October 2017 (Continued from page 4)


phlets of 1520, his excommunication by the pope and his appearance at the Diet of Worms in 1521 before the Emperor Charles V, followed by his stay in the Wartburg castle for his safety. It was here that he be- gan arguably his greatest work, the translation of the Bible into German to make it available to the ordinary lay member of the Church. After his return to Witten- berg Luther became involved in the creation and de- velopment of the new Lutheran or Evangelical church which arose from his teachings and spread across Ger- many. Inexorably it separated from the Church of Rome, despite attempts to heal the breach, and by Lu- ther’s death in 1546 the breach seemed to be perma- nent.


Stanford follows Luther’s part in this process, but he gives us a vivid portrayal of Luther the man with his robustly physical nature, his marriage to Katie and his family life, as well as Luther the preacher, writer and thinker, the intensely human figure who emerges so vividly in his Table Talk. He stresses Luther’s violent side and does not excuse his tirades against the rebel- lious peasants and the Jews, though he does explain them. On the other hand he also stresses Luther’s horror of the prospect of religious war and the suffer- ing it would bring. Luther did not wish to get involved in politics, but he could not avoid it as he relied on the


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protection of his prince, the Elector of Saxony, and on the support of other German princes for the Lutheran churches that were being organized in their territories. Unlike other reformers he had little interest in church government because for him religion was primarily a private matter between the believer and his Saviour.


What of Luther’s relevance today? Not surprisingly Stanford muses over what Luther would have thought of the modern Roman Catholic Church now that it is willing to recognize that so much of what Luther was saying was justified, with its emphasis on the Church as the people of God and not just a clerical corpora- tion. Although the Lutheran Church after Luther was not very tolerant, it did not resort to persecution as much as other churches did, and the door to accommo- dation with Catholicism was never entirely closed. Its main statement of belief, the Augsburg Confession of 1530, was favourably commented on by Pope Bene- dict XVI, even if he did not agree with all of it. How- ever, Stanford broadens Luther’s contemporary impact beyond friendly relations with Rome and other Protes- tants. He argues that his prioritising of the individual conscience against institutional repression is the basis of what we value today in our belief in political and religious liberty, in our accountability for our actions and the dignity of our humanity.


The Fellowship of St Birinus Michael Hosking


Members of St Helen’s congrega- tion were out in force for the ser- vice of Evensong at Dorchester Abbey on September 24, in order to celebrate the admission of Bar- bara Earl and Steve Thomas to the Order of St Birinus.


Named after the first Bishop of Dorchester in the seventh century, the order was founded in 2009 by the Bishop of Dorchester, with a view to honouring those who have given long and devoted service to the Church of England in the arch- deaconry of Dorchester.


A huge congregation packed the abbey for Choral Evensong, which was presided over by Bishop Colin, who also preached. Traditional and modern music and hymns meant there was something for everyone. The citations for each of the recipi- ents gave an indication of the wide range of ways in which people


throughout the archdeaconry have served the church, from bell ring- ing, hospitality, work with young people, and in Barbara and Steve’s case, work with the Moth- ers’ Union and in maintaining the fabric of St Helen’s respectively. More than 80 members of congre- gations in the diocese had been put forward as new members of the order, and many had brought numbers of friends with them to help to celebrate the occasion. Each of the new members of the Order were welcomed individu- ally by Bishop Colin as they re- ceived a certificate and a lapel badge.


Barbara Earl with her certificate


At the end of the service, Bishop Colin thanked and congratulated the new members of the Order on all their hard work. Next time you see Barbara or Steve, please follow his example!


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