Heinrich Bullinger: “Common shepherd of all Christian churches”
This biographical article by William Langerak examines Heinrich Bullinger's life and leadership in Zurich following the Battle of Kappel (1531), where Zwingli was killed. Bullinger became a crucial figure in the Protestant Reformation, leading the Reformed church through dangerous persecution and establishing himself as a bridge-builder among Protestant churches. The resource traces his early formation and circumstances that prepared him for this vital ecclesiastical role in the Reformed tradition.
Dazed and vulnerable after the disaster at Kappel, the fledgling Protestant church in Zurich turned to a young refugee pastor for leadership. King Jesus' rebuke of His servants had been severe. Twenty-five pastors were dead. Among them, Zwingli, whose body was drawn, quartered, and burnt; a grim warning to any who dared replace him. Associates were in hiding. And nearby Bremgarten had just surrendered to advancing Catholic forces. Terms: Expel their pastor. The pastor, Heinrich Bullinger, flees...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org