Theology Of The Lutheran Confessions

In this classic new edition, a translation of "Theologie Der Lutherischen Bekennt-nisschriften, Edmund Schlink points the reader to Scripture as the basis of the Lutheran Confessions. They are neither "just" historical documents nor merely expressions of a philosophy. They remain the church's summary exposition of Scripture, upon which members must take a stand. This volume helps the informed reader of Scripture and the Confessions take that stand.

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 political, social, ecclesiastical and theological contexts, relating them to the world in which they took place. Though the book is not a theology of the Confessions, readers will clearly understand the issues at stake in the narratives, both in their own time, and in ours.

This useful guide offers a critical appraisal of a theological movement within the church catholic. The authors, a church historian and a systematic theologian, describe Lutheranism as centered in the fundamental principle of the Reformation, "justification by faith apart from works of law."The book focuses on the emergence of this chief article of faith as a proposal of dogma to the church ecumenical, its theological formulation, and its significance for the shaping of piety and doctrine. Each issue is treated in terms of both confessional history and systematic theology. Seminarians, pastors, teachers, and interested laypersons of all traditions will gain ecumenical insights as well as pertinent information from this work.

Confessional writings of the Lutheran Church and other information essential to understanding the confessions.

Gassmann and Hendrix expertly present the historical context for the Reformation in its beginnings and development as background to the emergence and gathering of the Confessions. Core chapters then explore (1) the structure of faith (Scripture as norm law-gospel framework, the Trinity, and justification), (2) Christian community (the sacraments, ministry, the nature of the church), and (3) the Christian life (the two reigns sin, sanctification, eternal life). A final chapter examines the role the Confessions play in today's ecumenical, pluralistic environment.

The Reformation-era writings that make up the Lutheran Confessions remain lively resources for Christian ministry and mission today. Because each of the documents within the Book of Concord was written with a specific context and rhetorical purpose in mind, each has its own compelling story and objectives. Luther’s catechisms present the faith for daily life at the grass-roots level, with teaching elements that we might now view as typical of social media and multimedia. The Augsburg Confession and its Apology provide an adaptable foundation for preaching, teaching, church organization, and dialogue that is rooted in the promise of Christ, received through faith. Fifteen years after the Diet of Worms, the Smalcald Articles reveal yet another “Here I stand” moment for Luther. Finally, the Formula of Concord shows how the next generations of Lutherans used collaboration and consensus as they wrestled with important themes of faith and life. In summary, as these texts engage us with their stories, they invite us to consider what is most important about our journeys of faith and Christian witness in today’s twenty-first-century contexts.