This text illustrates how the German Reformation movement was bound and shaped by the society in which it was broadcast, how the reformers interacted with the trends/tensions of the period, and how the forces of religious change came to influence European culture and society over the long term.

The Reformation in Germany provides readers with a strong narrative overview of the most recent work on this topic. It addresses the central concerns of Reformation historiography as well as providing a distinct interpretation of the movement.

The book examines the spread and reception of the evangelical movement, the historical dynamic created by the fusion of religious ideas and the social context, the religious imagination of the common man and utopian visions of reform, and the relationship between political culture and religious change. The narrative goes on to consider the long-term legacy of the Reformation movement in Germany. The book provides readers with a fresh perspective on the movement, one which seeks to understand its rise and evolution as a historical process in constant dialogue with the cultural and political context of the age.