Luther: In Real Time

By Ligonier Ministries

History Religion & Spirituality Christianity

What's Luther: In Real Time about?

It’s 1520. Martin Luther has been declared a heretic by Pope Leo X, and his books are being burned. How much longer before Luther himself is thrown into the fire?

Enter the German Reformer’s dramatic story with Luther: In Real Time. First released 500 years after the events described, this podcast allows you to walk in Martin Luther’s footsteps from his heresy charges to his famous stand for the authority of God’s Word at the Diet of Worms. Share this podcast with people of all ages so they can hear—in Luther’s own words—what Protestants are protesting and why it still matters today.

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May 5, 1521: The End of Lut...

12.31.2021

As Martin Luther makes his escape from Worms, he knows there may be nowhere left for him to go. Suddenly, armed horsemen surround the wagon, and Luther is taken captive. Today, our journey with the German Reformer comes to an ...

Luther: In Real Time episodes:

12.31.2021 May 5, 1521: The End of Luther [Rebroadcast] As Martin Luther makes his escape from Worms, he knows there may be nowhere left for him to go. Suddenly, armed horsemen surround the wagon, and Luther is taken captive. Today, our journey with the German Reformer comes to an ...
12.24.2021 April 26, 1521: Judgment Day [Rebroadcast] Martin Luther has taken his stand at the Diet of Worms, and the council has made its deliberations. What will be done to the man who refused to compromise God's Word? Today, Luther's destiny is made clear. A donor-supported outreach ...
12.17.2021 April 18, 1521: Here I Stand [Rebroadcast] The day has come at last. Martin Luther stands trial at the Diet of Worms. How will he respond when he is called to recant his teaching and reject God's Word? Today, the German monk makes history. A donor-supported outreach ...
12.10.2021 April 16, 1521: Bundschuh [Rebroadcast] Nine days after leaving Erfurt, Martin Luther arrives in the city of Worms. Today, the cries of revolt rise, reminding Luther that he will soon be standing before the most powerful individual in all Europe--alone. A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier ...
12.03.2021 April 7, 1521: The Road to Erfurt [Rebroadcast] As Martin Luther arrives at Erfurt, the thought comes to him: his journey to Worms had really begun here 16 years ago. Today, Luther preaches to more than 2,000 listeners, reminding them of the truth of the gospel. A donor-supported ...
11.26.2021 March 10, 1521: The Goose and the Swan [Rebroadcast] A message from the city of Worms has just arrived in Wittenberg. If the rumor is true, then what Martin Luther has most hoped--and most feared--is finally happening. Today, Luther prepares to be summoned to stand before the emperor--and likely ...
11.19.2021 February 3, 1521: The Gate to Paradise [Rebroadcast] As his students gather around him, Martin Luther answers their questions and plays along with their goading. But when the professor starts to tell of his miraculous conversion, the room is marked by an awed silence. Listen along today--more than ...
11.12.2021 January 3, 1521: Excommunication [Rebroadcast] Indignant with Martin Luther's defiance, Pope Leo X is preparing to exercise the full force of his authority to bring his enemy to nothing. Today, enter the pope's luxuriant chambers as he dictates an official decree. A donor-supported outreach of ...
11.05.2021 December 10, 1520: Time’s Up [Rebroadcast] Martin Luther has put up a good fight against Pope Leo X. But if the monk does not renounce his teachings now, there can be no turning back. Today, join Luther on the day of reckoning in the snowy streets ...
10.29.2021 November 28, 1520: The Articles of Antichrist [Rebroadcast] If Martin Luther is right about the Bible's message of salvation, then the Roman Catholic Church must reform itself--radically. Today, the monk's books are being burned in the streets, but this only drives Luther to write more boldly in defense ...
10.22.2021 November 10, 1520: The Lost Boy [Rebroadcast] On his 37th birthday, Martin Luther's thoughts turn to his troubled past. For most of his life, he was driven by fear, striving to earn God's favor and escape the torments of hell. But today, Luther has true peace with ...
10.15.2021 October 16, 1520: The Wild Boar [Rebroadcast] In the eyes of Pope Leo X, Martin Luther is a boar running wild in his vineyard, and this pest must be hunted down. Today, Leo turns to Luther's patron, Frederick, to help him take the rebel captive. A donor-supported ...
