Why a Luther Tour?

My wife, Gail, wrote this blog post.

We recently traveled in Germany, seeing many historical Luther sights.   As I posted yet another picture of a Luther Statue on my Facebook page, I wondered if our trip was looking somewhat cult-like for friends not particularly interested in Luther and Lutheran Christianity.  I’ve come to the conclusion that while our trip was filled with Luther specific sights, our trip was more about the history and the amazing times in which Luther lived.  While we visited key sights in Luther’s life and work, very little of the content we saw was explicitly evangelistic or spiritually moving.  Rather, in seeing the locations, I was moved by what an amazing time in history those years were and what amazing company of fellow scholars and great minds were concentrated in one time and place.  

When we visited Wittenberg, within a thirty minute walk, we could observe Luther’s Black Cloister, the home of Philipp Melanchthon, a fellow theologian and reformer, the home and workshop of Lucas Cranach, a prolific artist, businessman and craftsman, and the Wittenberg Castle Church where Luther first posted his 95 theses.    When I think about the intersection of all these people and the timing of their lifespans in the wake of the innovations in movable type printing by Johannes Gutenberg,  I am in awe of God’s orchestration of events, propelling history and theology forward by new technology. 

Additionally, the social impacts of the Reformation, including the dissolving of many convents and monasteries, the bloody Peasants’ War, and eventually the Thirty Years War were enormous and largely unconsidered by Luther in his 95 theses invitation to discuss issues.  

Having local guides tell their own local history was one of the best parts of the trip.  Their history, so much longer than any American can imagine, shaped their culture.  When touring various sights, guides told that to most Germans, Luther’s greatest accomplishment was the establishment of the common language of High German.  And while most guides could articulate the reformation truth of salvation by Grace through Faith in Jesus, there seemed to be very little appreciation of the life changing impact of that truth for daily life and hope.  

Was our trip a Luther pilgrimage?  Maybe.  It wasn’t a worship of Luther and it wasn’t just historical learning. We saw the places, but more importantly we gained insights about how God worked in that unique time and place.