Luther stood not on the pronouncements of popes, or the decisions of councils, or the winds of popular opinion, but on “that word above all earthly powers.”

The Runaway Nun: Katharina von Bora (1499–1552)

Oct 30th, 2017 6m 6s

Katharina married Martin Luther to survive as a runaway nun, but their marriage proved to be a model in a time when “pastor’s wife” was a new role.

The Administrative Pastor: Johannes Bugenhagen (1485–1558)

Oct 29th, 2017 6m 31s

The Reformation required more than theological giants. It also demanded organizational geniuses.

The Happy Professor: Zacharius Ursinus (1534–1583)

Oct 28th, 2017 5m 17s

He took the lead role in writing the Heidelberg Catechism, one of the most ringing affirmations of faith in all of Christian history.

The First Calvinist: Theodore Beza (1519–1605)

Oct 27th, 2017 6m 15s

Theodore Beza gave form to what we now call Calvinism by explaining and defending the biblical doctrines Calvin had rediscovered.

The Teenage Martyr: Lady Jane Grey (c. 1537–1554)

Oct 26th, 2017 6m 2s

Lady Jane Grey was a teenage victim of social and political conspiracy, beheaded at seventeen for her faith. But her life is far from a tragedy.

The Smile of the Reformation: Pierre Viret (1511–1571)

Oct 25th, 2017 5m 6s

Pierre Viret knew how to contend for the truth of God’s word with theological rigor and courage. He also knew how to do it with a smile.

The Ink: Robert Estienne (1503–1559)

Oct 24th, 2017 6m 37s

Robert Estienne was the premier printer of the Protestant cause. He put Reformation doctrine and the Bible itself into the hands of ordinary people.

The Genius of Geneva: John Calvin (1509–1564)

Oct 23rd, 2017 6m 50s

The key to John Calvin’s life: he recovered and embodied a passion for the absolute reality and majesty of God.

The Champion of the Kirk: John Knox (c. 1513–1572)

Oct 22nd, 2017 6m 11s

John Knox feared the face of no man, which equipped him to bring reform to his homeland in the Highlands.

The Radical Reformer: Conrad Grebel (c. 1498–1526)

Oct 21st, 2017 5m 35s

Conrad Grebel is known as a “radical Reformer” — a leader who took the movement one step further by insisting on separating church from state.

The Majestic Beard of Zurich: Heinrich Bullinger (1504–1575)

Oct 20th, 2017 6m 15s

Without Zwingli there would have been no Reformation in Zurich. Without Heinrich Bullinger it would not have lasted.

The Ordinary Virgin Mary: Hellen Stirke (Died 1543)

Oct 19th, 2017 5m 20s

Hellen Stirke did not debate theology, write a treatise, or preach to hundreds. She just staked her soul on Scripture — and paid for it with her life.

The Accidental Reformer: Hans Gooseflesh (c. 1400–1468)

Oct 18th, 2017 6m 17s

He never preached a sermon and never authored a theological treatise. He was a Reformer by accident — or, better, by common grace.

The Swiss Giant: Ulrich Zwingli (1484–1531)

Oct 17th, 2017 7m 1s

Ulrich Zwingli brought the people of Zurich away from pomp, hypocrisy, and idolatry and back to the Bible, the gospel, and Jesus Christ.

The British Candle: Latimer (c. 1485–1555) and Ridley (c. 1502–1555)

Oct 16th, 2017 6m 40s

One Lord, one faith, one stake. The story of two great Reformers burned at the same stake.

The French Firebrand: Guillaume Farel (1489–1565)

Oct 15th, 2017 6m 20s

Guillaume Farel had faults — and they were real and known — but this French firebrand loved the gospel and devoted his life to sharing its riches.

The Gospel Lobbyist: Thomas Cranmer (1489–1556)

Oct 14th, 2017 6m 26s

Thomas Cranmer led England from Roman Catholicism, and shaped England’s theology perhaps more than any other Reformer.

The Monastery’s Lost Houselamp: Johannes Oecolampadius (1482–1531)

Oct 13th, 2017 4m 28s

When Johannes Oecolampadius returned to Basel in 1522, the people sung Latin in Mass. Ten years later, the Mass was gone and the songs were German.

The First Lady in France: Marie Dentière (c. 1495–1561)

Oct 12th, 2017 5m 12s

What Marie Dentière lacked in feminine modesty or humility for her day, she made up for with unrivaled zeal for the gospel.

The Protestant Melting Pot: Martin Bucer (1491–1551)

Oct 11th, 2017 6m 35s

He was the German glue of the Protestant movement — the unifier between the diverse strands of Reformation.

The Underground Translator: William Tyndale (c. 1494–1536)

Oct 10th, 2017 5m 55s

William Tyndale gave his life so British commoners could know the Bible — not in Latin, but in their own mother tongue.

The Monday Morning Protestant: Thomas Becon (c. 1512–1567)

Oct 9th, 2017 5m 53s

Thomas Becon brought the Reformation from the churches to the kitchens, courts, shipyards, and battlefields. All of life is a stage for worshiping God.