Gospel Prism

For those of you who want a nice brief overview of Reformation history, this is a great little reader to pick up. Stephen Nichols is an engaging author who does a good job of summarizing broad swaths of history, providing snippets of information, and still capturing the lives and stories of the day. I had recently read a bio on Martin Luther, so in reading the chapter on Luther in The Reformation, I thought, “Boy, he left out so much information.” But that’s the whole point. This is not a comprehensive history. This book is meant for both lovers of history and non-lovers of history. It’s meant to whet your appetite for reading much further.

You know an author has succeeded when he has created a desire to want to read more on a subject he has written about. And so, it is the case with this book. After reading about Lady Jane Gray and Mary Queen of Scots, I have been looking around for a good history that deals with these two women.

The book covers the following historical figures: Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, the Anabaptists, John Calvin, the Anglicans, the Puritans, and Reformation women, and then provides an appendix on some important Reformation documents. Within each chapter are some historic paintings and photos and a short anecdote regarding that historical figure.

Again, this is not a scholarly treatise on these figures. But its purpose is no less important, as it attempts to raise an interest in Reformation history by even the most uninterested. I believe Stephen Nichols has accomplished his objective.