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The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World
Mention history and some might struggle to stifle a yawn. But when presented as a narrative it can often be compelling reading. Stephen J. Nichols takes a key period in time, the Reformation, and presents its major players in a fresh way. From Martin Luther, a simple monk who wielded the mallet, to kings and queens, this book goes behind the scenes to uncover the human side of these larger-than-life Reformers. Along the way readers meet Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, Kings Henry VIII and Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey, Anne Bradstreet, and many others.
For those wanting to see history in its context, Nichols also provides a sampling of primary source materials. It is an engaging read that will remind readers of the foundational truths that can never be taken for granted by the church in any age. Includes numerous illustrations.
For those wanting to see history in its context, Nichols also provides a sampling of primary source materials. It is an engaging read that will remind readers of the foundational truths that can never be taken for granted by the church in any age. Includes numerous illustrations.
160 pages, Paperback
First published February 14, 2007
54 people are currently reading
466 people want to read
About the author
Stephen J. Nichols
76 books97 followersStephen J. Nichols (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is president of Reformation Bible College and chief academic officer of Ligonier Ministries. Previously, he served as research professor of Christianity and culture at Lancaster Bible College. He is an editor (with Justin Taylor) of the Theologians on the Christian Life series and is the author of several books, including The Reformation, For Us and for Our Salvation, The Church History ABCs, and Bonhoeffer on the Christian Life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
July 7, 2017
Nice overview of the Reformation. The first seven chapters focus on a different country and the main reformers in that country, the last chapter is about the women of the Reformation. Good quick read.
October 24, 2016
A lot of historical ground is covered in relatively few pages here, but this is a very good introduction to the causes, effects and major figures of the Reformation. Luther, Calvin, Knox and Zwingli are all given proper tribute here, along with the histories of traditions such as Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, Baptists, Anglicanism, as well as the Mennonites and the Amish. Included also is a handy chapter on the influence of women during the Reformation.
February 10, 2017
wow what a well detailed book. I do not recrament kids under the age of 12 to read this book.
February 4, 2019
A brief overview of some of the major players during the reformation.
On the plus side, it was written in easy to follow language without too much 'church jargon' left unexplained.
On the down side, because it really only gives a short snippet about each person, there is so much left unexplained about these fascinating people and events. It also means that chapters are a bit choppy at times jumping from one thing to another without a clear flow.
On the plus side, it was written in easy to follow language without too much 'church jargon' left unexplained.
On the down side, because it really only gives a short snippet about each person, there is so much left unexplained about these fascinating people and events. It also means that chapters are a bit choppy at times jumping from one thing to another without a clear flow.
November 9, 2017
Well written little overview of the people, places, and beliefs of the reformation. Exactly the kind of book I had been looking for!
February 19, 2018
This book was short but very good. It gave me a little information on a lot of different hero's of the reformation. I want to go back and learn more about some of them and read the writings of others. I now definitely have to read The Pilgrims Progress.
May 12, 2023
Recommended for anyone wanting to get into Church history, specifically regarding the Reformation and it's key players. Straight and to the point, but also engaging to read.
February 7, 2017
Brief, but effective and informative. Great introduction to some of the major figures of the Protestant reformation
November 24, 2011
Very fine introductory overview of the Reformation's principal players, religious and secular. Of particular note (and often overlooked) was his inclusion of several women who played significant roles in the Reformation.
November 19, 2017
While the Reformation, as a movement, was much larger than Martin Luther, it is appropriate for the title of the book to bestow high honor on him. After all, he was the one who fired the opening shot of the Reformation at a time when support was anything but assured and the risk of ignominious death was high. Someone has to be the first over the top, and he was that man.
The book did a good job of putting the different reformers and their reform movements in their historical context. Not only did these movements collide with the powers that be, which especially included the Roman Catholic church, they often collided with each other because different reformers had different interpretations of certain doctrines, such as the Lord’s supper, the relationship between church and state, or baptism. As a result of these often irreconcilable differences, the different reform movements were unable to present a united front. Regardless, they persisted and produced the foundation for the Protestant church as we know it today.
