Martin Luther: A Life

by James Arne Nestingen

Martin A Life tells the dramatic story of the renegade monk whose heroic personal struggle ignited a revolution and shook Christendom to its foundations.Through vivid anecdotes and lively historical descriptions, Martin A Life captures the turbulent times and historic events through which Luther lived as well as his profound vision of God. A fast-moving narrative, it shows how his stinging criticisms of the Christian church struck a deep and liberating chord in the German people and led to the momentous change we know as the Reformation.For all who wish to understand Luther the man, the rebel, and the visionary, James Nestingen's account also offers insight into Luther's momentous contributions to the Western world and his personal encounter with God, the Christian scriptures, and the relentless demands of his own conscience.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Historical, Church History

110 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2003

Reviews

[Isaiah Jesch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was given this book and read it because it was about Luther. It was not a very engaging read though. The writing wasn't particularly good, making it hard to connect with the story. I greatly admire the life of Luther and reviewing his story is always good. I don't know that I would recommend this work though, it just wasn't all that compelling.

[Wilhelm Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Around 100 pages- and highly recommendable for brevity, clarity and getting the story straight. Nestigen does so wittily, sharp and in an original language - pulling out some Scandanavian and American links of the reformation, which a German is not necessarily accustomed too, but does so in a pleasing and very positive way even where difficult topics are concerned: Free Will, Law, morals and life, Language, Paradox, Jews, death and dying. No wonder President Harrison (LCMS) recommends this as a brilliant introduction to the Reformation and/or a visit to Luther city Wittenberg. The pictures from the Luther film are obviously a publishing gimmick and don´t fit this otherwise unique presentation of Luther´s life.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems like a good overview of Luther's public life, focusing on the politics and power struggles. I definitely need to dig deeper into the man's theology. Maybe Tom could help me out?!

[Philip Bartelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding little primer on Luthers life. Very accessible and easy to read. Jim's style is very conversational and the book maintains a storytelling feel. Definitely a good starting point for exploring Luthers theology and life

[Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good basic entry level biography

[James Rickenbaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, short biography of Martin Luther. Nestingen hits all of the high points. His analysis is helpful and the structure of the book is intuitive. Highly recommend!

[Glenn Crouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good, easy-to-read biography - though I would say it is best handled as an introductory biography to Martin Luther. Not that there is anything wrong with that of course.

This is an excellent book for those who know very little of the Reformation, and would like an easy, "short read" to get into things. I think the Author deals quite fairly with Luther, and that he handles some of the controversies (such as Luther's treatment of the Jews) quite well for a brief book.

So if you've never read anything about Luther or the Reformation, here is a good place to start :)

[Rebecca Manor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martin Luther, A Life by James A. Nestingen was one that I read for work and while I feel like I learned a lot, I don’t think it was all that enjoyable. It’s written in the style of an academic conference paper and so lacks some pep. I basically felt like I was the object of a barrage of facts. I’d give it a “meh”.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have thought a book with this title would be very biographical. This book focuses more on Luther's theology, church conflicts and influential writings. However, this is an interesting read, and better than the other 3 Luther biographies I skimmed.

[Murph Hutson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent biography of Martin Luther's life. It is not heavy on theology. It focuses on political posturing of those in power and contrasts that with Luther's convictions. Great read for seeing what Luther went through.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dry, but a good overview of Martin Luther's life. I would have preferred to read a biography of Luther with more content.

[Philippe Deblois · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good quick and easy overview of Martin Luther's life.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 but rounding up because it's Martin Luther :-)