This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. Introducing Family Freedom from T-Mobile. We'll pay off four phones up to $3,200 and give you four free phones, all on America's largest 5G network. Visit your local T-Mobile location or learn more at t-mobile.com/slash familyfreedom.
Up to $800 per line via virtual prepaid card. Typically takes 15 days. Free phones via 24-monthly bill credits with finance agreement, egg Apple iPhone 16, 128GB, 829.99. Eligible trade-in, eg iPhone 11 Pro for well-qualified. Credits end and balance due if you pay off early or cancel.
Contact T-Mobile. Are you looking for entertainment that lifts you up? Then check out Upt Faith and Family, the leading streaming service for inspiring, hope-filled shows and movies. This season, streams soul-stirring favorites like Southern Gospel, plus four full seasons of Jesus Calling, and the uplifting new faith series, These Stones. Or settle in with 19 seasons of the beloved family series Heartland, a family favorite ranch drama fans can't get enough of.
It's commercial free. Stream anywhere. Get a free trial today. Go to upfaithandfamily.com/slash iHeart. Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously.
On Public, you can build a multi-asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto, and now generated assets, which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt: from renewable energy companies with high-free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one-of-a-kind index, and lets you backtest it against the SP 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks.
Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com/slash podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com/slash podcast. Paid for by Public Investing, Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc., member F-I-N-R-A-S-I-P-C. Advisory Services by Public Advisors LLC, SEC Registrar.
Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com/slash disclosures.
Well, the holidays have come and gone once again, but if you've forgotten to get that special someone in your life a gift, well, Mint Mobile is extending their holiday offer of half-off unlimited wireless.
So here's the idea: you get it now. You call it an early present for next year. What do you have to lose? Give it a try at mintmobile.com/slash switch. Limited time, 50% off regular price for new customers.
Upfront payment required: $45 for three months, $90 for six months, or $180 for a 12-month plan. Taxes and fees extra. Speeds me slow after 50 gigabytes per month when network is busy. See terms. This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star and the American people.
and to search for the Our American Stories podcast, Go to the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Today's story is about one man who changed the world 500 years ago. The origin of this conflict flowed from a deceptively simple question. A riddle of sorts that a Catholic monk named Martin Luther wrestled with. for years.
The question he asked himself was this. Am I a good person? Here to tell the story is best-selling author Eric Metaxas. Eric wrote Martin Luther. The man who rediscovered God and changed the world.
Let's take a listen. When Martin Luther King Jr. was about five years old.
Okay, we're talking about the the black leader in 20th century. His father was a famous Baptist preacher. And he visited the Holy Land with a whole bunch of other Baptists. This is like, would have been, I don't know, 1920 or something. I don't get it right.
And On the way back, he went to Germany. and visited Wittenberg and stuff and was so blown away. This is the Black Father was so blown away by the life of Martin Luther. Then as an adult, He changed his name from Michael King. to Martin Luther King.
As an adult, he changed his name. That's how big of a deal Luther is. has been in history. And his son Michael Jr. changed his name to Martin Luther King, Jr.
Until the day Martin Luther King Jr. died, his close friends called him Mike. I would say Luther is the most influential man in 2,000 years, apart from Jesus. There's no doubt that God used this very flawed man. And so I was really convinced that this is a gigantically important story.
Luther was born on November 10th, but the year in which he was born, we actually don't know. We're sure that it's 1482, 1483, or 1484. I'm pretty sure it's 1483, but no one really knows. including his own mother, who was nearby when it took place. We actually don't.
That's kind of weird, but it's true. But he's born on November 10th, on November 11th. They take him to church and baptize him because the whole point was If you're not baptized, you'll go to hell forever, right?
So you might want to speed up the baptismal process, kind of important.
So they baptized him on November 11th, which was Saint Martin's Day, and they named him Martin after the saint for whom the day was named. Luther was raised in a fairly Well-to-do family.
Now, there's all these myths you hear that he grew up, and he always said, I'm the son of a poor miner and I come from peasant stock. He was kind of like blowing smoke the way politicians do. They kind of like want to try to, you know, tell you they come from these humble roots. But the reality is, his roots were not that humble, he was exaggerating a little bit. His father was not a poor miner.
His father was an ambitious, successful. Businessman in the mining business. His father wanted his brilliant son to go to the best schools and to go to university, study law, and then come home to Mansfeld and Work in the family business. They needed a brilliant lawyer to work with them and they put them on this path. They could never go to college, you know.
So they said, it's on you.
So The problem is that Luther grew up at a time when salvation And the fear of hell was so real. That While he is away from home at these schools. He's thinking about Eternal matters.
