Luther's Revolution: The Political Dimensions of Martin Luther's Universal Priesthood [Paperback]

A revision of the traditional image of Luther as a reactionary political figure, revealing the radical social implications of his theological revolution.

Till now history has neglected the utterly radical nature of Luther's thought. In bringing together the political, theological, conceptual and cultural dimensions of Luther's work, Montover brings his readers to an awareness of their truly radical nature.
Luther's understanding of the universal priesthood of believers was not simply another evangelical concept that dealt only with the office of ministry. In serving as a means for reordering the concepts of temporal authority and the temporal order it challenged the cosmological foundations of the political structure of his day.
A compelling work that can only serve to revive the study of this monumental figure of theology.GBNathan Montover deftly probes the silences in and conventions of Luther research to unveil an alternative figure ... Luther emerges from this excellent study as a thoroughly political, prophetic, and revolutionary Christian engaged in the struggle for liberation, drawing radical political consequences from foundational theological claims.... the author fairly commends Martin Luther as a political visionary whose contextual theology raises a challenge to contemporary Christians as they live out their own faith in the modern world.Luther's Revolution is a book which examines a significant theological doctrine within Protestant theology, that of the universal priesthood, and suggests that its intended implications go beyond what might be termed 'merely' the theological. The ideas presented within are offered in a clear prose and the scope of the book is quite expansive despite its short length. A recommended read for any interested in the theology of Luther more generally, as well as for those particulary interested in an exploration into the implications his theology had for the temporal/political realms.[Luther's Revolution] wl³#