I'm taking a Reformation Church History course in the fall, and I'm looking for good materials on the subject that I can use in research. I'm looking for both surveys and narrower topic and biographical studies. The only requirement is that they must be written for an academic audience.

So far I've come across McGrath and Oberman on the development of the Reformation out of late medievalism, and I'm enjoying their works.

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Charlie Johnson
Downtown Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, student

Probably the best advice would be to go ahead and purchase the course texts and give them a first read before class starts. Then having read them a second time during the semester, you'll absorb the material more thoroughly.

But to address your question, for $10 plus postage, you can buy a nice older survey:

It's item number 250195920512

[I have no interest or stake in this sale.]

Andrew Zenos was a Princeton professor and a liberal, but that doesn't affect most of this short survey of church history. I found it to be a good fast survey, suitable for either an initial survey prior to deeper reading, or for a final review prior to an exam. Originally published in the early 1900's, it's also available on Google Books.

The Story of Christianity, by Justo Gonzalez, seems to be well thought of in many quarters. Two volumes. vol. 2 is probably the one you would want for now. It would offer a bit deeper, first look at the material.

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Wayne Sparkman, Th.M.
Director, PCA Historical Center, St. Louis, MO
Blogs: The Continuing Story and PCA History Blog

I recommend J.A. Wylie's The History of Protestantism:
History of Protestantism

And D'Aubigne's History of the Protestant Reformation

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Jim
An Elder, Harvest Reformed Church (RCUS),Minot, ND
http://www.harvestreformedchurch.org/
http://tbftgoggi.wordpress.com/

Upon a life I did not live; upon a death I did not die, Another's death, Another's life, I'd rest my soul eternally
Omnia dicta fortiora,si dicta Latina
Si vis pacem, para bellum

D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century

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Lance G. Marshall
Pastor
Georgetown, Indiana

The introductory essay in Volume 1 of Muller's Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics would be helpful, I think. Even though his focus is on the "Post-Reformation" period, he does discuss the relationship between the earlier (first gen.) and later (second and third gen.) Reformers. It's an important issue in Reformation studies.

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Wes Bredenhof
Pastor, Providence Canadian Reformed Church
Hamilton, Ontario
www.bredenhof.ca
Gospel Talk Radio Program

Roland Bainton wrote a lot of Reformation books. His one on Luther Here I Stand is a standard. Some people don't like him but his books tend to be pretty readable. His books on the the women of the Reformation are grouped by countries. They are more academic than some of his works.

For the English Reformation I would recommend’Aubigné 's two volume The Reformation in England.


JCRyle wrote a great little book called the Five English Reformers that includes sections on Lattimer, Ridley and Cranmer.

My "speciality" is English Reformation so that is why I recommended them. There is also a great small volume on John Wycliffe by Fountain. I also have a lot of books on the women of the Reformation so if you need other recommendations let me know.

This past year I read The Imaginative of the Reformation by Matheson which was a fascinating look at the arts including some wonderful examples of storytelling which helped forward the message of the Reformation.

Since this is the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth there are some great new books available. You could probably just Google 'Calvin 500' and find a lot of resources.

I hope you enjoy your course.

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Janice
Tutor at Granite Classical Tutorials
Member First Presbysterian Columbia, SC
Attend Chapelgate PCA
Sykesville, MD

Check this out

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Michael Turner
Christ Reformed Church | Independent [WCF]
Georgia

Thanks, guys. I appreciate all the recommendations. If anyone else has more, let me know.

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Ruben
Moderator
F.P.C.I.
Indiana

Vanities and disguises have covered us, and thereby we are naked; licenciousness hath inflam'd us, and thereby we are frozen; voluptuousness hath fed us, and thereby we are sterved, the fancies and traditions of men have taught and instructed us, and thereby we are ignorant.
John Donne

Board Rules - Signature Requirements - Suggestions?

Calvinistas Conversando
Teología en Mexico
The Howling Wilderness

The Age of Reform, by Steven Ozment, was required reading in my Reformation church history course and I found it to be very helpful -- I've read it twice and highly recommend it. Since I liked the author, I went ahead and tried another one of his books: The Reformation in the Cities (also good, but it's scope is not as broad; I wrote a review of it here). Another very good book was Forerunners of the Reformation by Oberman, which has a lot of primary source material and good introductory matter that helps you understand the streams of thought on different loci just prior to the Reformation.

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Casey, Chicagoland, OPC