John T. Pless
Biography
John T. Pless has served as Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Pless edited Promising Faith for a Ruptured Age (2019) and wrote the foreword to Most Certainly True (2024).
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History & Biography
“This concise but coherent treatment of Martin Luther portrays the Reformer as a man of extreme opposites. . . . A carefully crafted and readable narrative, Kaufmann's Short Life of Martin Luther will enlighten and challenge anyone seeking to better comprehend the person and work of Luther. The English translation of this work is a welcome addition to Reformation scholarship.”
Theology
“Christ's Church demonstrates the resilient vigor of Bo Giertz's literary work. First published under the dark clouds of an erupting world war in 1939, Christ's Church has not lost its power to convict and comfort. If anything the vitality of Giertz's book is even more potent in our day of pluralism, doctrinal indifference, and inbred suspicion of all religious institutions. Confident of the church's oneness in Christ, built secure on the foundation of the apostolic Word, Giertz sees the church as a living legacy of God's faithfulness. This is a book that speaks with clarity and conviction to seasoned Christians at home in the Father's house as well as to those who stand outside but peep in the window, seeking a glimpse of life lived in God's family”
Biblical Studies & Commentaries
“The Psalms provided Luther with the vocabulary for his evangelical theology. In Fruit for the Soul, Dennis Ngien demonstrates how the Reformer lived within the world of these psalms which give voice to both terror and consolation. Ngien is a sure-footed guide for those seeking to understand Luther not only as a controversial figure in the history of the church but as a Christian beset with affliction and temptation who is enabled by these psalms to speak comfort to those whose lives are darkened by the apparent absence of God. This book is a welcome addition not only to Luther scholarship but to pastoral theology.”
Theology
“While engaging numerous contemporary scholars of Luther and Calvin, the great value of Dennis Ngien’s work is he lets both Reformers speak for themselves. Those who seek better to understand the Reformers on the doctrine of justification, the distinction of law and gospel, the nature of the sanctified life, and the assurance of salvation, will find Ngien an illuminating and accessible guide.”
Great Commission, Great Confusion, or Great Confession?
Church Leadership & Ministry
“Pastors looking for a resource to assist them in thinking theologically and strategically about Lutheran identity and mission will benefit from this book.”
History & Biography
“Theologian, ethicist, and preacher Helmut Thielicke lived in death’s shadow from an illness in his youth that nearly claimed his life to his experiences ministering to those who lost loved ones in World War II. Thielicke’s theology, especially his eschatology, bears the indelible imprint of his own biography. Grassl carefully examines both Thielicke’s life and his theology in the context of his times. His research is rich with illuminating insights for those who seek to understand one of the most significant theologians of the last century.”
Justification Is for Preaching
Theology
“Justification Is for Preaching is refreshingly radical . . . because it goes to the root of God's own design for preaching, the bestowal of a promise that creates faith in Christ Jesus. Preaching is not about transformation of character or political advocacy but God's own declaration of righteousness for the ungodly. In essays from both sides of the Atlantic, theologians in the tradition of Luther carry out his approach to the renewal of the church, that is, . . . the preaching of Christ crucified. Seminarians as well as seasoned preachers will be invigorated and challenged by . . . this fine book.”
History & Biography
“This short book is a robust account of Martin Luther as a prophetic teacher of the whole church whose influence extends beyond the sixteenth century and the confines of the church that bears his name. Hans Schwarz condenses his considerable knowledge of Luther and Reformation research into a lively and accessible narrative of key themes in the reformer's theology and the author's suggestions for applications today. Beyond these traditional topics, Schwarz includes an engaging chapter on Luther's rejection of astrology and another on how Luther's theology is open to science.”
Theology
“Too many theologians are embarrassed by Luther’s The Bondage of the Will and seek to find a way around it. This is certainly not the case with Steven Paulson! Recognizing the potency of the Reformer’s argument against every form of speculative theology that leaves God not preached and humanity under wrath, Paulson deftly follows Luther’s lead. In doing so, he offers readers a robust exercise in theology that serves the proclamation of Christ the end of the law for righteousness for all who believe. A careful reading of Luther’s Outlaw God will challenge and provoke; it will also yield rich fruit in preaching and pastoral care.”
Theology
“This second volume in Paulson's well-constructed trilogy takes up God's hiddenness in Luther's theology. Like Luther himself, Paulson is not timid when it comes to the proclamation of a savior who hides himself in suffering that he might rescue the ungodly. Paulson offers a sustained polemic against all theologies ancient and modern that would attempt to tease God out of hiddenness so that seekers can accommodate God to their own notions of certainty. Paulson is both a Luther scholar and a systematic theologian who recognizes that his craft must serve preaching. Some will find his work provocative and others will be unsettled by his assertions (and Luther's), but those who read will be challenged to think more carefully about both the theological and pastoral tasks, which at the end of the day are one.”
