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A PBS Documemtary by Rick Steves
The year 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. In 1517, the German monk Martin Luther collected 95 points to stoke discussion about the corruption of the medieval Church. He then nailed his famous “95 Theses” to the door of his hometown church in Wittenberg. With that small, symbolic act, Luther unleashed a storm of change, kicking off the most important religious event of the last millennium—the Protestant Reformation. To help those interested understand the what's, how's, and why's of it all, we produced a Public Television special, called "Rick Steves’ Luther and the Reformation". Before you watch the documentary, here’s a little background on it's production...
The Reformation—even if you’re not a Lutheran—is a very big deal. As 2017 approached, I wanted to contribute to our society’s appreciation of this event on its 500th anniversary. My mission: to produce an hour-long documentary that would be useful for Lutheran churches, other Protestant denominations, Roman Catholic churches, and also secular media. I wanted the film to be a teaching tool for churches and also have wider appeal for broadcast on public television—reaching far beyond a Sunday school audience. There have been good movies about Martin Luther, but I planned a broader coverage—explaining the historic, economic, and social context of the Reformation, and how this tumultuous age helped Europe leave the Middle Ages and enter our Modern Age.
Weaving the story of Martin Luther into the big historic sweep, we dealt candidly with Luther’s human foibles and weaknesses. His authenticity is endearing. We followed the tortured path of a troubled young monk, as he fought depression, walked from Germany to Rome to sort out his feelings, and climbed the Holy Stairs on his knees…struggling to make sense of it all and eventually becoming “the Great Reformer.” As a tour guide and travel teacher, writing the script provided an opportunity to explain concepts people may have heard of but didn’t really understand—concepts like relics, purgatory, indulgences, iconoclasm—and to delve into the Counter-Reformation, the Thirty Years’ War, and Lutheran notions like “the priesthood of all believers.”
With this documentary, I’m honored and thankful to make a small contribution to the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Thanks for your interest in this fascinating and important chapter in both the history of the Christian Church and the story of our Western Civilization. I hope you enjoy the program.
– Rick Steves
Click here to watch this wonderful 1-hour documentary FREE on the ELCA website: http://www.elca.org/ricksteves
The year 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. In 1517, the German monk Martin Luther collected 95 points to stoke discussion about the corruption of the medieval Church. He then nailed his famous “95 Theses” to the door of his hometown church in Wittenberg. With that small, symbolic act, Luther unleashed a storm of change, kicking off the most important religious event of the last millennium—the Protestant Reformation. To help those interested understand the what's, how's, and why's of it all, we produced a Public Television special, called "Rick Steves’ Luther and the Reformation". Before you watch the documentary, here’s a little background on it's production...
The Reformation—even if you’re not a Lutheran—is a very big deal. As 2017 approached, I wanted to contribute to our society’s appreciation of this event on its 500th anniversary. My mission: to produce an hour-long documentary that would be useful for Lutheran churches, other Protestant denominations, Roman Catholic churches, and also secular media. I wanted the film to be a teaching tool for churches and also have wider appeal for broadcast on public television—reaching far beyond a Sunday school audience. There have been good movies about Martin Luther, but I planned a broader coverage—explaining the historic, economic, and social context of the Reformation, and how this tumultuous age helped Europe leave the Middle Ages and enter our Modern Age.
Weaving the story of Martin Luther into the big historic sweep, we dealt candidly with Luther’s human foibles and weaknesses. His authenticity is endearing. We followed the tortured path of a troubled young monk, as he fought depression, walked from Germany to Rome to sort out his feelings, and climbed the Holy Stairs on his knees…struggling to make sense of it all and eventually becoming “the Great Reformer.” As a tour guide and travel teacher, writing the script provided an opportunity to explain concepts people may have heard of but didn’t really understand—concepts like relics, purgatory, indulgences, iconoclasm—and to delve into the Counter-Reformation, the Thirty Years’ War, and Lutheran notions like “the priesthood of all believers.”
With this documentary, I’m honored and thankful to make a small contribution to the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Thanks for your interest in this fascinating and important chapter in both the history of the Christian Church and the story of our Western Civilization. I hope you enjoy the program.
– Rick Steves
Click here to watch this wonderful 1-hour documentary FREE on the ELCA website: http://www.elca.org/ricksteves