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“Martin Luther: Dissenter & Defender”: Introduction

“Martin Luther: Dissenter & Defender”: Introduction

Last updated on: July 20, 2026 at 2:08 pm by Dave Armstrong

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“Martin Luther: Dissenter & Defender”: Introduction 2026-07-20T14:08:54-04:00 Dave Armstrong

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Photo credit: Posthumous Portrait of Martin Luther as an Augustinian Monk (after 1546), from the workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons]

My 58th book is entitled, Martin Luther: Dissenter & Defender. This is the Introduction, which has the title, “My Intentions and Goals as a Catholic Apologist Writing About Martin Luther”.

*****

Martin Luther (1483-1546), as likely almost every reader of this book already knows, was the founder of Protestantism. The onset of what Protestants call “The Reformation” is almost always dated to 31 October 1517, when he issued his 95 Theses: a treatise largely devoted to criticizing the Catholic practice of indulgences, but also containing various other – characteristically pointed — observations.

My opinion of Martin Luther has greatly developed throughout 35 years of studying his thought and his life, as a Catholic apologist. Since 1997, I’ve hosted what I’m pretty sure is the most extensive web page online about Luther created by a single Catholic person, and also a companion web page devoted to Lutheranism.

When I was a Protestant, I read – way back in 1984 — Roland Bainton’s famous biography of him, Here I Stand, and considered him my “Christian hero” (a position now occupied by St. John Henry Cardinal Newman). In several areas I have changed my opinion (in different directions), as I learned new or different information about Luther. But in one way my view of him hasn’t changed at all. My first published article in a Catholic magazine appeared in February 1993 and was entitled, “The Real Martin Luther.” In it I wrote:

The real Luther is far more fascinating and complex than his detractors or hagiographers have generally realized. . . . a curious mix of orthodoxy and heterodoxy . . .

That pretty much sums up my opinion of Luther in one sentence. For Catholics who study his thinking with an open mind and not an inveterate, knee-jerk hostility fostered by over 500 years of sad and unfortunate polemics back-and-forth (and seen every day online), his views will always be a mixture of things we completely or almost wholly agree with, and (obviously) others that we honestly disagree with.

As with any other honest, sincere disagreement among Christians, every person can and must choose how to approach these differences and the people who hold them. Many unfortunately take the approach that any person who holds a theological position we profoundly disagree with, must be doing so out of ill will and not in good faith. I’ve never believed that, and consider it absurdly simplistic, as beliefs are brought about by an incredibly complex matrix of influences and ideas, and the influences of ignorance and our background and surroundings can never be underestimated. “We are what we eat.”

I’ve almost always found that people’s opinions that I consider to be in error came about – as far as I could determine by what I knew of the background — because of a false premise adopted along the way, and not because they sought to deliberately follow falsehood and lies. In other words, it’s a matter of incorrect thinking, rather than bad character or sin. For the most part, what people believe, they consider to be true and right. And so it is with Luther or anyone else, including myself. Whatever I have gotten wrong, that hopefully is corrected in this life and will be in the next, if necessary, I have held sincerely, believing it to be true, as best I could ascertain given my acquired knowledge.

And so when a Catholic considers Martin Luther, he need not automatically consider him a “bad” or “evil” man through and through, or a hellbound person. That’s not a required choice simply because we are Catholics. Accordingly, I have never thought that about Luther. I still believe what I wrote in the Introduction of my first book devoted to him, in 2008:

I disagree with the man’s theology (that is, where he departs from Catholic orthodoxy) and some of the ways in which he went about things. But . . . I actually admire Martin Luther in many ways. I love his passion and boldness and bravery in standing up for what he believed. I always admire people who do that, unless the stand they take is unquestionably evil. One can respect such a person without necessarily agreeing with the specific cause or belief that he or she espouses. One can be wrong for the right reasons, and right for the wrong reasons.

My concern, as a Catholic apologist, is with theological and moral and historical truths, not tearing down human beings or savaging their sincerity and motivations – things no one can fully know, anyway — simply because I disagree with them on various matters. Only God “searches all hearts, and understands every plan and thought” (1 Chr 28:9). We don’t have that ability. In many ways, I’m far less critical of Luther than several prominent fellow Protestant “reformers” during his lifetime were.