10.08.2021 October 10, 1520: Damnable Heretic [Rebroadcast] It's been three years since Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg. Now the pope's envoy is knocking on Luther's door, and the message is dire. As season 2 of the podcast begins today, ...
09.28.2021 Introducing Season 2 Walk again with Martin Luther to hear how God used the conviction of a lone German monk to spark reformation in the church and change the world forever. Every Friday, listen to the high points from the original series or ...
05.05.2021 May 5, 1521: The End of Luther As Martin Luther makes his escape from Worms, he knows there may be nowhere left for him to go. Suddenly, armed horsemen surround the wagon, and Luther is taken captive. Today, our journey with the German Reformer, 500 years to ...
04.26.2021 April 26, 1521: Judgment Day Martin Luther has taken his stand at the Diet of Worms, and the council has made its deliberations. What will be done to the man who refused to compromise God's Word? Today, Luther's destiny is made clear. A donor-supported outreach ...
04.18.2021 April 18, 1521: Here I Stand The day has come at last. Martin Luther stands trial at the Diet of Worms. How will he respond when he is called to recant his teaching and reject God's Word? Five hundred years ago today, the German monk makes ...
04.16.2021 April 16, 1521: Bundschuh Nine days after leaving Erfurt, Martin Luther arrives in the city of Worms. Today, the cries of revolt rise, reminding Luther that he will soon be standing before the most powerful individual in all Europe--alone. A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier ...
04.07.2021 April 7, 1521: The Road to Erfurt As Martin Luther arrives at Erfurt, the thought comes to him: his journey to Worms had really begun here, in Erfurt, 16 years ago. Today, Luther preaches to more than 2,000 listeners, reminding them of the truth of the gospel. ...
04.02.2021 April 2, 1521: Departure It's April 2, and the herald has arrived to escort Luther from Wittenberg to the Diet at Worms. Today, Martin Luther begins the 250-mile journey, leaving the relative safety of Saxony far behind. A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: ...
03.26.2021 March 26, 1521: No Such Thing as Fortune Hundreds of miles from Wittenberg, a boy named John Calvin schools his schoolmaster on the nature of God's providence. Meanwhile, Martin Luther is teaching his own students today when an awaited messenger approaches. A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: ...
03.17.2021 March 17, 1521: The Portrait What will happen to Martin Luther's students if their professor leaves for Worms and does not return alive? Who will care for his congregation? Today, a close friend creates a portrait of Luther. Will it be his last? A donor-supported ...
03.10.2021 March 10, 1521: The Goose and the Swan A message from the city of Worms has just arrived in Wittenberg. If the rumor is true, then what Martin Luther has most hoped--and most feared--is finally happening. Today, Luther prepares to be summoned to stand before the emperor--and likely ...
03.03.2021 March 3, 1521: Meanwhile, in Zurich A survivor of war and the plague, Ulrich Zwingli stands in defiance against a pope who cares more about the state of his wealth than the state of men's souls. Today, Zwingli stands with Luther in protest from 400 miles ...
02.19.2021 February 19, 1521: Splendid Sins One of Martin Luther's most trusted friends is buckling under pressure from the pope. Today, Staupitz urges Luther to be cautious in his teaching on God's grace, and Luther exhorts his father confessor to be bold for Christ. A donor-supported ...
02.13.2021 February 13, 1521: Luther against the World Enemies of Martin Luther are appearing in more places than Germany and Rome. With empires arrayed against him, how can the monk continue his protest for the truth? Today, Luther faces the cost of standing against the world. A donor-supported ...
02.03.2021 February 3, 1521: The Gate to Paradise As his students gather around him, Martin Luther answers their questions and plays along with their goading. But when the professor starts to tell of his miraculous conversion, the room is marked by an awed silence. Listen along today--500 years ...
01.27.2021 January 27, 1521: Under the Open Sky Frederick, the elector of Saxony, is enduring pressure from Pope Leo X to banish Martin Luther from his lands. But Frederick's sympathies toward Luther leave him agonized. Today, he finds himself in the same room as the pope's allies. A ...
