Description
Book SynopsisThis volume offers a unique approach to the study of the great German reformer, Martin Luther. Robert Kolb and Charles Arand offer an introduction to two significant themes that form the heart of Luther''s theology.
The first theme concerns what it means to be truly human. For Luther, 'passive righteousness' described the believer''s response to God''s grace. But there was also an 'active righteousness' that defined the relationship of the believer to the world. The second theme involves God''s relation to his creation through his Word, first creating and then redeeming the world.
Clergy and general readers will find here a helpful introduction to Luther''s theology and its continuing importance for applying the good news of the gospel to the contemporary world.
Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Genius of Luther's Thought: Two Presuppositions of Wittenberg Theology
Part 1: "Our Theology": Luther's Definition of the Human Creature through "Two Kinds of Righteousness"
1. Anthropology as a Matrix for Luther's Way of Thinking
2. The Core of Human Identity
3. The Shape of Human Performance
4. The Subversion of Our Human Identity
5. The Dynamic of Faith
Part 2: When the Word Is Spoken, All Things Are Possible: Luther and the Word of God
6. The Functions of the Word
7. The Enfleshed and Written Forms of God's Word
8. The "Means of Grace" as Forms of God's Word
9. God's Word Takes Form as His People Convey It to One Another
Conclusion: Thinking with Luther in the Twenty-first Century
