Luther: A Giant Among Leaders When called to account for himself in front of the emperor and representatives of the people--a single assembly embodying the greatest political and religious powers of the day--Luther defended his writings and pronouncements. Facing excommunication and execution, he was given a last chance to recant. He refused, replying that his conscience was bound by the Word of God. The nearly five centuries that have passed since that trial still reverberate with his final declaration to those powerful dignitaries: "Here I stand." This book focuses on that place where all of us must stand if we want to lead others to a better community, a better society, a better world.