作者談到現在一般人對馬丁路德宗教改革的迷思。
根據最新的研究成果顯示
1.中世紀的天主教有彈性，未必壓迫與不寬容。馬丁路德認為天主教教義與中世紀的習俗混淆，無法得到救贖，因此提倡回到經典。(馬丁路德回到經典的論述類似於今日的Salafism)
2. 路德的宗教改革並未立即帶來宗教自由，大部份歐洲仍是屬於天主教信仰。
3. 宗教改革並未帶來現代化。如路德仍相信最後的救贖等非物質的信念。
This year marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s
Reformation in Germany, a monumental event in Christian history that generated permanent divisions in the
body of Christendom. As
commemorations of Luther’s Reformation commence throughout the world, it’s likely that some of Islam’s most
ardent critics will use the occasion to renew their calls for an “Islamic
Reformation.”
Demands for an Islamic Reformation are nothing new, of course. They have fueled the careers of some of
the most prominent anti-Islam activists in the West today. This is particularly true for
“native informants”: current or former Muslims who use their personal knowledge
of and experience with Islam to inform majority populations in the West that
Islam really is stuck in the Middle Ages and in desperate need of its own
Martin Luther.