Now, his parents were Christians, but I think that wherever he was, he had the freedom as being a very sensitive, brilliant young man, to be thinking about this stuff. And I think it was eating at him. And by the time he goes to law school, He's 22 years old. His father sacrificed everything. Things come to a head.
And he has heard of some people dying and on their deathbed saying, you know, I wish I hadn't done this or that. I wish I'd gone into a monastery. I wish I'd given everything to God because now I'm facing eternity and I'm scared. People often tell the story as though one day Luther's blithely minding his own business, walking on the heath in the village of Stotternheim. A thunderstorm comes, scares him to death.
He thinks he's going to be struck by lightning and enter eternity. And he says, Saint Anne, save me. If you save me, I'll become a monk. Saint Anne was the patron saint of minors, and he doesn't die. And then he thinks, well, I've just made a vow.
I guess I've got to become a monk. And he becomes a monk. And that's, of course, ridiculous because he had been thinking about his own salvation. Very much in the years preceding this.
So, the implication that this was. Just something that he blurts out in a moment of fear and then it changes the course of his whole life is just silly. He was thinking incessantly about eternity.
So when the thunderstorm came and he says this vow, which did happen, It was only all of these things coming to a head. It wasn't some dramatic thing. The bottom line is, this was against his father's wishes. But he said, I cannot take a chance. He was scared.
obeying his father and going to hell forever. And so he does this against his father's wishes. And he gets into the monastery, and what happens in the monastery?
Well, He realizes that if I have to earn heaven, which was the basic way of thinking. That means I've got to pray constantly. I've got to fast constantly. I've got to deny myself every pleasure. I have to confess every sinful thought.
Otherwise, any sinful thought can drag me to hell unless I confess it to a priest. Not to God. To a priest who will officially absolve me. And if he doesn't officially absolve me, I go to hell. And you're listening to Eric Betaxis tell the story of Martin Luther.
And we tell this story because of course America was founded By people. Who were a part of this split in the church that happened in the 16th century? And what a fascinating story about his youth. The myth busted my Metaxas that he came from a poor family and that the father was a minor. A slight exaggeration, as Eric would put it, but one that was not true.
He came from a well-to-do family, well enough to send him off to law school for the study of law. But there was a crisis lurking, and an existential one, a philosophical one, a spiritual one. because Luther was worried about his eternal soul. and worried about hell.
So he leaves law. to the monastery and when we come back. More of this remarkable story. of Martin Luther here. on our American stories.
Lee Habib here, the host of Our American Stories. Every day on this show, we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country. Stories from our big cities and small towns. But we truly can't do this show without you. Our stories are free to listen to, but they're not free to make.
If you love what you hear, go to ouramericanstories.com and click the donate button. Give a little, give a lot. Go to ouramericanstories.com and give. The new year means new health goals, not just for your body, but for your finances too. But did you know financial health is directly related to identity protection?
You need Life Lock because your personal info is in endless places that are outside of your control. It only takes one mistake, and not even your mistake, to expose you to identity theft and lost funds. LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points per second and alerts you to threats you could miss on your own. If your identity is stolen, LifeLock's U.S.-based restoration specialists will fix it, backed by the Million Dollar Protection Package. In fact, restoration is guaranteed or your subscription money back.
Don't face drained accounts, fraudulent loans, or other financial losses from identity theft alone. Resolve to make identity, health, and wealth part of your new year's goals with LifeLock. Visit lifelock.com slash iHeart and save up to 40% your first year. That's 40% off at lifelock.com slash iHeart. Yeah.
Terms apply. Want to sell your car your way? Who wouldn't? That's why CarMax offers a car selling experience designed just for you with online and in-store options. Want to know what your car is worth quickly?
Get an online offer in under two minutes. Want to think it over? Use OfferWatch to keep tabs on your car's value over time. Plus, CarMax offers flexible selling options with Express Drop-Off, in-store, or pickup at home. Selling your car is in your control with CarMax.
Want to drive? CarMax. Pickup not available everywhere. Restrictions and fee may apply. See CarMax.com for details.
You know what's wild? We can video chat from space, order groceries just by talking out loud. And men have like 17 options for hair loss alone. But a bra that actually fits and feels good? Apparently, too much to ask.
Until now, meet the uplift bra from NYX. That's KNIX, a wireless bra that finally delivers real lift and all-day comfort. The secret? Molded cups with a built-in foam panel that gently enhances your natural shape.
So you get a subtle boost without wires digging or that, why am I still wearing this moment at 3 p.m.? You asked for it. We delivered. In a push-up bra that doesn't dig, poke, or pinch. And with an extensive size range from 28A through 42E, you'll be sure to find your perfect fit with the uplift.
