Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther

The Reformation of the sixteenth century was a vast and complicated movement. It involved kings and peasants, cardinals and country priests, monks and merchants. It spread from one end of Europe to the other, and manifested itself in widely differing forms. Yet in spite of its diverse and complex character, to start to understand the Reformation you need know only one name: Martin Luther.

Roland Bainton’s Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther remains the definitive introduction to the great Reformer and is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand this towering historical figure. Capturing the religious and social upheaval of 16th-century Europe, Bainton paints a vivid portrait of the German monk who defied the Catholic hierarchy by insisting that salvation is a free gift of God’s grace.