Theology
“Luther's engagement with Paul has been widely researched, but little attention has been given to the Reformer's reception of 1 Peter. With mastery of Luther's texts and a discerning use of a wide range of secondary resources, Dennis Ngien has provided readers with an accessible and robust guide to Luther's understanding of faith and love as the essential shape of 1 Peter. Ngien elucidates Luther's use of this epistle to provide consolation and hope to Christians in times of suffering, as well as strengthening them in their callings in the world. I look forward to using this book in the classroom and beyond.”
Theology
“Bayer is a meticulous and insightful Luther scholar, documenting the Reformer's path in coming to an understanding of the gospel as God's performative promise. Not only is Promissio a foundational contribution to Luther research, but it is also a book that demonstrates the vitality of Luther's understanding of the divine promise for preaching, liturgy, and pastoral care in the twenty-first century.”
History & Biography
“Wade Johnston has masterfully traced two trajectories of the reformation reflected through the lens of adiaphora in the figures of Flacius and Hooper. Solid biographical studies of both men are coupled with a careful study of their respective understandings of the goal of the reformation . . . Johnston has done his historical homework giving readers much to ponder in light of the way that the contrasting trajectories of two reformers continue to manifest themselves in the lives of contemporary Protestant churches. The Devil Behind the Surplice is a welcomed contribution.”
Theology
“From the perspective of one who has taught theology on both sides of the Atlantic and has supervised many doctoral students from Asia, Hans Schwarz is in a unique position to assess current trends regarding church life, ecumenism, and mission. The Future of the Church is a welcome addition not only to the field of systematic theology but missiology as well as Schwarz articulates classical themes in ecclesiology while at the same time engaging critical issues confronting contemporary Christian churches of all stripes.”
Fiction
“Bishop Bo Giertz knew that faith itself is adventure into unknown territories and on paths uncharted. This novel, set in the turbulence of an emerging new world in the sixteenth century, is a saga about the resilience of faith, a faith that "overcomes destiny." It is a potent story unadorned by shallow sentimentalities that invites readers to ponder the goodness of a God who engages human beings with all of their frailties and foibles as instruments of His service.”
The Lutheran Theology of the Holy Spirit
Theology
“Fred Hall has provided readers with an accessible and clarifying study of the theology of the Holy Spirit in Luther and early Lutheranism. Engaging the work of Regin Prenter, Oswald Bayer, and others, Hall’s contribution is unique in that he traces the trajectory of Luther’s confession of the unity of the Word and Spirit in Lutheran thinkers in the later part of the sixteenth century. Not only Reformation scholars, but also pastors and involved laity will appreciate this volume.”
Theology
“According to Luther, the God who ‘made me and all creatures’ works in creation through the instrumentality of other creatures. That is, he ‘hides’ himself behind coverings or masks to accomplish his purposes in both the temporal and spiritual realms. Dr. Anthony Steinbronn has provided readers with a robust study of this key aspect of Luther’s theology through a careful examination of his Genesis lectures and other texts. The Masks of God is an especially welcome addition to the growing body of research on Luther’s doctrine of vocation. It will be of benefit to pastors and teachers who desire to deepen their understanding of Reformation theology for preaching and catechesis. The book’s lucid style also makes it accessible to the general reader as well.”
History & Biography
“The Reformation had its origin in a crisis of pastoral care, and Luther's reforming work would leave no aspect of ministerial practice, church life, catechesis, or piety untouched. In rich and informative essays drawn from the work of an international array of recognized Luther scholars, the Reformer's evangelical views on preaching and Christian education, sacramental practice and consolation in the face of suffering, art, and piety are presented in light of challenges faced by twenty-first-century pastors. The Pastoral Luther will be an indispensable tool not only for Reformation scholars but also for pastoral theologians who seek to understand and anchor contemporary practices in the ancient yet ever lively confession of God's grace articulated by the Wittenberg pastor. Luther's pastoral theology has been a neglected theme; this volume happily fills the void with first-rate scholarship that will serve both academy and church.”
The Righteousness of Faith According to Luther
Theology
“The appearance of this book in English is long overdue. Prior to the appearance of these essays in Lutheran Quarterly, little of Iwand had been translated into English and he was largely unknown in North America except, perhaps, from his influence on the thinking of Gerhard Forde. Hans Joachim Iwand's theological career was forged by an early and ongoing critical engagement with Barth, the necessity of confessional witness in the face of Hitler, and by a profound grasp of the heart of Luther's theology. Like Luther, Iwand's theological work is geared toward the proclamation of the righteousness of faith found only in Christ Jesus. Thus, the fundamental and critical distinction for theology is the distinction between the law and the gospel. Here Iwand is radically and refreshingly Lutheran in a way that deconstructs moralisms of the left and the right so that Christ alone is preached as the end of the law for all who believe. The Righteousness of Faith According to Luther is more than just another historical study of a Reformation theme; it is a vigorous exercise in pastoral dogmatics. Iwand teases out the nuances in Luther's distinction of the law from the gospel with provocative insights on nearly every page. This is a volume not simply for Reformation scholars but for seminarians, pastors and thoughtful laity. I look forward to using it in the classroom and beyond.”
NOTE: Only includes books currently in our catalog; not necessarily a complete list.
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