Try the uplift bra at nix.com and use code perfectfit15 for 15% off your first order. That's knix.com, code perfectfit15, nix.com. Looking for entertainment that lifts you up? Then check out Upt Faith and Family, the leading streaming service for inspiring, hope-filled shows and movies. This season streams soul-stirring favorites like Southern Gospel, plus four full seasons of Jesus Calling, and the uplifting new faith series These Stones.
Or settle in with 19 seasons of the beloved family series Heartland, a family favorite ranch drama fans can't get enough of. It's commercial free. Stream anywhere. Get a free trial today. Go to upfaithandfamily.com slash iHeart.
Uh And we continue with our American stories and with Eric Metaxas. He's the author of Martin Luther, The Man Who Rediscovered God. and change the world, let's pick up. where we last left off. Uh Luther believed.
Now, think about this. I mean, later on, he taught that when you make a confession to God and you repent to God, you're good. Faith is all you need, and God will forgive you. But the church taught, and Luther eventually fought viciously with this concept, the church said, It doesn't matter what is in your heart. And with God, you have to go to a priest.
Only the priest has the right and the authority granted to him by Christ to absolve you of your sin.
So if you do not confess your sin officially with a priest, It is still on you. It's still on the books and will drag you to hell forever.
Now, if you take that as seriously as Luther took it, You would never leave the confession booths. Yeah. And so. He was miserable, trying to please God, trying to earn his way into the favor of God.
So Luther spends his life Praying and fasting and confessing like a maniac, driving his father confessor insane, trying to see what Luther's going through, how he's tortured and brilliant and passionate and intense, and he sees that he's not finding peace. And he says to him, Do you hate God, or do you think God hates you? God loves you. But Luther could not get this.
So he would come in and he thought, I've got to confess every sin. And he would confess things like, you know, on Tuesday I prayed for five hours. And at the end of it, I had a flicker of pride for having prayed for five hours. And that flicker of pride Will pull me into hell, so I confess it. And you can imagine when Staupitz like rolling his eyes.
He actually says to Luther, only half joking: bring me a serious sin, bring me adultery or murder, or otherwise get out. I'm a busy man. Luther was just driving him insane with every random thought, confessing, confessing. And he understood that Luther is never going to find peace this way. He's trying to earn the peace of God.
And Luther was failing.
So Luther had another idea. He said, since this is not working. I wonder if someplace in the Bible There is the key, the golden key that I'm looking for, the cure for what ails me.
Now, people had not read the Bible up to this point for many, many centuries. Obviously, the printing press was not invented till the 1450s, and Luther is at the monastery in 1505. Having Bibles was not a normal thing. And the Catholic Church of that day did not have Bibles and they didn't read the Bible. They would use the Bible as a text.
To create commentaries on the Bible.
So you would study the commentaries and you'd study commentaries on the commentaries, but. Actually studying the Bible was not done. The Bible had been translated by St. Jerome 1200 years earlier into Latin, and they had the Latin Vulgate, and that was the official church translation in Latin.
Well, Luther was living in a time, humanism, this intellectual trend was coming out where, because of the fall of Constantinople in 1453, all these Greek scholars had come out and suddenly they were revivifying the ancient languages. And people began to read ancient texts, including the Bible, in the original language.
So Luther jumps on this and starts studying. The actual Bible digging into it like a man looking for the cure. to a fatal disease. Saying, if I don't find it, I will die. And Luther felt, if I don't find it, I will die the second death.
I will never. Be in the presence of God. I need to find it. And so he obsessively reads through the scriptures.
Now, he was a super brilliant. Bible reader and he he dug and dug and he taught Bible at the university And at some point around 1517, he reads Romans 1. 17. He reads This verse that he'd never. really understood before.
It says, For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed as it is written: the just shall live. By Faith. And it finally strikes him. I've been doing it all wrong. It is only by faith that I can apprehend God.
And by faith, I get the free gift of the righteousness of God. I can't become righteous on my own, it's useless. But God, who is Holy and righteous, gives me the free gift, the gospel. The good news is that He gives it to me. as a gift.
I mean, imagine somebody gives you a gift and you go, let me just give you five bucks for that. That's insulting. He understands this is a gift from God. The love of God and the righteousness of God are given to me. And all I need to do is believe that, and the word says it.
And it's imputed to me as righteousness. I am free. I am saved. Game over. I don't need to climb and claw and work and pray.
I'm saved. It's over. And then when you appreciate... That gift, and you apprehend it by faith, you accept the gift now. You can do all kinds of good works.