It was no shock that many doctrines and controversies in the modern church were formulated in the Reformation, but there were some surprises for me. For example, I knew that the Anabaptists supported believers’ baptism and not infant baptism. What I didn’t know was their more extreme church-culture-state views that allowed absolutely no involvement of the church with the state and mandated total pacifism. I can see coming to such conclusions after looking at the New Testament by itself; it was written to a church that was a persecuted minority. However, it is only part of the Bible. The Old Testament was written under more theocratic conditions and calls for war under certain circumstances. David, a man after God’s own heart, confronted on the battlefield the Philistine champion Goliath. After killing Goliath with a stone from his sling, he cut off his head with his own sword and carried it around like a trophy to ensure that the Philistines had no reason to doubt that their champion, who had defied the armies of the living God and the living God Himself, was dead. It is a bit difficult to get a divine mandate for pacifism out of that. At any rate, just as Christians in the post-Constantine Roman Empire before them and we after them, the Reformers struggled with issues of church-state relations.
The collision between reform movements put on display some of the moral failings of the reformers, such as persecuting and executing members of rival sects. Just as the Bible shows the good, the bad and the ugly of the Bible heroes, Dr. Nichols does not hold back on the flaws of the reformers. He acknowledges them and refuses to justify them. At the same time, he puts them in their historical, cultural and worldview context. The reformers were products of their time, just as we are products of our time. I have to wonder just how harshly future historians will judge us.
The book did a good job of putting the different reformers and their reform movements in their historical context. Not only did these movements collide with the powers that be, which especially included the Roman Catholic church, they often collided with each other because different reformers had different interpretations of certain doctrines, such as the Lord’s supper, the relationship between church and state, or baptism. As a result of these often irreconcilable differences, the different reform movements were unable to present a united front. Regardless, they persisted and produced the foundation for the Protestant church as we know it today.
It was no shock that many doctrines and controversies in the modern church were formulated in the Reformation, but there were some surprises for me. For example, I knew that the Anabaptists supported believers’ baptism and not infant baptism. What I didn’t know was their more extreme church-culture-state views that allowed absolutely no involvement of the church with the state and mandated total pacifism. I can see coming to such conclusions after looking at the New Testament by itself; it was written to a church that was a persecuted minority. However, it is only part of the Bible. The Old Testament was written under more theocratic conditions and calls for war under certain circumstances. David, a man after God’s own heart, confronted on the battlefield the Philistine champion Goliath. After killing Goliath with a stone from his sling, he cut off his head with his own sword and carried it around like a trophy to ensure that the Philistines had no reason to doubt that their champion, who had defied the armies of the living God and the living God Himself, was dead. It is a bit difficult to get a divine mandate for pacifism out of that. At any rate, just as Christians in the post-Constantine Roman Empire before them and we after them, the Reformers struggled with issues of church-state relations.
The collision between reform movements put on display some of the moral failings of the reformers, such as persecuting and executing members of rival sects. Just as the Bible shows the good, the bad and the ugly of the Bible heroes, Dr. Nichols does not hold back on the flaws of the reformers. He acknowledges them and refuses to justify them. At the same time, he puts them in their historical, cultural and worldview context. The reformers were products of their time, just as we are products of our time. I have to wonder just how harshly future historians will judge us.
April 12, 2019
Nichols starts his book in this manner: "This book is built upon two ideas. First, the Reformation matters. Second, history can be fun." I love that. And Nichols keeps these twin themes alive from start to finish. This is a great introduction for someone who doesn't know about the Reformation or even someone who is familiar Not only does he highlight key events and figures of the Reformation, he tells stories of that era in a way that draws his readers in. Here are several strengths of this little book:
1) Nichols has a good (and balanced) sense of humor.
2) Nichols isn't afraid to tell his readers about the good, the bad, and the ugly of certain events and figures of the Reformation.
3) Nichols devotes a whole chapter on the key women of the Reformation.
4) Nichols tries to help his readers think about what the Reformation means for our present moment.
One preference
I wish it was a little bit longer.
One Suggestion
Also, while the first chapter deals with *why* the Reformation matters today, I wish he would have closed his book with one chapter devoted to *ways* the church may cultivate Reformation presently and for the future.
Overall, good book!
1) Nichols has a good (and balanced) sense of humor.
2) Nichols isn't afraid to tell his readers about the good, the bad, and the ugly of certain events and figures of the Reformation.
3) Nichols devotes a whole chapter on the key women of the Reformation.
4) Nichols tries to help his readers think about what the Reformation means for our present moment.
One preference
I wish it was a little bit longer.
One Suggestion
Also, while the first chapter deals with *why* the Reformation matters today, I wish he would have closed his book with one chapter devoted to *ways* the church may cultivate Reformation presently and for the future.
Overall, good book!
