenical dialogue that has happened over the past few hundred years and will happen in this coming year, represents a change of heart. “Valuable insight.” - Kathleen Norris

• Language: English
• Publisher: ChristianAudio.com
• Release date: May 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9781545903377

Martin E. Marty

Martin E. Marty is the Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he taught for thirty-five years. Among his many books are Righteous Empire — for which he won the National Book Award — and the three-volum

Reviews for October 31, 1517

[juglicerr · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I recommend borrowing this book from the library, and then deciding if you want it in your permanent collection, particularly given that it is $19.99 (retail) for a a small (20 cm.), short (114 p.) book. I find the title and subtitle misleading, the contents description on the book and on Amazon is merely a blurb, and my library miscataloged it (IMHO) as a biography. It belongs in the religion section. My rating is more of an average of the mixture of good and bad than an overall statement.In considering rating a book, there can be some things that are objectively wrong (factual errors); some things that might be considered opinions but can be supported (poor quality writing because of bad grammar or syntax); and some things that are opinions (the book is interesting or boring). I found this book a waste of time, definitely not living up to its wonderful cover, but people with other interests might enjoy it. I just wish that I had understood what it was about before I read it.It begins with an introduction by Jesuit priest James Martin, which explains some interesting details about his order, but doesn't really add a lot to the book. Although they are thought of as the shock troops of the Counter (or Catholic) reformation, Ignatius of Loyola wasn't apparently thinking about them that way when he founded the order. He also notes that he, the author, and Luther all have Martin in their name.The author doesn't actually spend much of his text on Luther, or the reverberations of October 31, 1517. (It never struck me before that that is Hallowe'en or All Souls Night. Trick or treat!) I didn't learn anything about Luther that I didn't already know, and I've never read a full biography of him. At the same time, I wonder if anyone coming to the subject without already having some familiarity would have enough information to understand what was going on. I found the book somewhat disorganized, and sometimes containing tangential information that, especially in such a short book, seemed a poor use of limited space.The book opens with what seems like a devotional chapter explaining repentance, but this is a necessary setup for the author's theme. Mostly, he is interested in ecumenical steps that the Lutheran (or at least some Lutherans; there are several denominations) and the Roman Catholic churches have taken. He explains carefully why "catholic" and "universal" are not strictly speaking, exact synonyms. He apparently hopes for at least a merger or communions, is not a reuniting of the two parts of Christendom.This is where I feel the need to explain that although I was raised in a Protestant Mainline church, I have been an atheist most of my life. Frankly, I couldn't care less about most of what he is discussing. His most interesting point is that there are 40,000 Christian denominations. I was expecting history and biography, and I got theology and inter-church politics. While this is occasionally amusing as a spectator sport, in this case, I was utterly bored. I have still given the book 3 stars because I realize that there are many people who care deeply and will probably be fascinated. I will still maintain that it would have been better if it was more tightly written.

[pastorjmh · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a very short book by Dr. Marty. Actually, it would be best to think of this as a collection of essays regarding Lutheran / Catholic relations. While there are certainly great nuggets scattered throughout, I do think it's overpriced for the size and content. Could make for a good primer for a small group that is interested in the ramifications of the Reformation.

[asyouknow_bob · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The title led me to think that this would be a short history of, you know, Luther's 95 Theses; but instead, what I got was a short essay on the ideas of 'repentance' and 'justification', and a very short history of 20th-21st century steps toward RC-Lutheran ecumenism. *Decidedly* not for me, but only an hour of my time.