The Protestant Reformation: The Best One-Hour History Paperback – September 19, 2013

This is just a great idea and another excellent book! I read The Vietnam War volume in this series and was amazed at the clarity of how the author explained it all. The Protestant Reformation is my second foray into this "one hour" idea.The author covers a wide range of material and with an elegant touch. He explains the context of the Reformation, which is the Renaissance, and what exactly Luther was angry about: indulgences. But it turns out indulgences were only the beginning of the Protest, the thing that motivated Luther's famous "Ninety-Five Theses." By the time Luther calls the Pope "the Antichrist" and communion "magic" (an inflammatory reference to medieval paganism), we can see that "the breach is irreparable" as Erasmus declared. And indeed, it was.I enjoyed the dramatic way the author portrayed the escalating rift between Luther and the Church, quoting Luther at different points to show how severe things were becoming. He is able to convey fine points of theology without everything getting bogged down. By the time Luther rolls out his new church and Calvin comes along, too, it has a feeling of inevitability.One of the best parts is toward the end of the book where he relates how Luther's Protest set off so many of the institutions of the modern world: individualism; nationalism; capitalism; democracy; even science. I have never made such connections before but can clearly see them now. This is literally thrilling--intellectual forensics at its finest. And to do it in an hour's read is almost unbelievable.Highest possible recommendation, and on to The Renaissance

This is a well written and concise summary of what may be the most profound development in Western civilization since the Roman Empire.

This book summarized the Protestant Reformation clearly and succinctly. The author explains the main points and describes the main historical players of the Reformation in layman's terms which made the reading easy to understand and quite memorable. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a good general understanding of the Protestant Reformation.

It is not as detailed as the history of Romanian but give a good view of history in a short book to explain the current world.

A great simple read! Not huge depth but a like the title says in one hour you got the point.

good thumb nail of Luther's life. He was an unwitting great man that deserves study.

Just like the title says, it was informative without being overwhelming. It was helpful in understanding the times.

short clear introduction, with easy to read font