The English Reformation: A Very Brief History

by Alec Ryrie

'Masterly' - Eric Metaxas'Mould-breaking' - John Guy'A little gem of a book' - Suzannah LipscombFrom the ‘There is no such thing as “the English Reformation”. A "Reformation" is a composite event which is only made visible by being framed the right way. It is like a “war”: a label we put onto a particular set of events, while we decide that other – equally violent – acts are not part of that or of any "war". Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century English people knew that they were living through an age of religious upheaval, but they did not know that it was "the English Reformation", any more than the soldiers at the battle of Agincourt knew that they were fighting in “the Hundred Years’ War”. . . . ‘Plainly these religious upheavals permanently changed England and, by extension, the many other countries on which English culture has made its mark. There is not, however, a single master narrative of all this turmoil. How could there be? . . . The way you choose to tell the story is governed by what you think is important and what is trivial, by whether there are heroes or villains you want to celebrate or condemn, and by the legacies and lessons which you think matter. Once you have chosen your frame, it will give you the story you want. ‘So this book does not tell "the story" of “the English Reformation”. It tells the stories of six English Reformations, or rather six stories of religious change in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England. The stories are parallel and overlapping, but each has a somewhat different chronological frame, cast of characters and set of pivotal events, and has left a different legacy.’

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Church History, Religion, Politics

110 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 20, 2020

About the author

Alec Ryrie is a prize-winning historian of the Reformation and Protestantism. He is the author of Unbelievers: An Emotional History of Doubt and Protestants: The Faith That Made the Modern World. Ryrie is Professor of the History of Christianity at Durham University and Professor of Divinity at Gresham College, London.

Reviews

[Sandrine Pal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually very helpful in getting a broad overview of that tumultuous period. It's hard to say if I found it easier to read on its own merit or because I've been wading through untold amounts of material on the topic of Puritanism. I will say that, if I had a do-over on the whole process, I would want to start with this book. Plus, "decaffeinated Catholicism" is hands-down the best nickname ever for the via media.

[Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear, succinct, introductory explanation of all the movements within the movement we call *The English Reformation."

[Sam Strickland]

This could have been a more informative book if it had attempted to be less interesting. It could have been a more interesting book had it attempted to be more thorough in its approach. In short, Ryrie makes the grand claim that there was no English Reformation, fails to robustly support that claim, and proceeds to write a history on the basis of that claim. His approach forces him to restart his narrative every chapter and reiterate the same characters over and over in different guises with different accompanying judgments. The size of the book does make it less forgiving. It’s clearly written for students to set them up for a sophomoric writing prompt (though every graduated college student was once a sophomore just as every lawyer, I suppose, was once a child). There’s food for thought here regardless.

[Inwoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work is impressive in the sense that the author and editors packed and edited this history into a small hardback volume of 97 pages. All the chapters end at the bottom of the page, except the last one, indicating sentences had to be cut down and hard choices to be made. Theologically, I quibble with the way some things were worded and disagree here and there, as all readers do when reading. Having said this, if you want a brief history or a review, this is a good volume to consult. The last volume is very interesting, in which his historical descriptions matched some of my theological connections from a year ago, which is always great when connecting.

[Robin Barnwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, short, introduction to the Reformation from circa Henry VIII to Charles II. Views the two centuries of change from multiple points of view/perspectives to show how it affected various people.

Principally I come away shocked at the senseless murder and maiming for things which are just so utterly meaningless. Such as belief (or otherwise) in whether you are predestined to go to heaven or not. Or if you want to worship a statue of Jesus or not.

Really puts you off religion.

[Michael Abraham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief but engaging overview of a tricky topic.

[David J. Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the density of the volume but the it’s brevity can be the book’s curse when the prose tries to say so much with so little that a reader is lost.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal work of popular history: I would recommend this to anyone as a first introduction to the English Reformation. Ryrie is the best kind of historian of ideas: uniquely gifted at explaining to a modern audience why people of the period believed and acted as they did without imparting modern biases or judgements onto their actions. The framing device this book uses (describing the events of the English reformation from six very different perspectives) plays to this strength and covers a remarkable amount in a book of barely 100 pages.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good introduction to what we call the "English Reformation," but what Ryrie adeptly identifies as multiple movements. He examines five of these perspectives: Deformation (the Catholic view), Tudor Reformation (the legal standpoint), Protestant Reformation (the Puritan understanding), Anglican Reformation (the sentiment of today's Anglican Church), and the Radical Reformation (the perception of Separatists, Baptists, Quakers, etc.). Unfortunately, I found the last outlook weak. I still give it five-stars with the understanding that is a basic premier on that subject.

[Igor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good brief overview of the English reformaritons (I use plural on purpose). Shows emergence of other denominations out of Church of (in) England like Baptists, Quakers and others.