Mickey L. Mattox

Divine Election

Theology

“Eduardo Echeverria's Divine Election laudably returns the doctrine of election to the center of ecumenical dialogue. The author engages an array of impeccably Catholic sources--from Scheeben to Balthasar--and sets them alongside an assembly of solidly Reformed ones--from Calvin to Barth and Berkouwer. Catholic 'synergism,' he argues, is neither Pelagian nor semi-Pelagian. Instead, it is rooted in the 'Augustinian principle' that sin has wounded but not destroyed human nature. An important work!”

Luther and the Beloved Community

Theology

Foreword

(wrote the foreword)

Luther Refracted

Theology

“In this important new work, editors Małysz and Nelson daringly hand over the richest treasure in the Lutheran tradition, Martin Luther himself, to a wide range of generous and vigorously engaged ecumenical conversation partners: Catholic, Baptist, Evangelical, and more. They do not, in other words, tell their ecumenical partners what their Martin Luther has to say but instead listen with patience to a varying series of answers to the question how those partners hear Luther's voice. The result is a Luther ready and able to surprise, and just so to contribute, to theology today, a Luther who provokes a constructive pan-Christian conversation that beckons the divided churches beyond mere convergence, toward listening and learning together. In short, these essays model a new kind of ecumenical engagement that invites diverse Christian readers to share the task of understanding anew their divided traditions, in the hope that they will be led toward the unity that only Spirit can give. An exciting venture!”

Martin Luther and the Rule of Faith

Theology

“It is widely recognized that Martin Luther was a singularly important contributor to the development of Christian theology and biblical exegesis. Dissatisfied with allegorical approaches to Scripture, Luther insisted on reading Scripture according to the literal sense. A break with the Catholic exegetical tradition, right? At the same time, Luther leveled withering criticisms against the literalist exegesis of his fellow Reformers, most of whom surely thought they were simply following his lead. How to place Luther within the emerging streams of Protestant biblical interpretation? By attending to Luther's exegetical deployment of the analogia fidei, the 'rule of faith' given in the Apostles' Creed, Todd Hains's meticulous study sheds new light on these questions. Sampling Luther's sermons in extenso, Hains will surprise even the seasoned reader of Luther with this thorough demonstration of the prominence therein of the analogia fidei. The result helps us better understand how Luther found himself fighting an exegetical Zweifrontenkrieg against both Catholic allegorizing and Protestant literalizing. The lessons from Hains's study, moreover, extend well beyond this important historical point. The Luther we meet here will challenge all serious Christian readers of the Bible to rethink the place of the 'faith once given' for the exegetical task today.”

The Substance of Our Faith

Theology

“Driven by learning and devotion put in service to good history and theology, Sweeney offers here a convincing prologue to his forthcoming global history of Christian doctrine. He engages discerningly with relevant currents in contemporary theology to make the case for the possibility and necessity of global history today. The book treats a wide range of movements and theologians, emphasizing the catholicity of the faith across space and time. Readers will appreciate his open ecumenical posture and even-handed treatment of the teachings of the divided churches. Sweeney speaks convincingly across confessional lines. This is truly a book for all Christians!”

The Wittenberg Concord

History & Biography

“In The Wittenberg Concord, Gordon A. Jensen attends with care and insight to the complex internal Protestant negotiations that led to the Lutheran-Reformed agreement on the Lord’s Supper, the 'Wittenberg Concord,' in 1536. This important ecumenical event has long been under-appreciated and is still too little known. As one might expect, Jensen offers a thorough review of events and controversies preceding the Concord, including the Eucharistic debates of the 1520s, and the almost-agreement reached at the Marburg Colloquy in 1529. But he goes well beyond these much-discussed events to lay out the historical contexts and consequences of theological disagreement, especially the political vulnerabilities of the Protestant authorities in the period leading up to the Diet of Augsburg (1530). Attending to the slow progress made between Martin Bucer, Martin Luther, and Philip Melanchthon in the early 1530s, Jensen shows how Bucer’s tenacity and Luther’s flexibility paved the way for their eventual meeting at Wittenberg in 1536. This face-to-face meeting succeeded in producing an agreement on the Lord’s Supper, and much more. The agreement itself focused upon what was most important, that is, the consoling presence of Christ as offered “in and with” the bread and the cup. Jensen also explores the Concord’s after-history, showing how it provided a new model for Christian unity, and examining the ways that model was imitated, or rejected, in ecumenical discussions from the confessional period down to the present day. Connecting the Concord with its more recent successor agreements, e.g., the Leuenberg Concord, Jensen makes the case for its abiding significance today. A series of appendices provide translations of key documents, as well as a helpful glossary of major players in the event. For students of Reformation history and theology, and indeed for all of us who work for the unity of the churches today, this should be mandatory reading. A remarkable achievement, and a lasting contribution to Christian ecumenism!”