Overview

This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. The Reformers and Their Stepchildren is a brilliant and well-documented book that reveals the tension between the church and Christendom. According to Leonard Verduin, the American formula of a society in which no religion is designated as the right religion, is the result of pioneering done by the ""stepchildren"" of the Reformation. To them, rather than to the Reformers, do we owe the concept of separation of church and state. Taking the several terms of opprobrium that the Reformers hurled at these stepchildren, Verduin gives a penetrating historical analysis of each and shows how each term sets in focus an important phase of the master struggle, the struggle regarding the delineation of the church.

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9780802847805

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Reviews

J. C. Wenger --Goshen College Biblical Seminary A truly remarkable piece of careful research, skillful writing, and sound interpretation, The Reformers and Their Stepchildren combines broad Christian charity with loyalty to the Word of God. It will make a contribution to the Christian church of tomorrow, for it looks away from the institution of the state church to the free churches that are emerging in one land after another. Franklin H. Littell --Chicago Theological Seminary The Reformers and Their Stepchildren is one of the most important books I have read in many years. The author's use of sources, including mastery of several languages, is brilliant. At the same time, the writing and interpretation are extremely lucid. Verduin will not escape criticism from those who are committed to culture-religion or the political manipulation of religion, but he has earned the gratitude of every Christian who believes that the New Testament is the final authority governing the church and its role in society. W. R. Estep Jr. --Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary It is difficult for me to speak in restrained terms about this most excellent study. Verduin has done a thorough job of research. He writes obviously out of a background rich in historical information and understanding. This book is all the more significant since it comes from the pen of one of the Reformers' family and not from among the offspring of the 'stepchildren.' It is axiomatic that some books are to be scanned, others read, and a few digested. The Reformers and Their Stepchildren belongs in the last category. Even though this book is a historical study, readers will find it among the most relevant and pertinent publications of our times. Cornelius J. Dyck --Institute of Mennonite Studies A bold and stimulating statement about the medieval origins of sectarian Protestantism and its influence upon the thought of the classical Reformers. The author and the publisher are to be commended for this timely contribution to the continuing discussion about the nature of the church of Jesus Christ.

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