But It's the motivation is gratitude to the God who gave you this free gift. I want to bless him. I want to love people with the love with which he has loved me. I want to help the poor. I want to feed the hungry.
I want to do every good thing out of the joy. And the gratitude of this free gift of grace, which I have apprehended only by faith. Wow, this changes Luther's life. Obviously, it changes everything. Imagine living in a world where nobody gets this.
They have, because of tradition over centuries, kind of built this up where it's sort of about do this and don't do this and do this and don't do this. But once Luther experiences this, The famous moment is the day he nails the 95 Theses. To the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral. That's the moment. And it's related.
But not that directly related. Basically, Luther notices that in the Catholic Church at this time, they're doing this thing where they preach indulgences, where people are throwing money into the coffers of the church. And buying these certificates, kind of get out of jail-free cards. And it was creating this kind of corrupt, cynical world. And Luther said, as a priest, This is not good for the flock.
This is not good for the sheep. As a theologian, I need to tell my superiors what is going on.
Now, this is related to the works righteousness stuff that I was just talking about, but it starts out with a specific thing of indulgences. And Luther does not shake his fist at the church, and you know, we get this image of him. He was a humble monk, a humble man of God, wanting to say in the humblest way to his superiors. We have a problem. We need to examine this problem.
So, why don't we have a theological debate? That's what we theologians do in the university.
So, in Latin, I'll write up these 95 theses, I'll post it on the church door, which, by the way, was only the local bulletin board. He wasn't trying to be like a big shot by saying, I'm gonna put it on the church door. That your store was. The bulletin board. Once you realize that, it doesn't seem so heroic, right?
But in retrospect, we realize that when he did that, It blew everything up. It led to trouble. And you've been listening to Eric Metaxas tell the story of Martin Luther. And imagine this young man trying to save his immortal soul and confessing his sin trying to, well, work his way into heaven. and to save his soul from hell.
And he's confessing and he's praying and he's fasting and he's essentially driving his confessor, his priest, crazy. But he believes and knows at the time that the only way to get through, or at least that was the Catholic Church's position, was through a priest. And then he discovers that he can take his case. directly to God. That and some other criticisms of the church were posted on the door of the church.
But back then, this was not some high revolt, the mere act of posting something on a church door. It was akin to posting something on a bulletin board, but it was what was on that paper. that revolutionized the church, his critiques. And by the way, these critiques out of love for the church. not out of hate for the Catholic Church.
When we come back, more of the story of Martin Luther, as told by Eric Metaxas, author. of Martin Luther, the man who discovered God and changed the world. Here. on our American stories. Want to sell your car your way?
Who wouldn't? That's why CarMax offers a car selling experience designed just for you with online and in-store options. Want to know what your car is worth quickly? Get an online offer in under two minutes. Want to think it over?
Use OfferWatch to keep tabs on your car's value over time. Plus, CarMax offers flexible selling options with Express Drop-Off, in-store, or pickup at home. Selling your car is in your control with CarMax. Want to drive? CarMax.
Pickup not available everywhere. Restrictions and fee may apply. See CarMax.com for details. You know what's wild? We can video chat from space, order groceries just by talking out loud.
And men have like 17 options for hair loss alone. But a bra that actually fits and feels good? Apparently, too much to ask. Until now, meet the uplift bra from NYX. That's KNIX, a wireless bra that finally delivers real lift and all-day comfort.
The secret? Molded cups with a built-in foam panel that gently enhances your natural shape.
So you get a subtle boost without wires digging or that, why am I still wearing this moment at 3 p.m.? You asked for it. We delivered. In a push-up bra that doesn't dig, poke, or pinch. And with an extensive size range from 28A through 42E, you'll be sure to find your perfect fit with the uplift.
Try the uplift bra at nix.com and use code perfectfit15 for 15% off your first order. That's knix.com, code perfectfit15, nix.com. Looking for entertainment that lifts you up? Then check out Upt Faith and Family, the leading streaming service for inspiring, hope-filled shows and movies. This season streams soul-stirring favorites like Southern Gospel, plus four full seasons of Jesus Calling, and the uplifting new faith series These Stones.
Or settle in with 19 seasons of the beloved family series Heartland, a family favorite ranch drama fans can't get enough of. It's commercial free. Stream anywhere. Get a free trial today. Go to upfaithandfamily.com slash iHeart.
Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi-asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto, and now generated assets, which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high-free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one-of-a-kind index, and lets you backtest it against the SP 500.
Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com/slash podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com/slash podcast. Paid for by Public Investing, Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc., member F-I-N-R-A-S-I-P-C, Advisory Services by Public Advisors LLC, SEC Registered.
Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com/slash disclosures.
And we continue with our American stories and the story of Martin Luther. As told by Eric Metaxas, author. of Martin Luther, the man who discovered God and changed the world. Let's pick up where we last left off. People said, who does he think he is criticizing indulgences?
And they, you know, threw mud at him, and he threw some mud back, he defended himself, and it turned into a conflagration. That consumed all of Europe. This humble monk never intended that. He never intended to break away from the church. This was the only church he knew.
He never intended to start another church. Never. Uh There were other reformers who said almost exactly what Luther said a hundred years earlier. Jan Hus, the famous Hungarian, Wycliffe, Tyndale. And then there are some reformers like St.
Francis, who never were incendiary or troublemaking, but that's just because they had a good pope or they had a good, who knows? But Wycliffe and Jan Hus, they had said almost exactly what Luther said, but the church, and the power was able to contain the trouble and crush it. And burned them at the stake, and that was the end of that. The difference was when Luther brought his information forward, the printing press existed, Which, of course, it did not in 1415 when Hus was condemned. And people, without even asking Luther, Took the 95 thesis, said, Oh, this looks interesting.
They translated it into German and they printed it, and it sold like hotcakes. And next thing you know, everybody in Europe, not just Germany, is reading. These 95 theses thinking, hey, this is a hot potato. This is the Pope's not gonna like this. It started to get kind of, Know, beyond the horse got out of the barn, and there was no bringing it back in.
So everything he wrote, then he would. Preach a sermon to clarify. Like, oh, listen, I don't read the theses. Let me give my more considered thinking on the subject of indulgences. I'll preach a sermon.
I better preach a sermon and clarify because people are all hot-headed about the 95 Theses, which I only meant for other theologians to read in Latin, but now everybody's talking about it.
So he preaches a sermon and prints it up and translates into German, and then that gets distributed. And then the archbishop says to him, Well, you know, that's causing trouble too. Can you stop distributing that? Can he say, Well, of course, he was very humble, but eventually. Luther learned to use The medium of printing, and he could get his message out to the people.
There really had never been a people before, they were just. There was rulers. And the people whom they ruled, and they had nothing to say about anything. But suddenly, Luther, his writings are getting out there, and the people are reading it, and they're getting excited, and they're thinking, this man speaks for us. He's saying exactly what's true.
He's talking about the corruption, he's talking about this, he's talking about that. And this is exactly what we feel. And so, as I say, the horse got out of the barn. And so, even if they had killed Luther, the movement. These intellectual ideas were out and there was no bringing them back.
Eventually In 1521, at the grotesquely named Diet of Worms. Worms Worms was a city in Germany. And Luther was called to go to the city of Worms to face the music. The Pope had sent a representative. The Holy Roman Empire was represented by the Emperor, Charles, and all of the nobles, and they're there to hear this man.
Defend himself four years into this insanity where the whole world is talking about these ideas and suddenly. He's there. And they say to him, because they're trying to crush this dissent. Things have gotten out of hand and they're trying to say to him, Excuse me, shut up. Right?
Not, excuse me, what did you mean by that? How can we help you? It's excuse me, you shut up, recant what you said, and we'll let you walk out of here. But if you don't you will be taken to Rome and burnt. At the stake.
So Luther has an opportunity. to walk away. And it reminds me of my friend Chuck Colson. He was given a plea bargain at Watergate, and they basically said to him, Look, look, look, you want to avoid jail time? You got teenage kids, you don't want to do jail time.
Just sign on this line. Just say you did these things that you didn't do, but you do that and you walk out of here. Take the deal, Chuck. You're nuts not to take the deal. Sign it.
And he said, Well, I have a problem. I'm a Christian. I can't do that. And Luther was in the same position. He said, I understand that all I have to do is say, I recant everything I've said.
Sorry, won't happen again, and I walk out of here. But he felt compelled by God not to do that. He felt compelled by God. To demand of them that they show him Where he had made a mistake. He said, if I'm wrong, I don't want to paper this over.
Show me where I screwed up. Show me. And of course I will recant and repent. But you have to show me from the scriptures what did I get wrong? They didn't do that.
They said, are these your books? Yes or no? Yes. Do you recant what you've written in these books? Yes or no?
He said, How can I recant what I've written? I've written many good things in these books. Show me what it is that I've gotten wrong. Show me. They weren't going to do that.
They wanted just to say, shut up. Bow before the authority of the church. And everything will be fine. And he says, I can't do that. And the famous line is Here I stand.
I can do no other. You want me to to recant Unless you show me from the scriptures. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me.
