The Augsburg Confession is a unique document in the history of the Christian church, containing both a succinct summary of the heart of Christian teaching and a defense of the changes in practice introduced by Martin Luther and the Wittenberg reformers. Robert Kolb and Timothy J. Wengert invite readers on an accessible journey into the heart of this foundational confession--as well as the minds of primary author Philip Melanchthon and the other reformers at the heart of the emerging Luther...

This overview of Luther's thought proceeds from the perspective of his use of the Latin preposition coram, "face-to-face with." Preeminent Luther scholar Robert Kolb proposes that under Luther's use of dominant ancient concepts of reality in his day, he placed the foundation of relationships. These relationships included the fundamental relationship of the Creator with every person and thing he made, along with all those relationships stemming from ordering his creation by his cre...

In conversations about the Reformation, the name Martin Luther towers above all others. And rightly so. His work, vision, and writings set Christianity on a course of events that would forever change the way that most believers live and understand their faith. And yet, the Reformation was far more than Martin Luther. Around Luther were hundreds of people - fellow teachers and priests, politicians, artists, printers, and spouses - without whose activity and work the Reformation would have p...

Although the life and writings of Martin Luther and other reformers have a great deal to say about children and our need to protect them from maltreatment, this legacy of the Lutheran churches, and of Christianity as a whole, has largely been forgotten. Here We Stand reclaims the Lutheran heritage as it sets forth a Lutheran theological and ethical foundation for the church's response to child abuse. The book models rooting our response to child abuse in fertile biblical and theological so...

Gordon Jensen's careful analysis of the 1534 Luther Bible uncovers the central truth of Martin Luther's prodigious translation efforts: Luther's commitment to producing this physical object was founded in his desire that receiving the Gospel might become a lived experience. Contrary to popular perception, Luther's works were not the first, the freshest, or even the most user-friendly German biblical translations of the time. Rather, their power came in Luther's utter comm...

This study addresses what has been a previously unexamined subject in Luther scholarship and presents how Luther (re-)interprets the concept of purgatory in line with his biblical and theological insight. The book gives the background of the development of the doctrine of purgatory, particularly of penitential theology, as well as a brief summary of Luther's so-called Reformation breakthrough. Furthermore, it explicates how in the Explanations of the Ninety-Five Theses (1518) Luther articu...

From their formulation in the sixteenth century through the present day, every generation of Lutheran leadership has grappled with the centrality and importance of the Lutheran confessional writings.In this important new volume, Arand, Kolb, and Nestingen bring the fruit of an entire generation of scholarship to bear on these documents, making it an essential and up-to-date class text.The Lutheran Confessions places the documents solidly within their politi...

Luther's oft-recounted life made a profound impact on his contemporaries. Some revered him; some hated him. This volume provides a brief narrative of the unfolding events that took place from his birth to a young entrepreneurial family through his turbulent career as university professor and public figure to his death while on a mission to reconcile a feuding princely family. Following parts of this narrative come "interviews" with friends and foes of his time, taken from a variety of sixt...

This book is about why Christians share their faith—not because they made it up, but because God calls us to share. It explains how Lutheran beliefs, like being saved by grace alone and focusing on Jesus’ sacrifice, shape the spread of the message of Jesus today. The book covers the Bible’s teachings, history, modern challenges and practical ways to live out serving in God's mission today. Lutheran mission perspective may present different than that of other Christians, but all agree missi...

Questions about Lutherans and the Holy Spirit? This book probes Lutheranism from Luther to the Formula of Concord (1517-1577) and presents a striking consistency regarding the Holy Spirit among Lutheran Reformers. The Holy Spirit dominated Luther's writing, not only in theology, but in all aspects of living out God's will. Six of the theologians researched in this book were also pastors dealing with enormous challenges from government interference, war, religious disputes, and, as Luther d...

Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose? How can I make a difference? These questions have to do with the topic of vocation. Vocation is more than what one does for a living in terms of one's career. Vocation is a lens that helps believers see the larger story of who they are regarding their calling with God through faith in Jesus and how they are called to love and serve their neighbors through their everyday callings. But how can one personally and practically apply this relevant tea...

Scholars routinely describe how Martin Luther prioritized the books of the New Testament that he believed most truly represented the gospel, the Living Word of Jesus Christ. Luther adored the Gospel of John and the Pauline epistles. Less well known is the admiration he had for the pastoral epistle of 1 Peter. Dennis Ngien's careful explication brings 1 Peter into the light of Lutheran biblical scholarship, demonstrating its standing for Luther alongside the Gospel of John and the Pauline e...