As we focus on the 500^th Anniversary of the Reformation and Martin Luther’s enormous impact, we should not overlook the importance of his Small Catechism. Luther is reported to have once commented that if he were to be remembered after his death for anything he had written it would be for his Small Catechism and The Bondage of the Will. That coming from one of the most prolific writers in the history of the Protestant Reformation testifies to the importance Luther placed on his Small Catechism.

What makes the Small Catechism such a cornerstone of Lutheran writing is its simplicity and clarity. Originally meant as a text to guide parents in teaching their children the principles of Christianity within a Lutheran framework, this short work has been used as a confirmation text by Lutheran pastors ever thereafter.

What makes the AFLC’s Luther’s Small Catechism and Explanation so uniquely different from most Lutheran catechisms today is the inclusion of the “Explanation,” that portion that amplifies the original Small Catechism through an additional series of 388 questions and answers.

This “Explanation,” often referred to as “Pontoppidan’s Explanation,” has a long history. In 1737, Erik Pontoppidan, chaplain to the King of Denmark, wrote an explanation attached to “Luther’s Small Catechism” called “Truth Unto Godliness.” His explanation contained 759 questions and answers as an aid for instructing Denmark’s young people in Luther’s catechism.

Because Norway was under Danish rule at the time, Pontoppidan’s work also became the text for teaching Norway’s children. In 1864, the State Church of Norway instructed Harald Ulrich Sverdrup (father of Georg Sverdrup, one of the founders of the Lutheran Free Church in America) to update and condense Pontoppidan’s work. In 1893, Norway’s Department of Church and Education had Sverdrup’s version of Pontoppidan’s Explanation abridged to 388 questions and answers, the length of our catechism today.

“H. U. Sverdrup’s Explanation,” as it was commonly known, became the standard throughout Norway. When Norwegian emigrants crossed the Atlantic, Sverdrup’s “Explanation” accompanied them, becoming an intersynodical catechism used in many Lutheran denominations in this country as well. This was the catechism adopted by the Lutheran Free Church in 1897 and translated into English in 1900.

Though the use of this intersynodical catechism which included the Explanation was discontinued by several mainline Lutheran Church bodies during the twentieth century, the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (AFLC) has retained this Sverdrup Catechism since its organization in 1962.

In 2007, Luther’s Small Catechism and Explanation was updated without substantial changes to the text, except to replace some of the more archaic words with those more commonly used. For example, “quick” has been changed to “living,” “aught” to “anything,” and “raiment” to “clothing.” More Bible verses have been added in support of the Explanation portion. This edition also includes Luther’s Seal in full color with explanation at the beginning, followed by four attractive, full-colored posters illustrating the Ten Commandments, the Apostles Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Sacraments. Another fine feature is the separation into two distinct parts—Luther’s original Small Catechism is published in the beginning, followed by the Explanation. But what is truly unique about the Explanation portion in this updated edition is that wherever Luther’s original text is included it is shaded in blue to help the reader differentiate between Luther’s original and Pontoppidan’s Explanation.

Furthermore, this attractive hardcover, pocket-sized catechism has Luther’s crest embossed on the cover, making it a handsome addition to any Lutheran’s library. In fact, it would make an excellent text for adults to study in order to re-examine their roots. For as professor of church history at Luther Seminary Walter Sundberg writes in his review in the May 2008 Metro Lutheran: “Perusing the pages of this fine volume, however, I become mindful of the rigor and discipline of old Lutheranism. This small volume would make an excellent gift for the new confirmand. It would also be a valuable and uplifting book for an adult study group.”

Loiell Dyrud
Our Saviour's Lutheran Church
Thief River Falls, MN

Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World (Viking, 2017) by Eric Metaxas sets out to make a bold statement about the life of Martin Luther. As the title indicates, Metaxas sees the impact of Luther’s life and theology extending beyond his religious influence and into the larger world—an influence he repeatedly underscores. Eric Metaxas writes as an American evangelical, and his book is notable for the way he makes Luther’s life meaningful and accessible to those readers. At almost 450 pages, it is a fairly detailed biography of the great Reformer, spending its larger share on his early and middle life, and moving more quickly over the later years. I found the book to be both interesting reading and an accurate account of Luther’s life.

Having read many biographies of Luther, I found this one particularly interesting for two reasons. First, Metaxas has great sympathy for almost all of Luther’s theological positions. Many Luther biographies are written by scholars with a modern, even secular, worldview. They almost choke on his confidence in the Word of God, his belief in spirits and demons, and on the depth of his religious experience—often writing about his Anfechtung (Luther’s deep trouble of conscience over his sin) with unbelieving distance. Eric Metaxas’ handling of these is quite refreshing. His own comments affirm without apology or hesitation Luther’s belief in the inerrancy of Scripture and his saving trust in the Christ of the Gospel. There is more here than academic interest in the Reformation. Here is a biography of Luther from one who really seems to get it.

A second point of interest for American readers is the frequent reference to Luther’s influence on our own political history. Metaxas sees Luther’s stand for truth at Worms as a significant step in the development of the Western respect for freedom of conscience. Since Luther, the use of force in religious matters has been steadily waning and the growth of religious freedom has steadily progressed. This clearly lays a foundation for what has become the practice of religious freedom in America. While Luther was never a revolutionary in the political sense, his desire to be judged simply by the Word of God was a revolutionary development that continues to shape world history.

This book has a good mixture of biographical material and explanation of Luther’s thought and teachings. One aspect of Metaxas’ treatment of Luther that I found quite interesting was his appreciation for what he calls Luther’s “incarnational” theology. Luther had no trouble finding spiritual significance in the everyday aspects of life. Jesus was incarnate as God-in-the-flesh in this world to participate fully in its joys and sorrows, its filth and trouble. In so doing, as Luther indeed believed and taught, Christ sanctified our whole existence. From the everyday chores of the home and family, to the sexual union in marriage, to the cultivating of God’s green earth, Luther embraced all of these earthy tasks, and many others, with faith in Christ and confidence that he was serving Christ in all of it. This particular aspect of Luther’s thought is wonderfully helpful since popular Christianity tends to over-spiritualize our lives and focus the Christian life primarily on those things which are overtly spiritual.

If you decide to read this book, let me warn you about two things. First, I don’t think that Metaxas does a good enough job explaining the indulgence controversy over which the Reformation began. He does not make it clear, at least in his early comments, that the practice of indulgences in Luther’s day had the sole purpose of mitigating the temporal (that is, non-eternal) consequences of sin. Medieval Catholic theology limited the value of indulgences to time out of purgatory, not to eternal salvation from sin (which was achieved through baptism). It is true that the popular preachers in Luther’s day often confused the benefits of indulgences, but it was quite clear in the theology of the day. Metaxas could have been clearer on this point. A second warning: Metaxas quotes some of Luther’s more vulgar comments and allows them to be translated into correspondingly vulgar English. This would not be necessary and may be a minor thing to some, but maybe not.

Overall, I would heartily recommend this new biography of Luther as a useful and engaging study of the Father of our Lutheran faith.

Pr. Steve Mundfrom
AFLBS/TS Professor of Systematic Theology
Plymouth, MN