December 28, 2020
If you're a fan of Stephen Nichols' "5 Minutes in Church History" podcast, you'll enjoy this book. In a similar style, Nichols provides an overview of key people and events from Martin Luther and the German Reformation to the Anabaptists to John Calvin and the Swiss Reformation to the Puritans and the British Reformation (with several stops in between). He also includes a chapter on some of the key women involved in the Reformation.
If you're looking for an in depth study, this isn't it. As Sinclair Ferguson put it, "It is a...helicopter tour of the amazing men--and wonderful women--of the Reformation." It's a book I'll keep handy as a quick reference for historical context and a reminder of "who's who" during the Reformation. It was a fun read and it whet my appetite for more study, moving "Saving the Reformation" by W. Robert Godfrey and "Beyond the 95 Theses" by Stephen Nichols up on my list of books to read.
If you're looking for an in depth study, this isn't it. As Sinclair Ferguson put it, "It is a...helicopter tour of the amazing men--and wonderful women--of the Reformation." It's a book I'll keep handy as a quick reference for historical context and a reminder of "who's who" during the Reformation. It was a fun read and it whet my appetite for more study, moving "Saving the Reformation" by W. Robert Godfrey and "Beyond the 95 Theses" by Stephen Nichols up on my list of books to read.
February 8, 2023
An enjoyable overview of key figures in the Reformation, educating modern Protestants about the Reformation's importance and the heritage that they possess. Written in easy, conversational prose, this was historically
After providing a brief introduction to the Reformation's importance, Nichols outlines key figures of the Reformation: Luther, Zwingli, the Anabaptists, Calvin, the Anglicans, the Puritans, and influential women of the Reformation. In the appendix, he presents extracts from documents of the Reformation. A concise, fascinating, and informative survey of the men and women who devoted their lives, and often gave them up, for the sake of the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, against the doctrines of Roman Catholicism.
Delightful.
After providing a brief introduction to the Reformation's importance, Nichols outlines key figures of the Reformation: Luther, Zwingli, the Anabaptists, Calvin, the Anglicans, the Puritans, and influential women of the Reformation. In the appendix, he presents extracts from documents of the Reformation. A concise, fascinating, and informative survey of the men and women who devoted their lives, and often gave them up, for the sake of the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, against the doctrines of Roman Catholicism.
Delightful.
October 16, 2023
Found at a church garage sale and thought it’d be a good read with Reformation Sunday coming up. Quick little book containing mini biographies of the major players of the reformation (including a section on women), with brief explanation of each’s theology. I’ll be honest in that I know very little about the differences between the main Protestant denominations, and this book explained that nicely. I recently finished two books set in puritan New England, neither of which portrayed the puritans in an especially favorable light. There was a whole chapter on puritans which gave more nuance and understanding about their beliefs. The appendix at the end with selections from important works was great.
October 18, 2017
Nichols writes a popular level survey of key reformation figures.
It's strengths are that it is on a level that is easily accessible to the layman. His doctrinal explanations are very brief. His chapter titles are witty and the chapters are brief and keep one's attention.
Weaknesses: For the pastor, it probably doesn't provide any new information, it is not nearly comprehensive enough to provide a real grasp of what happened in the reformation.
I would highly recommend this book for laymen who want the cliff notes version of the reformation, and for pastors who would like guidance on how to present the material to their congregations.
It's strengths are that it is on a level that is easily accessible to the layman. His doctrinal explanations are very brief. His chapter titles are witty and the chapters are brief and keep one's attention.
Weaknesses: For the pastor, it probably doesn't provide any new information, it is not nearly comprehensive enough to provide a real grasp of what happened in the reformation.
I would highly recommend this book for laymen who want the cliff notes version of the reformation, and for pastors who would like guidance on how to present the material to their congregations.
October 25, 2017
Steve Nichols provides a concise, informative, interesting, and delightfully thorough introduction to the Reformation. Covering Luther to the Cromwell and Germany to England, Dr. Nichols gives the facts but also the stories behind them. Historical figures come alive as he helps connect the dots from leader to leader as the Reformation swept over the church. Three big helps: (1) A chapter on the women of the Reformation; (2) his Reformation Scorecard, a helpful summary of players, events, key texts, and lasting legacy. indicating; (3) an appendix full of abbreviated examples of key Reformation works.
March 20, 2018
This was a great overview of the Reformation! It covered the German, Swiss, and British Reformations and the different denominations that came from each one. It was really interesting and much more in depth than any overview I may have gotten back in World Civ in high school. There was also a chapter specifically for important women in the Reformation, which was nice. The appendix included great excerpts from important documents to the Reformation, the various confessions and catechisms, as well as prayers from that time. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a good introduction to the Reformation and the reformers.
