The Terrified Monk Who Learned to Pray

Before he shook the foundations of medieval Europe, Martin Luther was a young Augustinian monk in Erfurt, Germany, paralyzed by the holiness of God. His confessor, Johann von Staupitz, grew weary of Luther's marathon confession sessions — sometimes lasting six hours — as the young friar catalogued every sinful thought, every fleeting doubt, every impure motive he could dredge from his conscience.…