Walter C. Sundberg

A Brief Guide to New Testament Interpretation

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Harrisville is a master biblical scholar who has practiced his craft for over seventy-five years. In clear and succinct fashion, he describes the chief methods of biblical analysis, from basic textual criticism and classic practices such as form and redaction criticism to more recent trends beholden to sociology and feminism. He illustrates each method by applying it to specific biblical passages to show the reader how it works. An indispensable handbook for disciplined biblical study.”

A History of Luther Seminary

History & Biography

“Luther Seminary traces its roots back to the mid-nineteenth century and Norwegian immigrants who sought a new life in the fertile soil of the Midwest. Lutheranism, whether churchly or pietist, is above all a theological movement in the church that demands an educated clergy with seminary training. In this regard, theological conflict is inevitable, part and parcel of Lutheran identity, with seminaries serving as the chief battleground. Predestination verses conversion, legalism verses antinomianism, congregationalism verses clericalism, liturgical formalism verses free expression in worship, and, most important of all, the evangelical impulse verses cultural accommodation—these are the battles. Luther Seminary has seen them all, its faculty often at the center of the fray. With sympathy, fairness, and candor, Mark Granquist tells the story of Luther Seminary as it has played itself out. His book is admirable and trustworthy.”

Getting the Reformation Wrong

History & Biography

“The title is provocative, but what James R. Payton Jr. has in mind is not the overthrowing of generations of scholarship on the Reformation, but the use of the best scholarship to guide and correct misleading impressions often held by the common reader and Christian laypeople: for example, that the Reformation was a revolutionary bolt from the blue, that the principle of sola scriptura meant a wholesale rejection of Catholic theological tradition, that the Catholic Church was truculent over against the Protestant assault, refusing all efforts at reform, and the like. These notions are indeed false. On this basis of 'getting wrongs right,' the book proves to be a lively narrative that tells the story of the most important epoch in the history of the church in a clear, understandable, unfussy manner, yet one rich in detail. I appreciate especially Payton's sober conclusion on the tragic elements of what the sixteenth century wrought.”

Luther’s Theology

Theology

“Iwand’s theology was shaped by the experience of two world wars. He was also influenced by the renaissance of Luther scholarship. In this context, Iwand interprets Luther’s admonition—‘Let God be God’—as a prime witness to the illusion of human control. Christ on the cross embraces the desperation of existence and imparts divine forgiveness through faith. A powerful work in a fine translation.”

Pain in the Belly

History & Biography

“Lutheranism is a divided tradition. The majority church is liturgical, sacramental, and episcopal in governance. The minority is Pietist, asserting that genuine faith requires the spiritual rebirth of the individual in the fellowship of believers. The Hauge Synod belongs to this minority. Suppressed in Norway, the Hauge movement found a home in America, creating a legacy from which the declining church of today could learn. Jacobson tells the story of the Synod skillfully and thoroughly.”

Reclaiming the Bible for the Church

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“A compelling account of the dilemma caused by historical criticism of the Bible in the life of the contemporary church. An impressive array of scholarly authorities--Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox--have come together to argue that while historical criticism is indispensable to the under­ standing of Scripture, it endangers Christian faith when it is used by educational and bureaucratic elites in mainline churches to accommodate Christ to the ideological demands of secular America.”

The Faith of the New Testament

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Faith is a fundamental category of Scripture. It means trust, assent to revealed truth, conviction that forms character, and especially in the theology of Paul, gracious gift. Using Paul’s theology of grace as his measure, Harrisville examines faith in a wide-ranging, rich word study of the New Testament canon.”

The Story of Jesus

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“What Harrisville has accomplished in this book may be best described as a running commentary on the complementarity of the four Gospels. . . . The book is a tour de force. As Harrisville tells the story of Jesus—birth and baptism, preaching and mighty deeds, passion, death, and resurrection—he roams freely among the Gospels and the Scriptures they draw upon, to proclaim the life of the Lord as the intention of God. His narrative is enhanced by his remarkable knowledge of the church fathers, the history of doctrine, and modern biblical scholarship which he employs to great effect.”

The Sword of Eden

Arts & Literature

“Eve and Mary are the Alpha and Omega of the feminine in the Bible. In this subtle and rich series of poems, Professor Grindal explores the meaning of these two significant women, significant in the history of culture, and significant in God’s intention for the world. She explores the way these women are understood in Scripture, the various and subtle associations throughout the biblical narrative, their meaning in theology and dogmatics, and in Christian experience and personal life.”