No one worked more arduously and incessantly as did Martin Bucer, the "other Martin", to preserve the unity of the fledgling Protestant movement from splintering into rival sects and denominations. Not only did he work for unity among Protestants, for many years he held to the hope of reunification with Rome. So obsessed was he with this task that one of his closest friends called him "the fanatic for unity."

Bucer's plan was to call for a definition of the essentials of the faith on which there could be no yielding or compromise, and to allow the non-essentials to be matters of opinion on which people could differ without disrupting their fellowship. What were the essentials of the faith for Bucer? One may cite justification by faith alone, the authority of Scripture, redemption resting in the eternal counsels and decrees of the sovereign God, the importance of the Christian community, the similar importance of Christian education, the evil of compulsory clerical celibacy, the centrality of the family, and, most importantly, the primacy of love in every relationship among Christians.

To advance his twin goals of unity and truth Bucer traveled extensively and became the foremost diplomat of the magisterial Reformers to the courts of Europe, both secular and religious. He spoke in numerous colloquies and conferences, and he wrote prolifically: letters, treatises, confessions, and defenses of his positions.

The fruit of Bucer's labors resulted in his being, in many ways, the father of the Reformed faith. As mentor to a younger John Calvin he contributed many of the theological concepts Calvin later embodied in his Institutes. As advisor to Thomas Cranmer he helped to structure the Protestant Church of England. Had the emperor not interfered, Bucer may well have converted many of the kings, princes, archbishops and cardinals of the Catholic Church to evangelical Christianity. As it was, under pressure from the emperor, his own city council of Strasbourg turned him out and he died in exile in England.

Bucer's story needs to be told, for the principles for which he labored all his life need defenders today. The Christian world still needs to find the balance between unity and truth in a framework of love. Martin Bucer's life and work speak powerfully to the church of an era five centuries removed form his. order from home page

-David Lawrence

J. David Lawrence is professor of history at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee and also teaches for Engedi Ministries. He has been involved in Christian ministry as a pastor and theology teacher for over fifty years. A graduate of Drury College in Springfield, Missouri and holding a master's degree in history from Wichita State University and a Ph. D. from the University of Kansas, Dr. Lawrence has published Erasmus and the Renaissance Neo-Platonic Revival (University Of Kansas Ph. D. dissertation, 1984), a number of articles on Renaissance and Reformation theological topics and has reviewed several books for history journals. He taught for fifteen years at Wichita Collegiate School and has been on the Lipscomb faculty since 1986. He is married to the former Alice Davis, and they have two sons and three grandchildren.