John Calvin, the next most important figure in early Protestantism, said he was an idolater because of his belief in the Real Presence in the Eucharist (Letter to Martin Bucer, June 1549). Of others who rejected his close-to-Catholic eucharistic beliefs, Luther wrote in March 1527: “They regard us as ‘un-Christians’ whom the Spirit of God has forsaken” (LW [Luther’s Works], vol. 37, 21). Bucer, in 1527, stated that Luther was “being led by a spirit far different from that of Christ” (ibid., 21). And Zwingli compared his eucharistic practices and belief to the worship of the golden calf (ibid., 22; Letter to Matthew Alber, 1525).

Luther summed up the endless attacks of fellow Protestants on him in a letter to William Pravest on March 14th, 1528: “All the sectaries think they are a hundred times wiser than I and do not listen to me; I am more at war with them than with the Pope, and they do more harm.” I’ve never maintained anything remotely like this sort of hostile, oppositional intensity. Other Protestants during his time implied that he was mad or otherwise profoundly mentally unbalanced. I’ve never claimed that, either. I’ve simply noted that he was prone to depression, as all of his biographers freely acknowledge.

In any event, unfair, unjust, malicious criticism of Luther is not solely a Catholic phenomenon, by a long shot. I think I’m about as sympathetic towards him as a Catholic who holds orthodox Catholic beliefs can be. That doesn’t mean I won’t strongly criticize him. I certainly do, and will in this book. But I want to convey my spirit and motivation at the outset. Honest disagreement with regard to someone’s opinions, ideas, and theology – notwithstanding the ludicrous zeitgeist today — is not identical to slander or hatred of persons, and people aren’t identical to their opinions.

A lot of mythology and misinformation about Luther is promulgated by his followers and rapt admirers. This is another reason I study him and what scholars say about him. If the situation is such that “all” we hear about is wonderful things about Luther and hardly any criticisms, then there must be some balance. My analyses provide that by giving the other “side” of the story: the perception of the same man and the same life through Catholic eyes. Both sides have their natural biases, but by carefully considering both, one can perhaps arrive at the historical facts in their totality.

I’m very happy to defend Luther or agree with him, when I’m able to do so as a Catholic, in good conscience. I’m as ecumenical as I am apologetic. At the same time I’m critical of Luther where I think he was wrong, just as he was critical of Catholic teachings when he thought they were wrong. That shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows the function of an apologist like myself. I defend Catholicism, and so I will also respond to those who attack various aspects of Catholicism. We must always do this fairly and with respect. The scriptural admonitions to be charitable remain in full force, and I try my best to abide by them:

1 Peter 3:15 . . . (RSV) Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence;

1 Corinthians 13:2 And if I . . . understand all mysteries and all knowledge, . . . but have not love, I am nothing.

Sometimes when writing about Luther, I have no particular opinion pro or con; I’m simply seeking to determine the facts, being an amateur historian and researcher by trade and seeking to be as fair and accurate as I can be, and to educate others insofar as I have discovered anything deemed to be important to know and understand.

I’m interested in Martin Luther because the history and development of doctrine is one of my favorite topics, and Luther is obviously a key person in that regard. He was an influential figure; therefore it’s worthwhile to better understand his reasoning and viewpoints. He’s also the founder of Protestantism, and no one can deny his supreme importance with regard to the subsequent history of that movement. Protestants undeniably descend historically and theologically from Luther, whether they are aware of that fact or not.

For this reason, it’s self-evident why it is important to study his thinking. And we must do it as objectively as we can, without our own points of view overly influencing our interpretations and conclusions. We can’t totally avoid inevitable theological bias, but we can attempt a fair appraisal and exercise charity and the golden rule. We must also make our best effort to accurately understand the viewpoints of our Protestant brothers and sisters in Christ, and an adequate grasp of Martin Luther’s thinking is central in that endeavor.

***

Photo credit: Posthumous Portrait of Martin Luther as an Augustinian Monk (after 1546), from the workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons]

Summary: Introduction to my book, Martin Luther: Dissenter & Defender, entitled, “My Intentions and Goals as a Catholic Apologist Writing About Martin Luther”.

Books by Dave Armstrong

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Martin Luther: Dissenter & Defender

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