Wayne S. Benner's Page

To my brother's and sister's in Christ, may he bring an abundance of joy to your heart and a warmth to your soul in troubled times. For it is only in Him that we are saved. -Amen

I have completed another packet of essay's and annotation's for my current semester and have two more to go. I have asked myself many things on this journey of understanding the Protestant Reformation, from a socio-economic view.

I have found that timing of Luther's writings could not have been better. The printing pr… Continue

Book Annotations By Wayne S. Benner-Copyright, use by permission only. 2009

Annotation-Martin Luther, Selections from His Writings, Edited by John Dillenberger

John Dillenberger edited this work and profoundly adopted a style, true to the academic. His approach to understanding Martin Luther, is summed up well, “…Selections have been made with a concern for variety in form and content, expository and polemical treaties, biblical commentaries, sermons and theses have been included.” Overall thi… Continue

Annotation-Reformers in Profile, Edited by B. A. Gerrish. Copyright 2009, use by permission only.

Edited by B. A. Gerrish, of the University of Chicago, Reformers in Profile, offers a vast range of influential individuals of the Reformation age. The forward, is a testament to the academic abstaining from alignment with any of those written about, thus keeping the University of Chicago and B. A. Gerrish out of any one alignment. Interestingly, the introductions states that, “One could present th… Continue

Annotation-The Bondage of the Will, By Martin Luther/Translated by J. J. Parker and O. R. Johnston
Copyright 2009. Use by permission only.

Translated by J. J. Parker and O. R. Johnston, Martin Luther’s, The Bondage of The Will, strikes a defiant, sometimes coarse tone. Direct in approach, Luther response to Desiderious Erasmus thoughts on Church, faith and approach. Luther has a systematic approach, which remains consistent and adheres to his theological principles.

The theological introductio… Continue

Annotation-Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Volume 1 and 2
Copyright 2009 Use by permission only.

Edited by John T. McNeill and from the, "Library of Christian Classics," the text is informative and of two challenging volumes. What of these challenges, the authoritative translations, without individual introduction, rely on the preconceived knowledge of the reader, on Calvin and his progress. I respect the fact that this translation does not transcend into the biographical arena, b… Continue