But I think the point the devotional author was trying to make was in the men’s different responses to challenges to their beliefs. Galileo was willing to capitulate to the demands of his interrogators, whereas Luther was willing to hold tightly to his beliefs, no matter what the cost. The author ends the devo by saying “The world tells us to compromise for our personal gain, but the Bible tells us to stand firm for our faith not matter what the world says.” That I think is his point.

What Galileo stood for was not a faith but a reality. Unlike Luther, he could be certain that that reality would emerge, regardless of the church’s actions; that is why he could recant. Eventually the observation that the moons of Jupiter indeed revolve around that planet was confirmed by Jesuit astronomers and the Catholic church changed its view. Catholic teaching on science is strongly influenced by this, and it never again asserted the truth of its interpretation of scripture over observation – for example, it accepted the atomic theory, evolution, relativity, quantum theory, even though these challenged the understanding of scripture at the time. In 2000 it apologised for making Galileo recant. It has never apologised for excommunicating Luther, whose views are much more a matter of faith.

Galileo was facing a death sentence, and given the circumstances, he was not able to turn to the Bible for support of his claims, and of course this was in the face of the Church itself, (which continues its aversion to scientific discovery today in so many ways they can’t be counted).

Half of the Christian church today, still believes that the earth was created 6000 years ago, and that there is no basis for evolution, though scientific discovery strongly supports both.

The other thing about Luther that Grant fails to mention is the controversy around his calls to seize the Jews wealth and possessions and to burn their homes down.

Not exactly the type of character I find in my heros.