Luther: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer

A Stephen McCaskell Film

This colorful documentary was shot at the locations that defined Luther’s life. It also features striking illustrations. Great theologians ranging from Steve Lawson to R.C. Sproul drive the content of documentary exploring all parts of Luther’s legacy including his view of salvation, the church, and Jews. If you want to know why the Martin Luther and the Reformation is important, I encourage you to watch this 1.5 hrs. film.

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Luther

Stephen McCaskell and Aaron Armstrong

This striking picture does a great job of introducing older children to Luther through engaging black and white illustrations, through quotes from Luther and other reformers, and through and easy to read text. Children and homeschool families seeking to study and learn more about Luther will love this book that praises Luther for rediscovering of the doctrines of Grace and that wrestles with his noticeable character flaws.

Calvin recognized in the Luther what we all would be wise to remember: Even the greatest servant of God will continue to struggle with sin until the ends of his days. (81).

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Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther

Roland H. Bainon

Though written for adults, this biography of Luther could easily be read by junior high and high school students. The short chapters often feature quotes, pictures and an easy to read text. This book one of the best Luther biographies around chroniclaling the events and culture that lead Luther to turn the world upside down.

“He [Luther] was a priest responsible for the eternal welfare of his parishioners. He must warn them against spiritual pitfalls, no matter what might happen to the Castle Church and the university.” (56)

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Freedom Movement: 500 Years of Reformation

Michael Reeves

This great little book starts with Luther and then traces the effects of the Reformation to the present day. Children will be exposed to the Luther’s profound life and belief that salvation is through grace alone. They will also get introduced to John Bunyan, William Wilberforce and many other people who have been influenced by Luther’s great proclamation that

Martin Luther was concerned with people’s happiness. In fact, he would come to believe that he had found the secret of happiness. And that, at its heart is what the reformation is about. Not moralizing. Not self-improvement. It was a discovery of stunningly happy new – news that would transform millions of lives and change the world. (5)

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Bonus Find:

The Nine Marks Ministry has devoted their latest journal to covering the theological and practical issues surrounding the Reformation! There are essays on what church services where like before the Reformation, on whether or not the Reformation is purely a white evangelical movement and on a host of other topics related to the Reformation! This amazing journal is free! Click here to get your copy!

teacher-appreciation-blog As a kid, I hated school. I skipped out on homework. I viewed summer reading lists as optional. And, my preferred method of studying was reading the teacher’s guide. I suppose you could say, I was not the most delightful student one could have. Thankfully, my mom never gave up on me even during the dark days when I had to repeat second grade and review phonics for about the 10^th time. She proved to be a great teacher and home school mom. I am super thankful for her!

And as most of Dodge County and America in general gets ready to start back to school, I believe even the worst of kids has a reason to be thankful for their teachers.

Teachers make the salvation possible. No, I am not talking about teachers leading Bible studies or FCA events. No, I am not saying that every teacher is a spiritual leader or even a Christian. And no, I do not believe that the school system should take the place of the church.

So what do I mean? Teachers make the gospel accessible. Without teachers, we would not know how to read (At the very least, I would not.) We would struggle to understand, study, and apply the Scriptures to our lives. As the axiom goes, “Knowledge is power.” And knowledge is the key to spiritual power. As Paul writes, salvation comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom 10:17). And only those who can read and memorize the Bible can share the good news with the world. If we lacked basic literacy skills, we would struggle to access the power of the gospel. We would be left to look at stained glass windows and to trust priests to interpret things for us.

Thankfully that is not our world. Our kids get to go to school. They get to learn. They get to learn about subjects and verbs. They get to do arithmetic homework and memorize the periodic table. They get to acquire the skills needed to read the Bible and to understand the world God created. And all this is possible because men and women are willing to champion the banner of teaching!

Sure, we may not love every teacher our kid has. We may disagree with some methods. But we should be thankful that our kids have teachers that teach. Regardless of whether or not our kids go to public or go to private school, we should be thankful for those who teach our kids. And we should be thankful for the home school moms who faithful teach at home. As the Reformer Martin Luther remarked,

I know that next to that of preaching, this is the best, greatest, and most useful office there is."
 - "A Sermon on Keeping Children in School (1530)

And we should encourage our kids to be thankful. Because of their teachers, our kids will have the chance read God’s words and to grasp his beautiful universe. Teachers bring blessings to their students.

Who’s ready to approach this school with a thankful spirit?