‘Martin Luther’ Resources
‘We haven’t seen times like these in 500 years.”
That was the first sentence posted in this online magazine, ReadTheSpirit.com, 10 years ago this month. Our first column talked about Martin Luther’s media revolution and the parallels with these turbulent times in which we live. (You can go back and read that first column here.) So, from the first day of this online magazine, the transformative spirit of the Reformation has been a central inspiration in all of our work, including many thousands of columns shared with readers all around the world. We believe in using the latest advances in media technology to publish inspiring stories for readers everywhere.
One motto we follow: “Good media builds good community.” You may also want to read our original 10 Principles, which we follow to this day. If you are not familiar with our online magazine, it’s worth taking a look at those principles. There were many aspects of Luther’s life that we condemn, including his role in violently repressing a peasant’s uprising and his antisemitic rants. Our focus on Luther and the entire Reformation—which was far broader than Luther himself—zeroes in on the way that era placed inspirational media in the hands of ordinary people. In embracing media’s role in inclusion, diversity and fairness, today, that’s the element of the Reformation that we celebrate.
Now that we are nearing the “official” 500th anniversary of Luther’s role in that world-changing revolution, we highly recommend the two-hour PBS docudrama about Luther debuting on September 12, 2017. (Read Ed McNulty’s in-depth review of the series in Visual Parables.)
Watch the PBS preview for ‘Martin Luther’ here
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Care to read more?
In ReadTheSpirit, we have frequently explored these themes over the past decade. For example, in 2015, Editor David Crumm wrote a popular column based on a trip to Disney World that, once again, echoed these themes.
If you don’t see a video screen in your version of this column—or you simply want to explore the PBS series further: Here is the official public-TV website for the Martin Luther miniseries.
In 2016, as this anniversary year was approaching, we published a column reported in part by Berlin-based journalist Maria-Paz Lopez about the many programs, tours and opportunities unfolding for this special anniversary.
Finally, we also want to recommend the extensive resources posted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for the anniversary.
