Here I Stand, The Life of Martin Luther (Review)
by Wyatt Houtz   June 29, 2009 3:14pm v.7 Rating: Status: Hidden

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Here I Stand : A Life of Martin Luther by Roland Bainton is a best selling biography of Martin Luther (amazon). I found a 1955 paperback edition at Half Price Books for a few dollars. My copy has about 300pages and says "Over A Million Sold" on the cover. The first chapter is captivating, and every other page has a wood cut print from the Reformation Era that corresponds to the biography. So its no wonder that this book became a best seller, based on woodcut prints alone. Unfortunately, I became increasingly more frustrated with Roland Bainton's criticism of Martin Luther. It's a short book, and I still recommend it with a grain of salt, because by the last page I felt that Bainton's biography of Luther was clouded by Bainton's modern and liberal presuppositions or that I just didn't trust Bainton's assessment of Luther based on what I've read about Martin Luther elsewhere. I have loved reading biographies about eminent theologians ever since I read "Jonathan Edwards: A Life" by George Marsden, which is still my all-time favorite biography. Marsden narrated with excitement when Edwards was excited, and Marsden presented Edwards ideas (even if he didn't agree with them) as if Marsden agreed and rushed to tell the reader those ideas so that I could be excited too as I learned about them. For example, when Bainton tells us about Luther's belief in God Almighty who is the Creator, he would also suggest that Luther believed in sprites and fairies in the forest because other German peasants had those superstitions. Bainton would quote Luther's love for his wife Kate, and then describe Luther as a misogynist who oppressed his wife because he wanted her to stay at home and be a housewife. These negative stabs at Luther throughout the whole book compounded so much that I was relieved to be done with the book when I turned the last page. I also felt the quality of writing went down hill with each page. Also, Bainton critiqued Martin Luther's theology, suggesting that it was very good but not on par with modern theologians. The entire church has not abandoned the Reformation to follow the German Higher Criticism, especially if you consider how this book was written shortly after World War II. The biography has amazing prints, and does cover the whole span of Luther's life, so it is valuable to read. I'm confused why Bainton would spend the time to write a biography about Luther if he really didn't agree with him. I suppose people write biographies about tyrants like Hitler all the time. This book reads similar to a biographical article on Wikipedia. You may learn from it, but you have to double check everything he says. (I've attached two wood cut prints by Lucas Cranach the Elder that were employed by the book. The first shows Christ sitting as he washes Peter's feet while everyone is standing, and the second shows the Pope standing, why everyone bows down to him.)   Last Update: June 29, 2009 6:46pm Tags: Here I Stand, The Life of Martin Luther, Roland Bainton, Martin Luther, Reformation, Lucas Cranach the Elder, George Marsden, Jonathan Edwards

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