Amen. He casts himself on the mercy of the Lord. Luther did not fear what they could do to him. He said, I fear God. I fear the truth.
I want to represent what is true. What about all those people depending on me? God's going to hold me responsible. All those people. I have to speak the truth.
So he spoke the truth, And this is one of the watersheds in the history of the world. When you appreciate what happened in that room, It is mind-blowing. It's an epical moment in history. Others had done it before, but somehow when he did it, It opened the door to what we call the future. I say that he was the man that created the future, the man that discovered the future.
By holding the gospel up in this way, He did something that changed the world forever and ever. And all of the freedoms that we take for granted, the very idea of democracy, the idea that the individual can speak. Against power, and that all of these things, the whole modern world. Started that day, and it's not an overstatement to say that. That is exactly what happened on that day in Vorms.
And you're listening to Eric Metaxas tell one heck of a story. of Martin Luther. And again, Eric is the author of Martin Luther, the man who discovered God and changed the world. He's also the author of one of my favorite books, Bonhoeffer. pick both up, you won't regret it.
Two of the greatest reads you'll ever experience in your lifetime. You're hearing a good bulk of the story here, and it was just simple. He was saying to the church and his superiors, let's have a discussion. I have a problem. and I have some text to back it up.
You see, the Bible was now within reach of some people. They were printing presses. And this was a problem for the superiors. And of course, well, what people do with power is what they do with power. and they wanted Martin Luther to simply recant.
and not recant on principle. Not recant after a debate or a discussion. but simply to recant and repent because they said so. And of course he didn't. Here I stand.
I can do no other. was his reply. and of course he didn't fear man. He feared God. And this should begin.
A revolution in the world. His example. would begin a revolution in the world. More of the story of Martin Luther, the man who discovered God and changed the world. Here on Our American Story.
Want to buy your way? Of course you do. That's why CarMax offers an experience designed just for you. Want to start online, then visit the lot, then go back online? Sure.
Want to talk to a real person or chat online? Either works. Want to take your time and compare all the makes and models? No problem. Then make up some time by filling out the paperwork at home and schedule express pickup or home delivery?
Done. When it comes to how you buy, CarMax puts you in the driver's seat. Want to drive? CarMax. Delivery restrictions apply.
See CarMax.com for details. You know what's wild? We can video chat from space. Order groceries just by talking out loud. And men have like 17 options for hair loss alone.
But a bra that actually fits and feels good? Apparently, too much to ask. Until now, meet the uplift bra from NYX. That's KNIX, a wireless bra that finally delivers real lift and all-day comfort. The secret?
Molded cups with a built-in foam panel that gently enhances your natural shape.
So you get a subtle boost without wires digging or that why am I still wearing this moment at 3 p.m.? You asked for it. We delivered. In a push-up bra that doesn't dig, poke, or pinch. And with an extensive size range from 28A through 42E, you'll be sure to find your perfect fit with the uplift.
Try the uplift bra at nix.com and use code perfectfit15 for 15% off your first order. That's knix.com. Perfectfit15, Nix.com. Are you looking for entertainment that lifts you up? Then check out Up Faith and Family, the leading streaming service for inspiring, hope-filled shows and movies.
This season streams soul-stirring favorites like Southern Gospel, plus four full seasons of Jesus Calling, and the uplifting new faith series These Stones. Or settle in with 19 seasons of the beloved family series Heartland, a family favorite ranch drama fans can't get enough of. It's commercial-free, stream anywhere. To get a free trial today, go to upfaithandfamily.com slash iHeart. Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously.
On Public, you can build a multi-asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto, and now generated assets, which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high-free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one-of-a-kind index, and lets you backtest it against the SP 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks.
Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com/slash podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com/slash podcast. Paid for by Public Investing, Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc., member F-I-N-R-A-S-IPC, advisory services by Public Advisors LLC, SEC Register. Advisor.
Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com/slash disclosures.
And we continue with our American stories and with Eric Metaxas, the author of Martin Luther, the man who rediscovered God and changed the world. Here is Eric with the final part. of this remarkable story. Eee. He's declared not just a heretic, but now an outlaw, meaning that.
The Pope says he's a heretic, but then the Holy Roman Emperor declares him an outlaw. Because if the Pope says you're a heretic, you are now also illegal. You're an outlaw, a renegade. And so. They let him go back home.
But it's pretty clear that as soon as he gets home, there's going to be, you know, somebody's going to come to arrest him, and then he's going to be taken to Rome, and he's going to be burned at the stake.