01.21.2021 January 21, 1521: Black Earth and First Mass When Martin Luther had officiated his first Mass, he was seized with terror at the holiness of God, like a condemned man ascending the pyre for his own burning. Today, Luther relives that memory in a conversation with his colleague, ...
01.12.2021 January 12, 1521: The Promise of Hell If it weren't for Martin Luther's father confessor, Luther might not have survived his years in the Augustinian monastery. Today, Luther thinks back to his long hours in the confessional and how the Lord led him to the true gospel ...
01.03.2021 January 3, 1521: Excommunication Indignant with Martin Luther's defiance, Pope Leo X is preparing to exercise the full force of his authority to bring his enemy to nothing. Today, enter the pope's luxuriant chambers as he dictates an official decree. A donor-supported outreach of ...
12.26.2020 December 26, 1520: Revoked When Martin Luther received an invitation to defend his case before Emperor Charles V, he knew his defense of the gospel might result in his demise. On this day 500 years ago, Luther reads a second imperial letter that has ...
12.16.2020 December 16, 1520: No Saint Can Help Us Through his undaunted preaching, Martin Luther is training even the humblest townspeople of Wittenberg to stand courageously against the pope's false teaching. But today, Leo X has something in store for Luther that will change his life forever. A donor-supported ...
12.10.2020 December 10, 1520: Time's Up Martin Luther has put up a good fight against Pope Leo X. But if the monk does not renounce his teachings now, there can be no turning back. Today, join Luther on the day of reckoning in the snowy streets ...
12.02.2020 December 2, 1520: A Deceiver and a Wolf With just over a week left to recant, Martin Luther preaches an Advent sermon in Wittenberg. He is not too timid to decry the false teachings of the Roman Catholic Church from the pulpit as he boldly proclaims the truth. ...
11.28.2020 November 28, 1520: The Articles of Antichrist If Martin Luther is right about the Bible's message of salvation, then the Roman Catholic Church must reform itself--radically. Today, the monk's books are being burned in the streets, but this only drives Luther to write more boldly in defense ...
11.24.2020 November 24, 1520: Dinner with Luther Students are flocking to the university in Wittenberg to learn under Martin Luther, and he takes delight in freeing them from the Roman Catholic superstitions that once held him captive. Today, sit with Luther and one of his pupils at ...
11.17.2020 November 17, 1520: The Re-Sacrifice of Christ In teaching that Christ is re-sacrificed in holy communion and that receiving the Mass is a good work, the Roman Catholic Church is keeping souls captive to a false gospel. On this day 500 years ago, Martin Luther's criticism of ...
11.10.2020 November 10, 1520: The Lost Boy On his 37th birthday, Martin Luther's thoughts turn to his troubled past. For most of his life, he was driven by fear, striving to earn God's favor and escape the torments of hell. But today, Luther has true peace with ...
11.04.2020 November 4, 1520: Am I Alone Wise? Is the whole church in error, except for Martin Luther? Standing alone on the authority of Scripture, Luther asks Christian dukes and princes to take their stand with him against the pope. Today, go back to November 4, 1520, to ...
10.31.2020 October 31, 1520: All Hallows' Eve On the third anniversary of his 95 Theses, Martin Luther is more resolute than ever in his opposition to the corrupt sale of indulgences. Christ, not the pope, holds the keys to a secure salvation. But is Luther willing to ...
10.23.2020 October 23, 1520: Luther vs. Eck Two weeks have passed since Martin Luther was called to renounce his teachings. Remembering his debate with Germany's leading theologian, Luther knows that backing down now would mean surrendering the truth of Scripture. Today, Luther writes his response, and he ...
10.16.2020 October 16, 1520: The Wild Boar In the eyes of Pope Leo X, Martin Luther is a boar running wild in his vineyard, and this pest needs to be hunted down. Today, Leo turns to Luther's patron, Frederick, to help him take the rebel captive. A ...
10.10.2020 October 10, 1520: Damnable Heretic It's been three years since Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door at Wittenberg. Now the pope's envoy is knocking on Luther's door, and the message is dire. Today, travel back to October 10, 1520, to ...
09.23.2020 Luther: In Real Time "Condemned. Reprobated. Rejected." A monk by the name of Martin Luther has been declared a heretic by the most powerful man on earth. Luther is left with a choice: will he recant his teachings or stand alone for the truth? ...