Darrow Miller and Friends

What Do Martin Luther and the Arab Spring Have in Common?

Today, we marvel at how quickly revolutions form. The so-called Arab Spring exploded though the use of modern technology and social networking. The world is different than it was only a year ago. We have seen similar stirrings in Russia over the “reelection” of Putin to the Russian Presidency.

But what is happening before our eyes in 2011-2012 is nothing new. As the  author of Ecclesiastes reminds us:

What has been will be again, 
                what has been done will be done again; 
                there is nothing new under the sun. (Eccl. 1:9)

Nearly five hundred years ago, on October 31st, 1517, an obscure Roman Catholic monk nailed his 95 Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences to the church door in Wittenberg.  Centuries before text messaging, the internet, or even electricity, Martin Luther’s words went viral, carried by the information highway of the day–Gutenberg’s printing press. But not by that channel only. Luther’s ideas were also spread by a generation of balladeers, artists, musicians, songwriters, and cartoonists. These passionate communicators shook Europe to the core and triggered a re-formation of culture that shaped the West and continues to influence the larger world to this day.

What do Martin Luther and the Arab Spring have in common? Read the thought provoking article in the Economist How Luther went Viral .

– Darrow Miller

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About 
Darrow is co-founder of the Disciple Nations Alliance and a featured author and teacher. For over 30 years, Darrow has been a popular conference speaker on topics that include Christianity and culture, apologetics, worldview, poverty, and the dignity of women. From 1981 to 2007 Darrow served with Food for the Hungry International (now FH association), and from 1994 as Vice President. Before joining FH, Darrow spent three years on staff at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland where he was discipled by Francis Schaeffer. He also served as a student pastor at Northern Arizona University and two years as a pastor of Sherman Street Fellowship in urban Denver, CO. In addition to earning his Master’s degree in Adult Education from Arizona State University, Darrow pursued graduate studies in philosophy, theology, Christian apologetics, biblical studies, and missions in the United States, Israel, and Switzerland. Darrow has authored numerous studies, articles, Bible studies and books, including Discipling Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Culture (YWAM Publishing, 1998), Nurturing the Nations: Reclaiming the Dignity of Women for Building Healthy Cultures (InterVarsity Press, 2008), LifeWork: A Biblical Theology for What You Do Every Day (YWAM, 2009), Rethinking Social Justice: Restoring Biblical Compassion (YWAM, 2015), and more. These resources along with links to free e-books, podcasts, online training programs and more can be found at Disciple Nations Alliance (https://disciplenations.org).
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