Harvesting Martin Luthers Reflections On Theology Ethics And The Church

As profound as Martin Luther's ideas are, this giant of church history was concerned above all with practical instruction for daily Christian living. Harvesting Martin Luther's Reflections highlights this concern of Luther, mining his thought in key areas of doctrine, ethics, and church practice. Gathering noteworthy contributions by well-known Luther scholars from Europe and the Americas, this book ranges broadly over theological questions about baptism and righteousness, ethical issues like poverty and greed, and pastoral concerns like worship and spirituality. There are even rare discussions of Luther's perspective on marriage and on Islam. As a result, Harvesting Martin Luther's Reflections is both a state-of-the-art discussion of Lutheran themes and an excellent introduction for newcomers to Luther's work.

As celebrations of the five-hundredth anniversary of Martin Luther's initiation of the most dramatic reform movement in the history of Christianity approach, 47 essays by historians and theologians from 15 countries provide insight into the background and context, the content, and the impact of his way of thought. Nineteenth-century Chinese educational reformers, twentieth-century African and Indian social reformers, German philosophers and Christians of many traditions on every continent have found in Luther's writings stimulation and provocation for addressing modern problems. This volume offers studies of the late medieval intellectual milieus in which his thought was formed, the hermeneutical principles that guided his reading and application of the Bible, the content of his formulations of Christian teaching on specific topics, his social and ethic thought, the ways in which his contemporaries, both supporters and opponents, helped shape his ideas, the role of specific genre in developing his positions on issues of the day, and the influences he has exercised in the past and continues to exercise today in various parts of the world and the Christian church. Authors synthesize the scholarly debates and analysis of Luther's thinking and point to future areas of research and exploration of his thought.

Most Luther scholars have focused largely on the polemical side of the Reformer, with occasional allusion to his Devotional Writings in volumes 42 and 43 of the American editions. The aim of this book is to unfold the pastoral, not the polemical, side of the reformer, drawing on the spiritual insights he offers to people of high and low estate. These writings are devotional and catechetical in shape and intent, yet not devoid of rich theological substance, the fruit of his rigorous reflections. They are the exercises of Luther's basic calling as a theologian-pastor, and are the concrete illustrations of the interface of theology and piety, the former being the abiding presupposition and logical cause of the latter. Through them, readers are informed not only of the Reformation theology of justification, but also introduced to a distinct expression of the Christian faith in which Christ and his cross occupy the centre stage. What is noticeable is the one single overarching theme--God's ways with people--that the Reformer, as a spiritual adviser, sought to relate to the events of his days such as evils, severe afflictions, the prevalent lay abuse of the Eucharist. He counseled how to meditate aright on Christ's passion, prepare to face the terror of death, advise the sick, rightly approach the sacrament of the altar, why and how to pray aright, what benefits could be gained from the Lord's Prayer, and how to live out a life of discipleship under the cross. Ngien's work reveals Luther as a true theologian, i.e., theologian of the cross at work in the pastoral context.

How has the Christian movement grown and changed in the last five hundred years? From Luther to Tillich and the Virgin Mary, from Protestant initiatives and Catholic dialogues, from Charles Taylor to progressive Christianity, this book runs the gamut. The urgency of ecology, the sacramentality of foot-washing, the complexities of biblical interpretation, the theology of the cross, and the ongoing work of reformation are all under the microscope. A distinctively ecumenical project, this book presents a variety of perspectives on these pressing questions, drawing together authors from the Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, United Church of Canada traditions, and more. Each contributor provides unique insights into Christianity's ongoing processes of re-forming as contexts and circumstances change. Readers will find resonances of the familiar interwoven with new research about the project of ecumenical Christianity.

Sixteen church historians here examine Martin Luther in an uncommon waynot as Reformer or theologian but as pastor. Luther's work as parish pastor commanded much of his time and energy in Wittenberg. After first introducing the pastoral Luther, including his theology of the cross, these chapters discuss Luther's preaching and use of language (including humor), investigate his teaching ministry in depth, especially in light of the catechism, and explore his views on such things as the role of women, the Virgin Mary, and music. The book finally probes Luther's sentiments on monasticism and secular authority. Contributors: Charles P. Arand James M. Estes Eric W. Gritsch Robert Kolb Beth Kreitzer Robin A. Leaver Mickey L. Mattox Ronald Rittgers Robert Rosin, Reinhard Schwarz Jane E. Strohl Christoph Weimer Dorothea Wendebourg Timothy J. Wengert Vftor Westhelle H. S. Wilson

A collection of selected texts by Martin Luther—including the classic “The Magnificat, Put into German and Explained”—that capture the essence of his Catholic devotion, along with an extensive introduction.

Martin Luther's Basic Theological Writings has become the gold standard for use in seminary and college environments. It not only offers all of Luther's most influential, noted, and important writings in the modern translations but also includes excerpts of his sermons and letters that shed light on Luther's own religious and theological development. The volume takes the reader straight to Luther the man, to his controversial Reformation insights, to his strongest convictions about God and Scripture and the life of the church, and most valuably to his theology—a still-exciting encounter with the meaning of Jesus Christ for each age.

This introduction to Martin Luther's sacramental theology addresses a central question in the life of the church and in ecumenical dialogue. Although Luther famously reduced the sacraments from seven to two (baptism and the Lord's Supper), he didn't completely dismiss the others. Instead, he positively recast them as practices in the church. This book explores the medieval church's understanding of the seven sacraments and the Protestant rationale for keeping or eliminating each sacrament. It also explores implications for contemporary theology and worship, helping Protestants imagine ways of reclaiming lost benefits of the seven sacraments.