Katharina and Martin Luther: The Radical Marriage of a Runaway Nun and a Renegade Monk
She had me at Runaway Nun. The daughter of a Baptist minister, I can relate to wanting to run
away from the convent of legalism toward a promise of
freedom from ‘habit.’
I joined the “Katharina and
Martin Luther” book launch project because, first of all, I find
Michelle DeRusha’s blog a breath of fresh air. Also, I love
history, and this year is the 500th anniversary of Martin
Luther posting the Ninety-five Theses to the doors of the
church. The combination of history, great writing, and a little-known
story about a marriage between a runaway nun and a renegade monk
caught me hook, line, and sinker.
Katharina von Bora did not choose
to be a nun. Her father chose this path for her after the death of
his wife and her mother. She embraced the life for many years because
options for women were few, especially for a woman who had never
known anything but convent life as a school girl and young lady.
Martin Luther chose to be a monk
out of fear of not fulfilling a vow he made during a terrible storm.
He left a promising path in life as an educated man, perhaps even a
career as a lawyer and his father was furious. He became a model monk, sometimes confessing his
sins for six hours straight.
Both Katharina and Martin made
vows and followed them to the best of their ability in humble service to
God. But God began to stir their hearts. Martin’s extensive study
of scripture made him begin to question the tactics of the Roman
Catholic Church. Those questions led to the day he nailed his
Ninety-five Theses to the Castle Doors of Wittenburg Church.
His revolutionary ‘grace not
works’ theology found its way behind the cloister doors where
Katharina hid behind her habit and the rituals of the convent. God
was stirring her heart as well. Through doors only God could have
opened, she made her escape from the convent with the help of Martin,
a man who didn’t even know her name.
I think it is quite telling of
God’s providence that their story together begins on Easter Eve,
the night of her escape, because Easter is a time of resurrection and
new life. As you will read in Katharina and Martin Luther: The
Radical Marriage of Runaway Nun and a Renegade Monk, this husband
and wife team will change the face of marriage for all time.
I encourage you to read it and
share it with friends. It would be a great book club choice because
a love story that features rebelling against legalism in
the church is fodder for many conversations. DeRusha’s book launches Jan. 31 and can be purchased
wherever books are sold. Please follow Michelle’s blog at
michellederusha.com.
