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Books Related to The Protestant Revolution William G. Naphy - ISBN: 1846075238
Convincing, Magisterial Account of Protestant Christianity - Rated
William Naphy's argument in this well-written book is that Protestantism's emphasis on the priesthood of all believers has been the source of immeasurable schism, creativity and positive change in Western societies. To argue this point, he provides a readable account of the Protestant reformation, the wars of religion in France and the battle for religious supremacy leading to the Thirty Years War. His account is brief but illustrative of the key forces/figures behind Protestantism: Martin Luther, Zwingli, John Calvin, Henry V etc. He then follows it up with a brief description the so-called First and Second Awakenings in North America.
Showing an excellent command of Church history, the author lines up the facts to reach a logical conclusion. He argues that Luther's conception of the universal priesthood of man "...set in motion a chain of events largely antithetical to the wishes of its earliest proponents".
On one hand, this freedom to choose has been the source of progress. How true! "No council or pope was needed to hold meetings and conclaves to decide that slavery was wrong: William Wilberforce and his colleagues simply searched their Bibles and hearts, and went out to abolish it. However, on the other hand, Protestantism been a staunch opponent of social progress:" The freedom to read and interpret the Bible that could produce a Wilberforce railing in Parliament against slavery was the very same as the one that could produce a governor like George Wallace..." Yes, Protestantism has been a driving force both for and against modernity. Yet William Naphy argues that Protestantism is not a Church like the Catholic Church because of its inherent tendency to schism and its lack of a mechanism for settling disputes. These are all points with which I concur.
There is nothing controversial in the book up to this point. However, the author stretches the imagination when he argues that "...it [Protestantism] has the ability to hasten change and to allow individuals to be motivated quickly..." This is a point that is unsupported in the book. He does not explain the link between Protestantism and the rise of the scientific spirit in Western Europe. Was there anything inherent in Protestantism's concept of God that favoured scientific investigation? Moreover, why is it that it is the Northern European Protestants that eventually dominate the Slave Trade, the mercantilist world system of the 16-17th century and the Industrial revolution? Surely, the answers to those questions are more complex than mere belief in the priesthood of all believers?
The authors also stops short of explaining the rise of Fundamantalist Protestantism in the US. I guess that this issue is not within the remit of so short a book (The book is 262 pages long). However, Mr Naphy makes up for this by including a bibliography for further reading.
In conclusion, it is a well-written book. If you are interested in Protestant religious history then this book will give you a good overview. However, be careful with some of its conclusions. It deserves my 4 stars.