April 24, 2018
I loved this book! As a protestant Christian myself, I obviously benefited from the Reformation, but I knew precious little about it (aside from the whole nailing-the-95-theses thing). This book gives a brief history of the Reformation and key reformers in each country where the Reformation took a foothold. I learned so much! The best thing about this book was the writing - it was written in such an interesting way and makes me want to pic up more of Nichols's history books. And bonus points for being short enough for me to finish in a reasonable amount of time while taking care of five kids!
September 11, 2019
This book was assigned as supplemental reading in my Sunday school class. I was vaguely familiar with the basics of the Reformation and had read through Luther's Ninety-five Theses, but for the most part names like Zwingli and Cromwell just kind of floated through my head.
"The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World" does exactly what you would hope it would. That is, it's a simple introduction to the Reformation. It's remarkably accessible and, for most, a quick read. If you have little background on the topic and want to study up, I don't know if a better first step exists than reading this book.
"The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World" does exactly what you would hope it would. That is, it's a simple introduction to the Reformation. It's remarkably accessible and, for most, a quick read. If you have little background on the topic and want to study up, I don't know if a better first step exists than reading this book.
October 12, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed it. Would go back and read some of it again soon. It made me appreciate the Reformation, what it did, how it affected Christianity for good, without closing my eyes on some of the not so ideal realities at that time which plagued even the reformers. After 500 years I think we could still go further in reforms in order to unite believers in the common bond of Christ as sovereign Lord and the supremacy the scriptures.
November 25, 2017
This is a well written, concise, and broad look at major people and events of the Protestant Reformation that was sparked by Martin Luther's 95 Theses, which he nailed to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517. Stephen Nichols writes in a very whimsical manner and covers all the major aspects of the Reformation, including the women of the Reformation. This is a great introductory book on an incredibly important topic in this 500th Anniversary year of the Reformation.
December 20, 2017
A nice little historical overview of the reformation period. Does well with hitting a few characters before the main time period that are really important and also a great chapter on the women of the reformation.
May have liked a little more theology discussion especially with regards to Rome’s responses and then some counter responses. However, a great introduction to the history of an important Christian season. Final Grade - A-
May have liked a little more theology discussion especially with regards to Rome’s responses and then some counter responses. However, a great introduction to the history of an important Christian season. Final Grade - A-
December 5, 2018
Informative yet biased
“How A Monk and a Mallet Changed The World” is informative and filled n some “blank spaces” from my Christian College days. There is an slight attempt at being comprehensive but it is evident that it was written by someone who espouses Calvinism and Reformation Theology.
It would be nice to find a similar work from a collaborative position by two or three different writers.
“How A Monk and a Mallet Changed The World” is informative and filled n some “blank spaces” from my Christian College days. There is an slight attempt at being comprehensive but it is evident that it was written by someone who espouses Calvinism and Reformation Theology.
It would be nice to find a similar work from a collaborative position by two or three different writers.
March 25, 2020
A good introductory book about the reformation and the key figures. However, because it's very brief, it only left me wanting to read more. I also feel like he left out a lot of information and sometimes it was difficult to follow the flow. However, all in all it was an enjoyable book and something I would recommend for someone who had never read about the reformation before.
December 21, 2016
A thorough and helpful entry into Protestant church history. Each chapter highlights several individuals who should be considered heroes of the faith. Perhaps the final chapter, covering women and the reformation, was the most challenging and inspiring.
June 18, 2017
A decent introduction to the Reformation. Helpful if you want a series of "snapshots" of the key people and events, but it definitely left me wanting more in terms of historical details and a discussion of the theological issues at stake.
October 28, 2017
Wonderful entry-level introduction to the men who helped shape the reformation in Europe. He also includes the radicals and notable women as well. I’m not sure I would have been so kind towards the Anabaptists, but it’s a quibble about emphasis, nothing more. 5 stars!
January 2, 2019
I LOVED this book! It was not so much about reformed theology as it was about the reformers themselves... men, women, puritans, presbyterians, Lutherans, Annabaptists, kings, queens. It's concise and easy to read.
August 19, 2017
Not well written
Stories were interesting but the writing was substandard. If I knew someone interested in this topic, I would recommend finding a different book.
Stories were interesting but the writing was substandard. If I knew someone interested in this topic, I would recommend finding a different book.
October 8, 2017
Solid quick history review of the Protestant reformation across countries.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews