Book Description

Despite the vast number of studies concerning the life and teaching of Martin Luther, scholars have not previously considered the ways in which his contemporaries and successors used his influence in the German Reformation. Professor Robert Kolb treats that subject in this well-researched volume on the continuing role of Luthers legacy. The following generations of Reformers, he argues, used Luther in different ways as they sought to deal with the changed circumstances of the church in their own age.

Kolb suggests three categories to describe the ways in which Luthers disciples used his influence and adapted it to the needs of the church in their respective ages: prophet, teacher, and hero.

ProphetDuring his own lifetime and immediately thereafter, Luther was often identified with the biblical prophets as having a unique authority from God to challenge the place of the papacy.

TeacherAs internal conflicts and doctrines increasingly came to the fore, Luther was seen as the authoritative interpreter of Scripture whose writings could be cited as the definitive proofs on any disputed points.

HeroBy the end of the sixteenth century, much less emphasis was placed on Luther as a distinctive and authoritative prophet/teacher, and he was more often revered as the hero of the national church whose courage was celebrated in art and on stage.

The second section of the work focuses more particularly on the use and collection of Luthers writings. Kolb recounts the stages of publication as Luthers many treatises, pamphlets, and sermons were gathered for varying purposes. Collected editions were issued, and then topical and systematized selections were gathered for teaching and edification on specific topics. These stages of publication reinforce the authors thesis concerning the changing use of Luthers legacy. Over the course of the century, his writings were no longer cited as uniquely authoritative, rather they were used for edificationthe prophet/teacher had become the national hero.

Students of Luther in particular and of the Reformation era in general will find this latest volume in Bakers Texts and Studies in Reformation and Post-Reformation Studies (ed. Richard A. Muller) to be of great value. The authors unique approach to Luthers lasting legacy in the German church provides an entirely new perspective that moves scholarly discussion ahead significantly. ... Read more

Book Description

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is one of the most celebrated figures of the twentieth century. A crusader for nonviolent social justice, he led African Americans in their demands for equality through peaceful protests during one of the most tumultuous times in recent history.

Set against key moments in the civil rights movement, here is the story of the powerful, eloquent spiritual leader and his belief that nonviolence could be used to overcome racial discrimination.

Walter Dean Myers's moving narrative and Leonard Jenkins's compelling paintings portray a vivid and striking image of the man who moved American society closer to the ideals of freedom and fairness. Dr. King's dream that all Americans would be judged by their individual actions and character is one we still cherish today.

Book Description

This Level 4 book is appropriate for proficient readers.

Free at Last! is a biography of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., who encouraged non-violent protest to fulfill his dream of an America where people would be judged by "the content of their character, not by the color of their skin." These 48-page books about fascinating subjects like pirates, mummies, and volcanoes are for proficient readers who can understand a rich vocabulary and challenging sentence structure. In addition to the stunning photographs, informative sidebars, and glossary, readers will find archival photographs and paintings. Averaging 4,500 to 5,000 words in length, Level 4 books are 40 percent pictures and 40 percent text.The Dorling Kindersley Readers combine an enticing visual layout with high-interest, easy-to-read stories to captivate and delight young bookworms who are just getting started. Written by leading children's authors and compiled in consultation with literacy experts, these engaging books build reader confidence along with a lifelong appreciation for nonfiction, classic stories, and biographies. There is a DK Reader to interest every child at every level, from preschool to grade 4. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Outstanding and A Real Eye Opener!
This book is by far the best biographical book I have ever read about the Life and times of the great Reformer. Each chapter is written well and there just simply is no dull moment. The author has an excellent way of putting his ideas in print, very easy to understand for anyone. I like how he wrote in a very evangelical style. This is a classic book. A must have. A must read. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Personal Look
I so thoroughly enjoyed Deric Gilliard's stories of the unsung heroes/sheroes during the trying times of the Martin Luther King days.I can't believe how ignorant I was of the struggles faced by the people in these stories.Even though I was sympathetic to the cause being brought forward and the person of Dr. King, until I read these personal stories, I was unable to connect in that way.Kudos to the authors!

History Will Thank Deric Gilliard
Deric Gilliard has done a commendable job in searching out and interviewing some of the heroes who made the civil rights movement such an important episode in American history.As time goes on, their numbers are declining, and he caught several before their inevitable deaths.They give an eyewitness account to history that will help to bring it alive for future generations.I hope Gilliard will continue his quest to record and publish these stories before they are lost forever,Bravo for what he has done!

Historical Moments Recalled
LIVING IN THE SHADOWS OF A LEGEND by Deric Gilliard does an excellent job of chronicling the lives and times of twenty dynamic individuals whose self-less contributions added to the Civil Rights movement.As an employee of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the organization co-founded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Gilliard had additional access and exposure to these stories that might have gone untold.

Most of these individuals were just everyday people who were catapulted into action as a result of the times in which they lived.For example, in December of 1955 in the height of the Montgomery bus boycott, John Thomas utilized his personal vehicles to provide car service to many of the Montgomery citizens who participated in the boycott.Thomas would ferry the riders back and forth to work each day subjecting himself to possible police torment.There are other stories in this book, such as that of Anne Braden, a Caucasian activist writer, who worked side by side with Dr. King to fight Communist and other segregating activities.

This book is a definite read for individuals seeking to gain more knowledge of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement.Gilliard has wonderfully captured the facts surrounding the events and has related these in an interesting and enlightening manner.

Reviewed by Nedine
of the RAWSISTAZ Reviewers ... Read more

Book Description

A brief biography of the wife of the reverend Martin Luther King Jr. who shared his dedication to working peaceably to achieve equality. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The life and times of Coretta Scott King
This biography of Corretta Scott King actually does spend considerably more time talking about the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. than her more famous husband. Cythnia Klingel tells the story of how how Corretta grew up in Alabama, where her father's mill and the family home were both burned to the ground by racists. Scott was attending the New England Conservatory of Music when she met King, who was studying at Boston University. Klingel then covers the involvement of both Kings in the Montgomery Bus Boycott inspired by the civil disobedience of Rosa Parks in 1956 (I should note that while Klingel gives credit to King for coming up with the idea of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, other books credit E. D. Nixon with organizing the original boycott, with King then taking over the more prolonged study), but reduces the rest of the civil rights movement to two brief pages before turning to King's assassination in 1968. However, this is appropriate because it was after her husband's death that Coretta Scott King became more social active. The book details her various accomplishments, including pushing for a national holiday honoring her slain husband. This biography is part of the Journey to Freedom series, whose avowed goal is to educate and inform children about the achievements and contributions of America's most noted African Americans. Students interested n studying her life for Black History Month will find lots of useful information in this book. In comparison to the individuals described in other Journey to Freedom volumes Coretta Scott King's accomplishments might not be as significant, but there is certainly something to be said for the way she has turned personal tragedy into triumph in a public role she never really wanted. ... Read more

Book Description

A collaborative effort of Christian scholar Lewis Baldwin and Muslim scholar Amiri Al-Hadid, Between Cross and Crescent details the interconnections between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.: their faith claims, their perspectives on culture, and their visions of the ideal society and world. The authors reject two common tendencies: to reduce Malcolm and Martin to "misguided, angry Muslim imam" and "gentle, harmless Christian preacher" and to treat the two men as polar opposites. The result is the most comprehensive and detailed work in print about the two leaders and the first to bring together a Muslim and a Christian scholar in dialogue about their relationship to such significant issues. Particularly original are the insights into how Martin and Malcolm viewed each other, family and children, and women (an entire chapter is devoted to the "character of womanhood"). "Al-Qur'an and Sunnah" offers a new and creative interpretation of Malik El-Shabazz as a Sunni Muslim and statesman. Of special importance is the skillful delineation of the historical and cultural forces underpinning the two leaders' religious and cultural perspectives--not the least being their common roots in traditions based in the American South. The authors also turn a careful scholar's eye to their perspectives on religion, interfaith dialogue, and the relationship between the African-American struggle and global liberation movements. There is no more detailed resource about the relationship between Martin King and Malcolm X. The depth of scholarship in this volume extends even to the extraordinary amount of information relegated to footnotes, themselves a gold mine of documentation for all readers interested in the interface between faith claims, politics, and social and cultural transformation. A collaborative effort of Christian scholar Lewis Baldwin and Muslim scholar Amiri Al-Hadid, Between Cross and Crescent details the interconnections between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.: their faith claims, their perspectives on culture, and their visions of the ideal society and world. The authors reject two common tendencies: to reduce Malcolm and Martin to "misguided, angry Muslim imam" and "gentle, harmless Christian preacher" and to treat the two men as polar opposites. The result is the most comprehensive and detailed work in print about the two leaders and the first to bring together a Muslim and a Christian scholar in dialogue about their relationship to such significant issues. Particularly original are the insights into how Martin and Malcolm viewed each other, family and children, and women (an entire chapter is devoted to the "character of womanhood"). "Al-Qur'an and Sunnah" offers a new and creative interpretation of Malik El-Shabazz as a Sunni Muslim and statesman. Of special importance is the skillful delineation of the historical and cultural forces underpinning the two leaders' religious and cultural perspectives--not the least being their common roots in traditions based in the American South. The authors also turn a careful scholar's eye to their perspectives on religion, interfaith dialogue, and the relationship between the African-American struggle and global liberation movements. There is no more detailed resource about the relationship between Martin King and Malcolm X. The depth of scholarship in this volume extends even to the extraordinary amount of information relegated to footnotes, themselves a gold mine of documentation for all readers interested in the interface between faith claims, politics, and social and cultural transformation. ... Read more

Book Description

A foreword by Frank R. Zindler describes the relations of the never-excommunicated Catholic Adolf Hitler with two popes and his comment that "Luther, if he could be with us, would give us his blessing." A reprint of a book written during the last months of the war in Europe, the book discusses Luther the man, his unstable character, his often treacherous actions, his views and teachings on marriage, truth, the state, war, the Jews, the peasants, and Germany. The growth of the unrealistic, positive legend of Luther is examined, with a concluding essay "From Luther to Hitler." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Historiographical Accuracy
Any person who has read Wiener's book and taken it at face value needs to read the book written in response to it in its historical context. Gordon Rupp's book, "Martin Luther, Hitler's Cause of Cure: In Reply to Peter F. Wiener," 1945, dismantles Wiener's thesis by: showing his use of quotes out of textual and historical context; his use of English translations of Luther taken third-hand from German-to French-then to English; dependence on secondary sources, and his failure to follow the development of Luther's thought. Luther has been blamed for many of the world's ills, isn't it time the blame be placed on the right sources and writers work for resolution of the problems instead of using Luther as a "whipping boy."

Unlike Wiener and Hitler, Luther did some good in his life
!!!!
Mr. Wiener is playing on people's ignorance of Martin Luther to sell books.

Just looking at the photo on the page is enough to convince any thinking individual that the author has an obvious ax to grind and is willing to try and color the publics rational thought process by any means, especially guilt by association, to effect a negative opinion of Martin Luther, the great Protestant reformer whom we owe so much to this day.

Martin Luther was one of the most courageous spirits in human history who at the same time never lost his humanity. When all the world was sucked up into Catholicism's inconsistencies and power, Martin Luther stood alone and said God was not owned by the Catholic Church, thus allowing a freedom that had been denied to Christians for hundreds of years before and enjoyed hundreds of years afterwards, to this day. Perhaps the freedom we now enjoy is enjoyed too recklessly and in vain as evidenced by such books as Wiener's.

It is absolutely asinine to try to link Martin Luther to the holocaust and Hitler.

Martin Luther in truth was the spiritual ancestor of nearly e-v-e-r-y-one today. Hitler distorted so many truths and perverted every good thing he could, falsified so much and smeared so many, I don't see how you can blame the victims of such mischaracterizations or use them as a scapegoat.

Even the Bible has been used for evil. I don't see how any one can blame Martin Luther if Hitler found something in Martin Luther's writings to pervert. But that is the book game these days---try and smear someone's good name in order to sell books.

After a while those who are truly interested in the truth will understand what a grave injustice Weiner has tried to do to a person who has done so much for humanity, even still today, while others like Wiener are only interested in destroying for destructions sake which leads you to ask the question, "Is Hitler Wiener's ancestor?"

Controversy comes in small packages
"Hitler's spiritual ancestor" is a short book that tackles some very large questions. The author Peter Wiener wrote the book towards the end of World War II and was a Christian of German origin. The huge questions that he tackles include: "How could the German people allow Hitler to lead them into a war that was so brutal, destructive and remorseless?", "Who was Martin Luther...really?" and "What part did Martin Luther's teachings play in the horrific genocide of the second world war?". Although the author doesn't answer all these questions completely (then again who could?), he brings up some excellent points and allows the reader to "see for themselves".

This work does not portray Luther as the "Great Reformer" that many theologians remember him as. The author does an excellent job of portraying Luther with 'warts and all' and he does this by using Luther's own writings against him. He argues that Luther set the scene for the bloodiest genocide in human history. His teachings, and his philosophy were instrumental in paving the way for a German nation filled with people that had a warped idea of Christianity and humanity. In fact the author portrays it as a "pseudo-political German religion" that puts the nation first and Jesus second. After hundreds of years of being indoctrinated by Luther and his unbelievable theology, it is no wonder that the people of Germany were so easily able to accept Hitler and his maniacal, nationalistic ideas of ethnic cleansing. ... Read more

Book Description

Designed especially for beginning readers, First-Start Biographies trace the childhood years of famous men and women who overcame obstacles and achieved greatness. Illustrated in full color. ... Read more

Book Description

Encompasses the most moving moments in American social history with the extraordinary civil rights leader.In addition to The American Dream speech which is where Dr. King expounds on applicable sections of the Declaration of Independence, in particular that section that refers to All Men Are Created Equal, this compilation includes excerpts from a speech delivered in June of 1966 at the Zion Church.Included in these segments is the infamous We Shall Overcome speech. ... Read more