Free in Deed
The Heart of Lutheran Ethics
- Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
- Theology
- Publisher: Fortress Press (Augsburg Fortress)
- Published: 2022
FritzSearch.com earns a commission on purchases made through Bookshop.org links.
Publisher's Description
Free in Deed serves as a primer in Lutheran ethics for faith and the church as the body of Christ. It captures the fruit of Craig L. Nessan's teaching of ethics and his research and reflection on Christian ethical existence over his entire career. The heart of Lutheran ethics, Nessan claims, involves serving neighbors. When Christ sets us "free indeed" (John 8:36), we are set free to serve others "in deed." Ethics involves intentional and disciplined reflection, together in community, on the choices we must make in living out our lives in the world. While the focus on loving the neighbor is not unique to Lutheran ethics, the author contends in this book that it is the most distinctive feature of ethics in the Lutheran perspective. To that end, Nessan explores biblical authority and Lutheran hermeneutics alongside the authority of the traditional elements of tradition, reason, and experience. He moves on to explore what gospel freedom looks like in the current American context. Nessan acknowledges the misinterpretation of Luther's two-kingdoms teaching, opting to describe Luther's two kingdoms as God's two strategies to bring forth the kingdom (shalom) of God. Also addressed are the themes of justification and sanctification, the vocation of the universal priesthood, the ethics of the cross, Lutheran ethics and political advocacy, and the ethics of forgiveness. The book is accessibly written with theology students, pastors, and interested lay readers in mind.
Endorsements (4)
“A wonderfully lucid treatment of what Christian ethics is, here fine-tuned to all the core themes of Luther and Lutheran traditions. The consequence is a splendid exposition of neighbor love lived in freedom for a planet in peril.”
“Craig Nessan has created a vital resource for the church. It is a thorough, deeply faithful, insightful, and vibrant exposition of Lutheran ethics as an emancipatory mode of being people of God. Particularly important are his clear differentiation between conventional meanings of freedom and a Lutheran Christian understanding of freedom and his concise argument that Luther’s teachings about two kingdoms—often misinterpreted to justify separation of religion from political engagement—call Christians to political engagement in service of the neighbor. This book will be invaluable in both classroom and congregation!”
“Craig Nessan provides us with a concise and compelling introduction to ethical reflection in the Lutheran tradition. Instead of a tired litany of Lutheran catchphrases, this book creates a conversation for the purpose of speaking a word to the challenges that face our world today. Nessan’s voice allows readers to find their own as they respond to neighbors and people freed and forgiven in Christ.”
“Free in Deed is timely, Lutheran to its core, and accessible to all who want to connect their faith to their daily lives. It will be a welcome addition to the core curriculum of synodical lay schools, as well as the academy.”
See something wrong on this page? Report a problem