So. His Protector, in a way, Frederick III, Frederick the Wise, who he sensed that. Rome, those Italians, are not treating him right. They didn't give him a fair hearing. And I don't want him to go down there and be killed and whatever.
So, here's what we're gonna do. We're going to kidnap him. And it's that of a movie, right? That he is on the way home from Vorms, going home, and he knows this is gonna happen. They've told him, but they told him, they didn't tell him who's gonna kidnap you, nor where they're gonna take you.
You know nothing, just go along with it. And they kidnap him with crossbows drawn. It's actually kind of a scary scene. The people in the wagon didn't know that this was fake. And so Luther is kidnapped by these strangers and dragged.
Through the night, To a castle called the Vartborg. It's way up in the Thuringian forest, and it's this castle, and nobody knows he's there. And then, if that's not exciting enough, he has to be disguised.
So he grows out his tonsure, you know, the tonsure they would shave their heads. He grows out his hair and he grows a beard, a cavalier's beard, to look like a knight because he has to blend in with the other knights at the castle. They're not told that this is Martin Luther, so they call him Knight George or Juncker Georg, and he's now incognito as a knight. in the castle for a year. And of course, while he's there, he's dressed as a knight.
He's kind of bored. Because he's a very busy guy when he's back home.
Now he has nothing to do.
So what does he do? He translates the New Testament into German in 11 weeks. People say, well was this the first time it had been translated into German? No, but it was the first time it was translated from the original Greek, not from the Latin Vulgate.
So it was. Accurate. He was obsessed with what exactly does the word of God say? What does it say? And there were some mistakes in the Latin Vulgate translated by Jerome, which the church had accepted.
And so he wanted to get it exactly right. And he wanted to write it in such a way that the common Men and women of Germany Could understand what it said. He knew that this book has never been read by these people. And so his writing was so good. This is the thing, this man's nothing but a genius of history.
His writing was so good that to this day, Germans read the Luther translation. I mean, it's not like it was some primitive thing that they've improved upon. He was a poet with the vernacular. Uh And as a result of that, The gospel was allowed out of its cage. into the world in a way that it had never been before.
Now this is not to say that the gospel didn't exist before Luther, God forbid. but it had been sort of hidden and forgotten. Luther rediscovers it in a way that he brings it into the world. Not just so that we can get saved. But so that we who get saved Can then take that gospel.
And do every good thing imaginable in the world in gratitude. to the God of mercy. The gospel frees us to bring justice and truth and life. Slavery would never have been abolished in the United States of America if not for born-again Jesus freaks who believed we're all created in the image of God. Where do you think the idea came from?
Secular people? Church people Born again, Jesus freaks who believed in the word of God said slavery is an abomination, and we don't care what has been going on for thousands of years, it needs to end. That is the gospel of Jesus Christ freed into history. Luther is a huge piece of that. And I have to tell you, if he had not had the Courage in the faith to stand when he stood.
I have no idea. how it would have gone down. This is one of the most beautiful things that fairly late in life for him. He was 41 and he decides to get married. And it wasn't because he was lusting and he said, I've got to get married.
It wasn't because he was madly in love and he had to marry this woman. He Found himself in a place in life where this nun had escaped from the nunnery. Actually, Luther sprang her from the jug. He was, you know, the main orchestrator of this escape of the Nimshin 12 nuns from Nimshin. We call them the Nimshin 12.
And they had to figure out what they're going to do. You can't just, these nuns had been there against their will. And he thought it's not right. And they need to be able to make their own decisions. If they don't want to be nuns, they shouldn't have to be nuns.
And so this was highly illegal. And he springs them out of there. And suddenly, where do they come? They all come to Wittenberg and sort of say, well, okay, now what do we do?
So he had to get them married off. I mean, he had to find them, you know, a position in a house or something. They had to do something. because they were poor and One of them didn't want to marry the man that they had kind of... Pick for her.
And she was kind of brassy and outspoken. You know, instead of saying, okay, thank you very much, I'll marry this guy, she didn't like him. And she told Luther's friend Nicholas von Amsdorff. I really don't want to marry that guy. And she said rather cheekily: I would marry you, meaning Nicholas von Amsdorf, or Dr.
Luther.
So in a way, she's the one that proposed. It's very funny. Amsdorf was not at all interested in marrying, and Luther.
Somehow, his head got turned slightly around. At first, he thought she was arrogant or something, but at some point, He decided He esteemed her. That's the phrase that I use and I think that he uses. that he really respected her. She was only, she was 15 years younger, far less educated, but he really, really respected her.
And that grew into a beautiful and deep love. That is so beautiful that it should be a model for all of us. We're all looking for these feelings and stuff. He had this really beautiful relationship. The two of them esteemed each other and loved each other, and they had six kids, and he loved his kids.
