Martin Luther S Theology

Many contemporary theologians seek to retrieve the concept of beauty as a way for people to encounter God. This groundbreaking book argues that while Martin Luther's view of beauty has often been ignored or underappreciated, it has much to contribute to that quest. Mark Mattes, one of today's leading Lutheran theologians, analyzes Luther's theological aesthetics and discusses its implications for music, art, and the contemplative life. Mattes shows that for Luther, the cross is the lens through which the beauty of God is refracted into the world.

Forty years of in-depth research on Martin Luther's theology has left Oswald Bayer uniquely qualified to present this comprehensive study. He does so with clarity and care, simply enough for nontheologians to access. This remarkable book offers the basics of Luther's understanding of theology, discussing his response to the philosophy of science tradition, the formula by which he studied theology, and the basic philosophy that informed him. Bayer then takes Luther's stance on Christian dogmatics and ethics and applies it to our own theological understanding in the modern age. With such a complete Lutheran dogmatic concept -- the first of its kind offered -- the stunning inner consistency of Luther's theology and its ease of application to contemporary studies become unmistakably clear. Martin Luther's Theology is a valuable tool for students and teachers of theology and for those looking for a guide into the mind and heart of Luther -- a theologian for today.

A brief biographical overview precedes the six sections of this Handbook, designed to give introductions to Luther's thought, its development, and its historical and continuing impact. Presented with a variety of approaches and methods, each of the forty-seven essays gives a summary of its topic, a review of previous studies on the topic, and suggestions for areas of future research.

We cannot afford to ignore Martin Luther--that influential and highly controversial personality in European history. Not only were his activities mainly responsible for starting the Reformation of the sixteenth century, but his ideas also have greatly influenced political, cultural, and social thought ever since. Some modern writers have tried to trace the roots of Nazism and German militarism back to Luther; others claim on the contrary that Luther's ideas form the only real cure for these evils, and that the authority which Luther still possesses among many Germans and other Europeans should be used for the regeneration of Europe. Lutheranism is very international. The Scandinavian countries are practically completely Lutheran, so were some of the Baltic states; Lutheran groups are found in most countries of Europe. In the United States the Lutherans--many of them English-speaking--form one of the strongest religious groups, and there are Lutherans in many parts of the British Empire. Luther's chief importance lies in the field of theology. His influence on political, cultural, and social questions is only an outcome of his religious thought. But even in this field of theology Luther's ideas are puzzling to many. Catholics of various types may consider him to be the arch-Protestant; strict Protestants (including many British nonconformists) consider him to be half-Roman in outlook. His conservatism in Church order and liturgical forms may endear him to some Anglicans, while he annoys others by his insistence that neither prayer books nor ecclesiastical formularies can create Church unity but that unity of doctrine is the indispensable condition for union. This attitude has more than once created problems for the ecumenical movement and made Protestant cooperation difficult. Dr. Kramm in this volume has tried to interpret Luther to the British reader, minister, and layman alike, in an unbiased, scholarly way. At the same time stressing Luther's importance for contemporary thought. He has laid special emphasis on those questions which the British reader is apt to ask, e.g., what was Luther's attitude to morals and good works? Does "salvation by faith alone" mean that it is enough to hold a certain intellectual belief, no Christian life being required? What does he teach about peace and war; about Church and State, about political responsibility? What are his ideas about Church and ministry, about sacraments, about episcopacy and "apostolic succession"? Does Luther treat the Bible arbitrarily? Was he an anti-Semite, did he spread blind nationalism or racial hatred? What was his attitude to human reason, scholarship and free will? And so on.

Leading Luther scholars offer students and other non-specialists an accessible way to engage the big ideas of Luther's thinking.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing many of these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

This volume is a unique interpretation of what Martin Luther contributes to renewed appreciation of Biblical diversity. The Church in the West is struggling. One reason behind this is that the prevailing models for Theology have imposed logical and modern ways of thinking about faith that renders theology academic, and therefore largely irrelevant for daily life. By letting the first Reformer speak for himself in this book, Mark Ellingsen shows how Martin Luther’s theological approach can reform the Church’s theology today. The real Luther-not the one taught by his various systematic interpreters-presents Christian faith in its entirety, with all its rough edges, in such a way as to direct on how and when to employ those dimensions of the Biblical witness most appropriate for the situation in which we find ourselves.