“Reform: The Church at the Birth of Protestantism” by Luke H. Davis

Luke H. Davis began his published writing career with a series of three mysteries, featuring Cameron Ballack, a county police detective who investigates and solve crimes from his wheelchair. He then published a fantasy book entitled Joël , which was followed by a book on Christian ethics, Tough Issues, True Hope. 

His most recent project has been a series on church history aimed at younger readers (roughly 10-14). In 2022, he published two in the series, Redemption: The Church in Ancient Times and Reign: The Church in the Middle Ages. And now come the next two entries in the series: Reform: The Church at the Birth of Protestantism and Renewal: The Church That Expands Outward.

 

You don’t have to be the targeted age group to enjoy Reform: The Church at the Birth of Protestantism. Each primary chapter focuses on a person, telling a fictionalized account of a specific event in the person’s life. A summary paragraph at the end of the chapter provides a brief biographical overview. And then periodic “fact files” provide a deeper look into a specific topic associated with the overall subject of the book.

 

You can see what Davis is doing here: tell an interesting story about people, provide some factual and biographical information, and inspire the reader to pursue their interest in the subject or person. It works. I thought I knew a lot about the Reformation period. And I was familiar with the major players, like Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Cranmer (I’ve seen the monument to Cranmer’s and others’ martyrdom in Oxford several times). I didn’t know the Reformation roles played by Marguerite of Navarre, Catherine Parr (Henry VIII’s last wife), and Lady Jane Grey. And I’d never heard of Martin Bucer and Patrick Hamilton.

 

Luke H. Davis

What I learned is that, yes, there were major movers in the Reformation, but many people played significant roles. And Davis keeps his accounts interesting by making the historical figures come to life as real and recognizable people. 

 

Davis teaches at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis and chairs the Bible Department there. He’s also taught at schools in Louisiana, Florida, and Virginia. He describes himself as “Presbyterian body, Lutheran heart, Anglican blood, Orthodox spirit,” all of which have served him well in writing the Cameron Ballack mysteries. He has published three Ballack mysteries, Litany of Secrets (2013), The Broken Cross (2015), and A Shattered Peace (2017), and the first book of a new series, Joel: The Merivalkan Chronicles Book 1 (2017). He blogs at For Grace and Kingdom.

 

If your children are familiar with church history and the Reformation, Reform is a good place to start. And if you think you know all about the period and the people, Reform might well help you realize that you don’t know as much as you think. 

 

Next Week: Renewal: The Church That Expands Outward.

 

Related:

 

My review of Redemption: The Church in Ancient Times.

 

My review of Reign: The Church in the Middle Ages.

 

Reading a Novel that Stars Your Hometown.

 

My review of Litany of Secrets.

 

My review of The Broken Cross.

 

My review of A Shattered Peace.

 

My review of Tough Issues, True Hope by Luke Davis.

Scattered

After Nehemiah 1:1-11

Scattered across geographies

and boundaries, moved

beyond rivers and seas,

the exiles wander in memory

of a reality lost, forced and torn

away. The memory is of stones

and flowers, of winding ways

and streets, alleys filled with

the shouts of merchants and priests,

children calling out their games,

of sounds of horses and cows herded

with the sheep, and the quiet of houses,

homes behind walls.        

It is all a memory now,

waiting to become a hope.

Photograph by Lode Van de Velde via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.

A gate is broken

After Nehemiah 1:1-11

A gate is broken, burned,

a wall torn down, bricks

and stones broken

in humbled heaps.

The city lies undefended

and abused, a sty for pigs,

streets for wild dogs choked

with weeds. A city dying,

its death must be mourned,

a memorial to pride and

self-sufficiency and power.

A wind whistles through

abandoned homes and shops,

deserted palaces

with no roofs, with no doors.

Photograph by George Hodan via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.

In the waters

After Nehemiah 1:1-11

In the waters

deep, the waters

of my soul, a motion,

a movement, a stirring,

troubling what lies

still and placid.

It does not subside

or calm; it proceeds,

a hum, a slight wind,

a soft wave circular

in its attention.

Photograph by Linnaea Mallette via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.