And it shows you a dramatically different side, the playful side of the human side of Martin Luther. Luther said many things in his life that were extremely positive about the Jews, which were, he was way ahead of his time in understanding their plight, the way Christians treated them and stuff. But the Nazis, cynical, satanically influenced that they were, They found what Luther wrote just a few years before he died. He was, for him, very ill and cranky, and he had by that time in his life. Gotten to where he was saying.
extraordinarily nasty things about everyone. He was vicious. His friends told him, you know, you got to stop tweeting. It's not presidential. And I, oh, you know what?
I'm sorry. I, I, I. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. I apologize. Uh But at his very funeral, his dearest friend Melanchthon is saying in his eulogy That Luther was not a perfect guy.
So everybody kind of knew it, but the point is that. Luther was vicious to the Catholics and to the Pope, and I quote some of it because it's very funny and very vicious and very crazy. He was vicious to his fellow Protestants with whom he disagreed. Vicious, vicious to the Muslims. But of course, nobody ever hears about that.
You only hear about what he said about the Jews. Why? Because the Nazis grabbed what he said about the Jews. And they said, look, our national hero, the Sainted Luther, said this. They didn't quote what he said.
About Jesus and about loving your neighbor. And about he said 99.9% of what he said, the Nazis didn't want to quote and didn't believe and despise, but they found just what he said. And so everybody today says he was an anti-Semite. He said this and he said that.
Well, what he said is horrible. Let's not, you know, sugarcoat it. But when you put it in context, it's at least. different than simply horrible. It's far more complicated.
Yeah. And a terrific job on the production editing and storytelling by our own Greg Hengler. And a special thanks to Eric Matexis. And he wrote Martin Luther, the man who rediscovered God, and change the world. He's also the author of Bonoffer, Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, and Spy, and we've done that story with him as well.
And they did very different things at very different times, but in the end They did hard things and they challenged.
Well, the world order. and the order in front of them. and they did it in obedience to their God. And the story of him being kidnapped or the fake kidnapping to get him out of this. outlaw mode.
I mean imagine the Pope declaring you a heretic. and the Emperor of Rome calling you an outlaw.
Well, your life expectancy.
Well, it just went down a notch. and while living in this beautiful prison, he decides to translate the Bible and does so in eleven weeks from Greek, not from Latin, but from Greek into German. As a result, Eric said, the gospel was out of its cage. The story of Martin Luther, the man who discovered God and changed the world here. on Our American Stories.
The new year brings new health goals and wealth goals. Protecting your identity is an important step. Your info is in endless places that could expose you to identity theft, leading to lost funds. LifeLock monitors millions of data points per second. If your identity is stolen, Lifelock's restoration specialist will fix it, guaranteed, or your money back.
Resolve to make identity, health, and wealth part of your new year's goals with Lifelock. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com/slash iHeart. Terms apply. This is Julian Edelman from Dudes on Dudes with Gronkin' Jewels.
Sunday mornings, I've got my game day ritual. Coffee. Lucky socks. And now, new morning uncrustable sandwiches. It's all about that 12-gram protein boost with the new uncrustables, bright-eyed berry, or up and apple flavors.
Bright-eyed berries got a feisty. Receiver energy up in Apple. Your classic do-it-all tight end.
Soft, pillowy-packed with protein, and easy enough. for Gronk to grab from the freezer. Whether you're on the couch, driving to the tailgate or heading to the locker room. New morning uncruscible sandwiches. Are the MVP of snacks?
Your new Sunday kickoff ritual starts here. with new morning uncrustable sandwiches packed With 12 grams of protein. At CVS, it matters that we're not just in your community, but that we're part of it. It matters that we're here for you when you need us, day or night. And we want everyone to feel welcomed and rewarded.
It matters that CVS is here to fill your prescriptions and here to fill your craving for a tasty and yeah, healthy snack. At CVS, we're proud to serve your community because we believe where you get your medicine matters.
So visit us at cvs.com or just come by our store. We can't wait to meet you. Store hours vary by location. Are you looking for entertainment that lifts you up? Then check out Up Faith and Family, the leading streaming service for inspiring, hope-filled shows and movies.
This season streams soul-stirring favorites like Southern Gospel, plus four full seasons of Jesus Calling, and the uplifting new faith series These Stones. Or settle in with 19 seasons of the beloved family series Heartland, a family favorite ranch drama fans can't get enough of. It's commercial free. Stream anywhere. To get a free trial today, go to upfaithandfamily.com slash iHeart.
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. Mm-hmm.
