In the five hundred years since the birth of Martin Luther, countless volumes have been written about his life, his beliefs and his influence on society. This book brings together much of this material in a fundamental analysis of Luther’s life and theological witness, providing an introduction to laypersons to the many facets of the Reformer’s background and influences upon him. This simple, straightforward guidebook to Luther also features a discussion of his ‘Small Catechism’ with each part of the catechelical text preceded by interpretive comments and a description of the context in which it was written. An afterword illustrates points of tension between Luther and the contemporary world.