Martin Luther (incl. Luther’s Writings)

Freedom in Reading the Scripture

Martin Luther wore many hats, but ultimately he was a teacher of the Bible. However, this work was not purely academic, nor was it easy. Rivera traces Luther’s intellectual and spiritual journey in Biblical exegesis and the freedom he found therein.

Martin Luther and the Visual Arts

When people think of the period of the Reformation, they often picture the destruction of religious art. However, the Lutheran tradition did not take that path. Hoeferkamp Segovia examines Martin Luther’s theological relationship with religious art and explores what it means for us 500 years later.

Review: Martin Luther and the Called Life (Fortress Press, 2016)

Tranvik believes one of the problems identified by Luther 500 years ago—that Christians too often regard Gospel faith and life in the world as separate realms of human endeavor, neither interacting with, nor informing one another—is still with us. He believes that the separation of faith from everyday life is harmful both to faith and to the world in which Christians live, and that Luther’s theology of vocation provides a vital alternative. Finally, Tranvik believes that telling the story of how Luther lived out his solution to this problem will be helpful to readers in the twenty-first century.

Review: A Conversation with Martin Marty about His New Book

[Originally published in JLE July/August 2016] [1] Some weeks ago the Journal of Lutheran Ethics was contacted by the publisher about our interest in reviewing Martin E. Marty’s new book, October 31 1517: Martin Luther and the Day that Changed the World, published this year by Paraclete Press of Brewster, Massachusetts. It was further suggested […]

The Hidden God: Luther, Philosophy and Political Theology (Indiana University Press, 2015)

[1] Marius Timmann Mjaaland, professor of Philosophy and Religion at the University of Oslo, provides a dazzlingly, provocative exploration of the political implications of Luther’s theological method and scriptural exegesis. He argues that Luther’s own texts laid the groundwork for radical political interpretations of his thought, even as Luther would claim such applications were outside […]

Luther, Linck, and Later Lutherans on Pastoral Care to the Sick and Dying

In the Christian tradition, pastoral care to the dying has a long history. ​​Reinis particularly explores ​​the medieval literary genre of self-help books known as the ars moriendi, or “art of dying.” Martin Luther contributed to this genre with his Sermon on Preparing to Die (1519); dozens of Lutheran pastors, among them Wenzeslaus Linck in Nuremberg and Martin Moller in G​​örlitz, followed in his footsteps. All of them offered spiritual comfort to the dying in ways that addressed contemporary concerns. The recently-published The Divine Art of Dying (2014) by Karen Speerstra and Herbert A​nderson heralds a long-overdue renaissance of this genre. Reinis considers how ​the practices of the past can inform our actions today in our increasingly secularized society.

Wielding the Word: Martin Luther on Temporal Authority

[1] Since the sixteenth century the argument has been made, and is made today, that any Christian participation in the public square is properly personal and private altogether. The business of the church, as the corporate body of Christ on earth, is to be concerned with matters reflecting the kingdom of God’s right hand. The […]

Review: Joel D. Biermann. A Case for Character: Toward a Lutheran Virtue Ethics. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014, 192 pages, $29.00.

[1] Joel Biermann, Professor of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis, argues that a focus on justification by faith in contemporary Lutheranism has led Lutherans to a neglect the practices of moral formation of individuals and the development of authoritative teachings about the shape of the Christian life. He acknowledges that focusing on […]

Money, Religion and Tyranny: God and the Demonic in Luther’s Antifragile Theology

​We very often associate capitalism with the modern Occupy Wall Street movement, or Marx writing in the 19th century. However, Hansen argues Luther himself witnessed the emergence of capitalism in Europe. What did he have to say from a theological perspective about markets and debt?

Demons of Violence: Searching for Theological Responses with Luther

Kirsi Stjerna uses Luther’s words to call Lutherans to respond to violence: “Of most importance is that we not stay silent but speak to matters of violence, to war and the other endless forms of violence.”