The Bondage of the Will Book

This book was very difficult to get through because so much was packed in each sentence. While reading this book I found myself on a number of occasions reading less than a page in a sitting. With that said, this book was worth the effort.

Luther absolutely obliterates Erasmus, and he is anything but cordial in doing so. This book is laden with sarcasm, insult, and downright nastiness at times. This book is as intense as a polemic could be. While I typically tire of fundamentalist polemics, this book carried with it something so much deeper than contemporary fundamentalist bickering. As you come to conclusion of this book you see Luther's heart in the entire matter. Erasmus and his Diatribe, were a convenient foil to a much greater issue in the mind of Luther. Luther's obliteration of Erasmus was really an obliteration of even the slightest notion that someone would contribute anything to the grace of God in salvation.

I highly recommend this book, but have a few pots of coffee and a bottle of painkillers with you because your mind is going to be tired and hurting as you plod through it.