Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther

In a thoroughly engaging biography of Luther, Bainton plants the reformer firmly in his own political and theological landscape: the final decades of the medieval age, and the age of the Renaissance and of nationalism. He traces Luther's thought by way of the man's own writings and those of his allies, his observers, and his enemies. Ample discussion of the personal and theological contemporaries supplements without distracting too much from Luther himself. The picture is complex; the man is variously polemic and deferential, sometimes unreservedly jocular, so much that occasional glimpses at his tenderness are startling. It is one of a titan of church history: a passionate theologian and a pastor, a musician and a prolific scholar, a show more father; above all, an intensely and painfully devotional Christian. show less

Martin Luther was one of the most influential men in Western Civilization over the past half-millennium. Most people today do not know enough history to understand someone like Luther, who was really a medieval theologian. Bainton does a wonderful job of placing Luther in his own time, educating the reader on the religious and political landscape of the time. Without this context, Luther no doubt would appear bizarre to the modern reader. Bainton praises Luther for his bravery in standing for what he believed to be true, and for his long-held hope that the Pope would change course if only he knew about the abuses in the church. Bainton takes Luther to task for his indefensible positions regarding persecution of Jews and Anabaptists, but show more makes sure the reader understands Luther's full position, which was not as simple as hatred and prejudice. The modern person who believes that a straight line can be drawn from Luther to the Holocaust is most misinformed. The most moving portions of the book are certainly the earlier chapters which detail Luther's personal spiritual struggle, which will find resonance in any Christian's heart. show less

Martin Luther is one of the key figures in history. His stature as the leader of the Reformation has almost elevated him above the practical concerns of ordinary men. Bainton has done excellent work in revealing Luther as a man. Luther was a firmly medieval man with all of the struggles and doubts of others of his age. Luther's contribution was his dogged determination to be rightly related to God. This led him to study the Bible, particularly Psalms and Romans, which taught him that famous refrain "the just shall live by faith." Here Luther understood that the work of Christ alone brought salvation and faith was the only fit response to appropriate that work. It led him to eventually reject so many of the pillars of the Catholic Church show more and gave him the confidence to continue on the path the can be summed up by the Five Solas. Those who followed Luther sometimes went farther than he did in his changes (sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad). To the best of his ability, Luther pondered all of the many questions concerning the sacraments, the church, the state, the family, etc. according to the guidance of God found in His word. As he aged, he gained a family, he struggled through depression and disease, and he watched as Germany changed. In the end, he took his stand upon the revealed truth of God's word.

Bainton has balanced Luther the man and Luther the theologian well. His book is absorbing and insightful and well worth the read. show less

Martin Luther was one of the titans of the Protestant Reformation. It was Luther, along with John Calvin and Huldrych Zwingli, who gave the Reformation its defining and enduring shape, influencing it in ways that continue today. This biography by Bainton is perhaps not exhaustive, but it is comprehensive, as it considers Luther’s life and times. We look into his life and see how Luther’s overriding passion, i.e. the love of God above all else and the consequent desire to reform the church, according to God’s self-revelation in the Bible played out on the stage of 16th century Europe.

Luther didn’t plan to reform the church. Following his father’s wishes he was studying to become a lawyer. But he had an experience that set him show more on a different path, one which began benignly as he fulfilled a vow to become a monk. And to use a modern phrase, one thing led to another, and Christianity has never been the same.

Bainton honestly explores the different phases of Luther’s life, pointing out both the highs and the lows. I was a little familiar with both aspects of Luther’s life previous to reading this book and found that there was much more to learn about Luther and the way he intersected with his time and its culture. An example would be from some of the polemical material of Luther’s late career, where Bainton highlights the nuances that we don’t easily appreciate 500 years later.

Bainton has painted a rich portrait of a complex man, a man who above all served a sovereign, gracious and holy God. It is a biography written over 60 years ago but which has held up well for good reason. I highly commend it. show less

It has been said by others that Martin Luther was the first 'celebrity' - his fame of his breach with the Roman Catholic Church spread across the whole or Europe. Yet as this book shows, it was not something he wanted; he preferred reform of the church. He certainly did not agree at all with the radical derivations of German revolt against external oppression, like Munster.
Luther would have been exciting to be around. He loved a beer, enjoyed company, singing and music. Yet he also suffered from depression, and ill health. Bainton wonders whether this is related to his struggle with God, but it appears his depression may have been clinical.
The book is thorough in its discussion and analysis of Luther's interaction with the Roman show more Catholic Church, the local princes, and with Erasmus, his Bible translation and how he changed life in Germany. It covers his efforts to maintain peace (he was against the violence of Munster and others), but little is said of his influence on further reformers; for example, John Calvin is not mentioned.
The author concludes the book by briefly covering the latter years of his life; very briefly regarding his death which gets one sentence. He does cover the less pleasant aspects of Luther - his anti-Semitic writings (which he has is religious, not racial) and his coarseness (not uncommon in those days). It is these things that opponents of Luther grasp to discredit him and his legacy. show less

An interesting if not particularly enjoyable read. The author's adoration of Luther comes across quite clearly, so it's a useful book for comparing different perspectives. I would never consider this a history text, but this would likely be a worthwhile book for anyone interested in religious history, regardless of which side of whatever fence you stand on. Also, I can't deny that Martin Luther is a major historical figure, so I'm glad to have read at least one biography on him, even if it was this one.

This book does suffer from a couple of flaws. First, this is probably not the most scholarly biography of Luther, and the citations aren't formatted in a very convenient way. The only citations given for quotations from Luther himself are page numbers in a German-language edition of his collected works, which is troublesome if you'd like to know which of his writings a particular quotation came from. Second, Bainton (who was a Protestant minister, though not a Lutheran specifically) was clearly biased in Luther's favor -- maybe not to the point of making important omissions, but certainly to the point of glossing over or rationalizing away some of Luther's more repugnant statements.

Nevertheless, I do recommend Bainton's book for the show more simple reason that he was an excellent writer, and he paints a vivid, engrossing picture of Martin Luther's personality and thought without crossing the line into confabulation. I'm no kind of expert in this field, but I have glanced at the easily available biographies of Luther, and I think this is a good one -- probably the best choice for the interested general reader who lacks the time or inclination to get through something denser. (It is my understanding that Heiko Oberman's book has become the standard academic text, but also that it assumes some background, so this one might be a good starting point in any case.) show less