Mark Mattes
A Documentary History of Lutheranism
History & Biography
“Offering a panorama of Lutheranism’s resilience and growth over the last five hundred years, this book engages readers with the pulse of Lutheranism’s most significant leaders and their responses to movements such as the Enlightenment, industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and globalization. Lund’s and Granquist’s introductions to each chapter provide a context for each of the selected readings and so make them accessible and relevant. Effective church leaders know their family history. They find it to be a source of strength and encouragement. As Lutherans anticipate their continuing mission in the world, this volume will well serve such leaders, as well as anyone interested in Lutheranism’s historical depth and global breadth.”
Theology
“The nineteen contributions offered here . . . echo Westhelle's vigilance to give voice to the voiceless and fearlessly shake the indifference of empires and the idols by which such powers seek legitimization. These essays expand on Westhelle's paradoxical approach to faith and thus engage culture, science, and theology by means of a profound critique informed by Martin Luther's theology.”
Theology
“Alfsvåg offers a refreshing overview of the Christian faith that refuses to reduce truth to unambiguous knowledge . . . but instead situates faith within the ungraspable horizon of wonder and mystery, an orientation through which all other knowledge comes to light. . . . This book is an excellent resource for those seeking an ecumenical approach to faith which resists accommodation to modern prejudices but instead seeks to mediate truth across disciplines.”
Theology
“Systematic theologians have bemoaned the fact that Luther produced no comprehensive dogmatics. However, echoing the heart of Luther's teachings, Ngien gives us a succinct outline of the Reformer's faith, flowing from the Trinitarian dynamics implicit in Luther's understanding of the gospel, mirroring and fleshing out his catechisms. Readers will find that Ngien provides an insightful and nuanced approach to Luther's doctrine of God and how it bears upon daily life.”
Theology
“Too many Christians wring their hands over whether their faith is authentic and thus saving. Instead of looking to Christ alone, as Scripture teaches, they seek instead to assess the genuineness of their feelings or the extent to which their behaviors are changed. Jack Kilcrease tackles this pastoral problem head-on through a sweeping survey of Scripture, early Christian thinkers and medieval theologians, and the thought of Martin Luther along with his disciples and detractors. The upshot: views of justification which fail to honor the truth that God’s word not only describes reality but also conveys reality and gives Jesus Christ for faith to grasp, fall short of a scriptural view of the doctrine of justification. Kilcrease’s affirmation of the sacramentality of the word is a perspective that contemporary Christians need to hear.”
History & Biography
“With approachable erudition, Hans Schwarz shows how Martin Luther's theology impacts our culture in more ways than people may initially think. It behooves non-Lutherans and even secular people to know its basics. The author models how to appropriate Luther's wisdom for contemporary people: Schwarz's Luther engages with public concerns such as economic and social inequities as well as the increasing role of science in our lives. Much Luther scholarship is done in a bubble isolated from real-life concerns. Schwarz bursts this bubble.”
Theology
“In this book, world class theologians move beyond dialogue designed for developing churchly position statements effectuating ecumenical rapprochement. Instead, by means of unguarded and critical engagement with Luther, essayists from a variety of confessional heritages address topics of perennial relevance, such as community, universal priesthood, ministry, faith, divine hiddenness, and the sacraments, and allow a new Luther and a new ecumenism to emerge. From the questions posed to Luther as well as the challenges that Luther poses to us we can foresee a thawing of the current ecumenical winter and the warming of a renewed theological collaboration across confessional lines.”
History & Biography
“For three decades James Kittleson’s Luther biography has been the best for a general readership. Hans Wiersma’s revision extends the book’s usefulness for a new generation with its additions and changes. It provides the right balance of theology, politics, and social history, ever inviting us into the story of Luther, all without getting lost in minutiae aimed at experts. This is the right book at the right time for those seeking a faithful compass to Luther’s life and times. It will be the go-to biography for anyone made curious by the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.”
Theology
“As suffering injustice, “outrageous fortune,” and pain, humans encounter a God who seems not only indifferent to their plight but even pitted against them. Masterfully expositing both scripture and Martin Luther’s Bondage of the Will, Paulson shows that in the face of such disempowerment and destabilization human security is achieved neither through theodicies (defenses of God) nor self-improvement programs but instead through unguarded trust that, for Jesus’ sake, God will grant sinners new life. Since preachers are at the forefront of proclaiming this promise, they especially will find this book most helpful in discerning when, where, and how to offer Christ as the “preached God.””
