Here We Stand

The great sixteenth-century church Reformation was so significant an event that virtually every church today is affected by that history, as well as its reforms in doctrine and life. This book demonstrates the impact of that historic event by focusing on a few aspects of the Reformation, including the crucial issues of justification by faith alone, the authority of scripture, and proper worship. This book also covers two lesser-known, yet significant aspects of the Reformation that began in 1517: the unique development of the Reformation in the Lowlands and the reformers’ response to the “radical reformation.”

Just as the reformers’ preaching and writing were often severely opposed, so the issues discussed in this book still generate controversy in the current church world. Therefore the goal of each chapter is to understand and answer the question, “How and why are the issues of the Reformation still shaping the churches today?”

In The Necessity of Reforming the Church John Calvin wrote that the first need for reformation was the restoration of the true worship of God after centuries of departure from the Bible’s teachings. While lamenting similar apostasy today, the church determined to be faithful to the  word of God will find that the Reformation continues to give trustworthy guidance in doctrine, worship, and the whole of church life. Any church or individual interested in this valuable guidance will profit from this book.