Martin Luther: Driven to Defiance
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Martin Luther: Reluctant Revolutionary
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PBS though, doesn't always get things right: PBS Presents “Facts” That Luther Advocated Drunkenness and Promiscuity
I've watched both parts, and while I don't know if they were completely accurate, I really enjoyed watching them. Overall, they show Luther as a good guy.
ReplyDeleteI liked these too - Justin Taylor first linked to it a while back.
ReplyDeleteLiam Neeson is a good narrator.
Neeson also was in another Luther film on PBS a few years ago where he actually played Luther.
I think the earlier one you linked to about the mistake about Luther advocating drunkenness is the one where Neeson actually plays Luther.
The think what struck me about that one when I watched it was the utter lack of explaining the theology issues of justification by faith alone and Sola Scritpura. Instead, it emphasized "freedom of conscience" as the main point for reformation.
The think what struck me . . .
ReplyDeleteshould have been
The thing what struck me
I've only watched half of the top one so far.
ReplyDeleteIt is well done, but I was irked pretty soon by Allister McGrath's characterizing of Luther's childhood as overly traumatized.
Anyone who has not grown up in an indulging household of many children has suffered discipline by his parents that was at times felt as unfair, overly harsh, maddening.
Martin Brecht makes the point that the over-psychologizing of this is not fair and acceptable scholarship.
We have several instances where Luther mentions these types of events, however, not to show that his childhood and parents were terrible, but as usual to explain some kind of theological point. We should maybe look at the contexts again.
I think this matters because in looking at the Reformation some get led down this garden path of "Luther was an abused child and this is how his theology turned out". Let's nix that.
Thus far.
I probably will not have a chance to watch these for a while.
ReplyDeleteI've done some blog entries on Luther's childhood and relationship with his parents. McGrath is typically a good with history, so I'd have to hear exactly what he said before commenting.
what struck me about that one when I watched it was the utter lack of explaining the theology issues of justification by faith alone and Sola Scritpura. Instead, it emphasized "freedom of conscience" as the main point for reformation.
ReplyDeleteWell, that sounds a lot like PBS.
I've been trying to find the other Luther film on the internet, and I cannot. It looks like the one you link to a few years ago; is the same as the one you are showing here. If you dig deeper, they look like the same film. (just broken up into different parts)
ReplyDeleteI could have sworn I had seen one where Liam Neeson actually plays Luther, but maybe my memory is getting bad, and since he was narrator, I conflated the idea.
I need to look at it again.
Alister McGrath has apparently just updated his book on Luther considerably. A new version is coming out just this month.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Luthers-Theology-Cross-Theological-Breakthrough/dp/0470655305/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304557680&sr=1-1
On his home page this is said about it:
"Luther's Theology of the Cross: Martin Luther's Theological Breakthrough. Second Edition. This is a radically revised and updated version of the original book, first published in 1985, which was widely praised on its first appearance. This new edition takes account of scholarly developments in the field since then, particularly in German-language scholarship. Further details and some extracts here."
When was this film made? Judging by the glasses it might be some time ago. :)
Alister McGrath has apparently just updated his book on Luther considerably
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Forde's book is still the best on The theology of the Cross.
Having watched the first 55 min. (the remainder is unavailable in my area, which is ok; I think I've seen enough), I have some more thoughts and want to share them.
ReplyDeleteWhile the visuals are creative and sumptuous even, and the commentaries quite breathtakingly delivered, making the entire presentation a bit of a feast, overall I have some big problems.
At the heart of it are two things. One, the telling of the story is from a bit too much psychological point of view, which adds to the drama while helping us understand but falls seriously short in giving the whole picture. The whole picture is a little too big to fit into the time allotted, of course, but one should have got the main things in.
It's as if someone is trying to understand Luther and justification without actually believing in God or the Bible.
We see a little crucifix several times, but we never hear what it actually came to mean to Luther. We never hear that he came to believe that Christ died to take away the sins of mankind including his own, that faith means putting all your trust in THIS Lord. If you read anything by Luther, this will strike you, that he cannot stop talking about his dear Lord Jesus Christ. Christ, yesterday, today and tomorrow; Christ beginning, middle and end. Christ for him. Christ for you. On this Christ he will build himself come hell or high water; to him he will cling and nothing else. Christ to deal with your bad "conscience".
If I want someone to tell me about Jesus and make me glad, I just need to open some Luther. There is none other quite like him. He really had him at his center.
Anyhow, this does not come out in as far as I've watched which was after all 50% of it.
The second thing is the business of Luther's so-called tower experience and joyful discovery.
Throughout the film we hear nothing much about scripture and, of course, we hear nothing about Romans passages and such. The reduction of the tower experience to: Luther discovered that it was not that salvation is NOT between him and the church, BUT between him and God, is so anemic in description to make it wrong.
While no one can believe for another, and thus faith is indeed between you and God--we do not have here a telling of what the content of this faith is. In addition, to make the juxtaposition between CHURCH and faith, rather than WORKS and faith, is not ok. Salvation by faith means salvation by trusting in Christ's redemption of yourself, leaving aside all looking to works. The church is NOT excluded from this. Not at all!!! It is NOT just Jesus and me. The bondage of the will tells us exactly that: we cannot by our own efforts come to believe. It is from, in, through the church that we hear the Gospel, so we can believe it, where we are all baptized together into one body where we receive the forgiveness of sins, etc.
The church of the papacy had obscured this message through all the layers of required works, which we've all discussed before and which it still officially advocates. But it is the works which are what faith is pitted against, not the church and the communal aspect of preaching, teaching, absolving, strengthening each other's faith. Our faith comes via the church and is exercised in the church and community.
It looks like the one you link to a few years ago; is the same as the one you are showing here.
ReplyDeleteI do recall PBS airing a documentary on Luther sometime around when the movie came out. I have it on a video tape somewhere. I don't recall any of it, except for McGrath being in it.
It's as if someone is trying to understand Luther and justification without actually believing in God or the Bible.
ReplyDeleteThat is a perfect description! One could say the same thing about all those Discovery Channel Bible shows-It's as if someone is trying to understandthe Bible without actually believing in God or the Bible.