Is Wikipedia a 'reliable source' for Martin Luther?

[ChubbyCherub]

Hello all,

I am not Lutheran but I was reading about him with the family. You see, there is a town in England who has different martyrs listed as street names successively, and Martin Luther was one of them. I knew who he was, what he was famous for, but my family didn't know a lot about him so we read about him on Wikipedia.

If you get the time or inclination or, perhaps you already know the answer, could you read and let me know if you think Wikipedia is a fair representation of Martin Luther's life and work?

Martin Luther - Wikipedia

If not, is there somewhere else we can learn about him?

Thank you and God bless.

 

[A_JAY]

That article in Wikipedia seems to be accurate. If you are into reading 420 pages Roland Bainton's book (Here I Stand The Life of Martin Luther) is worthwhile.

Other reliable information can be obtained by an internet search. I recommend Lutheran or Reformed sites.

 

[Richard T]

Hello all,

I am not Lutheran but I was reading about him with the family. You see, there is a town in England who has different martyrs listed as street names successively, and Martin Luther was one of them. I knew who he was, what he was famous for, but my family didn't know a lot about him so we read about him on Wikipedia.

If you get the time or inclination or, perhaps you already know the answer, could you read and let me know if you think Wikipedia is a fair representation of Martin Luther's life and work?

Martin Luther - Wikipedia

If not, is there somewhere else we can learn about him?

Thank you and God bless.

I have a course paper, I can share if there is a way I can get it to you.

 

[ChubbyCherub]

I have a course paper, I can share if there is a way I can get it to you.

Hi Richard,

That would be appreciated. Do you want me to message you with an email address?

 

[Richard T]

Hi Richard,

That would be appreciated. Do you want me to message you with an email address?

Yes, please message me individually so your email will not be public.

 

[Daniel9v9]

Thank you for the interest!

I'm not an expert on the man and life of Luther, and I've admittedly only skimmed through the article, but it seems good to me. Maybe some question marks around the doctrine of soul sleep and his later writings.

I can also recommend the overview as found in the Christian Cyclopaedia published by the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS):

Christian Cyclopedia

(Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - Christian Cyclopedia)

cyclopedia.lcms.org

Hope that helps!

God bless!

 

[ChubbyCherub]

I am very much interested in Lutheranism but I'm still trying to wrap my head around transubstantiation as a belief within the Lutheran church.

Thanks for all of your help!

 

[ChubbyCherub]

I have a course paper, I can share if there is a way I can get it to you.

Thank you so much for your paper! I did read it and it was fascinating. The quoted source material was also very useful. Thank you for taking the time to share that with me, very appreciated!

 

[Daniel9v9]

I am very much interested in Lutheranism but I'm still trying to wrap my head around transubstantiation as a belief within the Lutheran church.

Thanks for all of your help!

Thank you for the interest! We're all glad to help!

I'm guessing you have in mind the Lutheran understanding of the Eucharist as opposed to Transubstantiation in particular, which is a Roman Catholic doctrine regarding the Eucharist. I'd be glad to elaborate, but the short of it is that the Lutheran Church rejects Transubstantiation and also Consubstantiation, which is commonly wrongly attributed as a Lutheran doctrine. The reasons why they are rejected by the Lutheran Church is because they are both, albeit different, theories as to how the Eucharist works scientifically — both go beyond God's Word, and we strive to constrain ourselves to the Bible, trusting in the good promises and love of Jesus, even when they exceed all human reason.

I can appreciate that it's a complex and confusing topic, but I'd be glad to help however I can!

God bless!

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

I am very much interested in Lutheranism but I'm still trying to wrap my head around transubstantiation as a belief within the Lutheran church.

Thanks for all of your help!

Well, we don't teach that as such, Luther described it as Christ's body and blood being in, with and under the bread and wine. A "Sacramental Union". Unlike the Catholic Church, we do not use Aristotelian logic and reason to define either what happens, how it happens, or to quantify what happens; we just know it happens.

Lutherans define it as a Divine mystery and view it in a way that is similar to the Orthodox.

Real presence is what it is, regardless of how a particular church defines it. It is not the definition that determines the efficacy, rather it simply is the word of God, His grace, and the elements of bread and wine.

Luther wrote that the very body and blood of Christ are "in, with, and under the bread and wine", which may be an overstretch as well. It is what it is. We either accept that by faith trusting in God's word, or we don't.