71701349_Religious Study Research Proposal

8/2/2019 71701349_Religious Study Research Proposal

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/71701349religious-study-research-proposal 1/4

Running head: CHRISTIAN REFORMATION 1

Christian Reformation

Student Name Here

University affiliation



CHRISTIAN REFORMATION 2

Reformation is the holy rebellion, which occurred in the Western Church in the 16 th

century. It grew politically, socially and economically leading to Protestantism. The paper

examines the role that reformation played in affecting contemporary Christianity. A history of

reformation is crucial for understanding the modern Christianity. In observing the history of

reformation, individuals such as Martin Luther and John Calvin played a crucial role in it.

Therefore, the interconnection between these reformists and the modern Christianity needs to be

analyzed.

Bellitto, C.M., & Hamilton, L.I. (2005). Reforming the church before modernity: Patterns,

problems, and approaches. Abingdon: Ashgate Publishing Group.

The book looks at the issue of ecclesial reform in the 16 th to 17th century. The difference

with this book is that it looks at Christian reformation from a cultural perspective as opposed to the

common institutional and historical approaches. Themes that emerge from this book are social

change, peripheries and centres of change, intellectuals and monasticism and their relationship to

Christian reformation. The book presents essays from renowned scholars thus make a significant

contribution to the debate on reformation.

Gonzalez, J.L. (2010). The Story of Christianity: The Reformation to the present day. Oxford:

HerperOne.

The book narrates the history of reformation up to the present. The author highlights key

theological developments in several eras while giving fresh understanding of the political,

economic and social forces, which influenced the reformation process, such as rebellion and

unrest. The book covers recent events such as the second Vatican council and the world Council of

churches, bodies that forged a way forward for contemporary Christianity.




Gregory, S.B. (2012).The unintended reformation: How a religious revolution secularized society.

New Jersey: Harvard University Press.

The protestant Reformation is believed to be one of the monumental events in the Western

world history. The author builds on this fact by arguing out the crucial contribution of the role

played by reformists such as Calvin and Luther among others. The author argues that ‘genealogical

approach’ impacted on reformation. This means that reformation is considered roots of a

Christianity tree, whose branches impact on every aspect of contemporary life. The author further

rejects the ‘supersessionist view’, which asserts that modern Christianity entails a radical change in

the understanding of God and the entire world. The book contributes to the understanding of the

role of reformation on contemporary laws, lives and theologies. The central argument of this book

is the fact that the institutional and ideological reforms that occurred centuries ago remain crucial

in explaining the modern Christianity.

MacCulloch, D. (2004).The reformation. Washington, D.C: Viking.

The author challenges previous traditional interpretations of reformation, arguing that

several reformations occurred. He arranges history of Christian reformation in chronological order

and in different parts of the world. The author tries to draw a relationship between politics and

geography on reformation agenda. This book’s relevance is its deep interpretation of reformation

in the renaissance period and the cultural factors behind the reform.

Matheson, P. (2010). Reformation christianity. New York, NY: Fortress Press.

http://www.google.co.ke/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22Diarmaid+MacCulloch%22

http://www.google.co.ke/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22Diarmaid+MacCulloch%22




This book looks at the reformation in Christianity from the vantage point of the history of a

people. The author articulates a paradigm shift in Christianity over the last two millennia. The

book contributes to the understanding of history of Christianity and how that led to reformation.

Therefore, the book gives a new approach and showcases a current state of affairs and finally plots

a trajectory of transformation into the future. The most important aspect and contribution by the

author of this book is the role that reformation brought to the Christian lives. The author’s attempt

to give a chronology of the reformation in Christianity makes the book valuable in its contribution

to the topic.

Documents

71701349_Religious Study Research Proposal