Originally published on October 22, 2015 (Episode 35)
Introduction
In just two years it would be the five hundredth anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, traditionally marked by the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg. But what was the Reformation, really? Did it begin in 1517? How long did it last? Was there one Reformation or many? And what were its true consequences?
Ron Rittgers joins Al to explore these questions. As the (then) Erich Markel Chair of German Reformation Studies at Valparaiso University, and author of several books on the subject, he unpacks how the Reformation shaped both theology and everyday life—and why its legacy still matters today.
About the Guest
Ronald K. Rittgers at the time of this conversation was the Erich Markel Chair of German Reformation Studies and Professor of History and Theology at Valparaiso University. He is now Duke Divinity Professor of Reformation Studies and Professor of the History of Christianity at Duke Divinity School. His books include The Reformation of the Keys: Confession, Conscience, and Authority in Sixteenth-Century Germany (Harvard University Press, 2004) and the The Reformation of Suffering: Pastoral Theology and Lay Piety in Late Medieval and Early Modern Germany (Oxford University Press, 2012).
For Further Investigation
Euan Cameron, The European Reformation, 2nd ed. (OUP, 2012)
Hans Hillerbrand, The Division of Christendom: Christianity in the Sixteenth Century (Westminster John Knox, 2007)
Carter Lindberg, The European Reformations, 2nd ed. (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009)
Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Reformation: A History (Penguin, 2005)
Steven Ozment, The Age of Reform, 1250-1550 (Yale, 2020)
James D. Tracy, Europe’s Reformations, 1450–1650: Doctrine, Politics, and Community (Bloomsbury, 2006)
💬 Listen & Discuss
Was there a single Protestant Reformation—or many? How do our interpretations of the 16th century shape how we think about religious change today? Share with a friend who might be interested, but doesn’t know it yet.
