This book offers a concise and highly-readable explanation of the dramatic changes that took place during the Reformation and helps readers understand the deeper impact of the Reformation beyond its own time period. Changes in theology and in worship, in the status of lay people and clergy, and in the relations between church and state reshaped Christians' views of themselves. Early modern Christians had to rethink their relationship with God and with other Christians based on these new realities. As contemporary Christians grasp the Reformation's dramatic impact in its own time, they will find resources for understanding and responding to challenges and conflicts today.

Karin Maag is Director of the H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies and professor of history at Calvin College, where she has worked since 1997. Born and brought up in Canada, she did her graduate work at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland. She is the author, editor, or translator of numerous books on the Reformation and has written over thirty articles and book chapters. She is a social historian with a strong interest in the lived experience of early modern Christians.