Theology
“Over four decades of careful research come together in this masterful interpretation of Luther's theology by Oswald Bayer, one of Germany's premier Luther scholars and systematic theologians. With Bayer, we encounter Luther through a fresh lens, a view that honors Luther's existential depth but also his historical and social breadth. For Bayer's Luther, both intellect and affect, both disputation and pastoral care, are inseparable. Here in Bayer we thereby encounter that rare theologian in which the reader not only learns about grace but actually experiences grace in the very study of his theology.”
History & Biography
“Thomas Jacobson provides a much-needed overview of the Hauge movement, an expression of Norwegian-American pietism. Though ridiculed as legalistic, the followers of Hans Nielsen Hauge, Norwegian lay revivalist, advocated an experiential approach to faith and a passion for outreach. Today’s church would benefit mightily if it were to retrieve the best aspects of this heritage.”
Bible Studies & Devotionals
“Jesus Christ is Lord over death and Lord over life. In Power and Purpose, Lackey opens up Revelation in a faithful and pastoral manner. This book reveals fresh and inspiring insights into our Lord's life-giving purpose. A must-read for all, especially young adults.”
Theology
“In this book, Oswald Bayer, a foremost German Luther scholar, pinpoints how Luther, early in his career, became distinctively gospel-centered. This turn happened when Luther realized that the gospel is a promise, a word that neither merely describes reality nor directs behavior but instead actually delivers forgiveness, life, and salvation. Bayer's lucid survey of Luther's early works not only engages scholars but also supports pastors eager to preach good news. Given that many crave to see the church rekindle its sense of mission, this book is poised to help energize its witness.”
Theology
“Post-Enlightenment theology timidly seeks shelter in religious affections, cultural-linguistic practices, or progressive politics. In contrast, J. V. Fesko, holding himself accountable to God—who, primarily in Scripture and secondarily in nature, tells us who he is—boldly provides a sure foundation for how theology makes truth claims about God. Fesko’s panoramic scope on all topics pertinent to prolegomena is breathtaking, a delight for scholars, but his delivery is down-to-earth and winsome, accessible to students and pastors alike. For those seeking a foundation for a robust Protestant theology, Fesko offers a path that has out-narrated modern subjectivism, one intertwined throughout with salient voices from the Great Tradition. His work will strengthen pastors in their preaching, teaching, and witnessing.”
The Doctrine on Which the Church Stands or Falls
Theology
“Thoroughly rooted in Scripture and classical Protestant theology, the essayists in The Doctrine on Which the Church Stands or Falls passionately and accessibly demonstrate the truth manifest in the classical Reformers’ commendation of the doctrine of justification by grace alone: God imputes Christ’s righteousness to sinners for Jesus’s sake. In light of current obfuscations of this doctrine from so many quarters—misplaced ecumenism, liberal Protestantism, and faulty exegesis—this book is a welcome, indeed vital, resource for all gospel preachers and teachers. This volume promises to carry forward the achievements of the Reformers beyond the five hundredth anniversary of the Reformation to future generations.”
Biblical Studies & Commentaries
“Frequently, scholars artificially pit an objective, forensic approach to the doctrine of justification by faith against a subjective, personal view of faith as participation in Christ. Harrisville shows that this divide, entrenched in contemporary scholarship, is not true to Paul. In Paul’s vision of faith, God as the indwelling Christ is simultaneously giver and gift. Thoroughly laying out the topography of the scholarly debate, as well as analyzing Pauline texts, Harrisville uncovers faith as both a result of grace and as utterly transformative, continuously remaking believers anew in Christ. This is a must-read for scholars of the Bible, theologians, and pastors.”
The Faith of the New Testament
Biblical Studies & Commentaries
“The apostle Paul tells us that the gospel is the power of God for salvation. In this book, Harrisville guides us into New Testament approaches to faith, especially Paul’s, in order to tap into and unleash God’s creative energy that inspires faith and allows the church to be energized by it. Harrisville offers a resource valuable for every gospel preacher.”
The Lutheran Theology of the Holy Spirit
Theology
“Far from the supposition that the Holy Spirit has no ‘organic place’ in Lutheran theology, Fred Hall demonstrates that in early Lutheran theology the Holy Spirit is the indispensable and efficacious agent who, through the word and sacraments, brings Christ to those desperate for the gospel and unites believers with Christ in his death and resurrection. This book is a welcome addition to Lutheran theology which to date has insufficiently reflected on the person and work of the Spirit.”
Theology
“In this study, Jack Kilcrease offers a masterful, panoramic approach to Christology, thoroughly grounded in the Scriptures and in constant debate with the christological reflection of fellow Lutherans, the wider Catholic tradition, and modern and contemporary voices. All in all, this book testifies to the gospel as God's triumph of grace in the world.”
NOTE: Only includes books currently in our catalog; not necessarily a complete list.
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