Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series)

Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series)
Author: Arthur G. Patzia
Publisher: Baker Books
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2011-08-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1441236619

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

Memoirs in Exile

Memoirs in Exile
Author: John H. Tietjen
Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishing
Total Pages: 386
Release: 1990-12-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780800698669

"John Tietjen's close account of the conflict within a Christian body moves withthe skill, the drama, and the characterization of a novel. But there is no shredof fiction here. The author stood at the center of the conflict. His observationsof the events (both broadly public and closeted in private) that altered the face-politicof Lutheranism in this country are absolutely accurate. Here is the selfishexpression of faith, as well as the dangers of the right hand of power withinchurches. Here, too, is the sweetness of human community-even while individualpeople of faith must stand in their decisions ultimately alone. Tietjen haswritten a memoriam and a history and a jubilate and a confession. Excellent!"Walter Wangerin Jr."John Tietjen tells the unpleasant story of crisis and conflict in the church. It is a storythat needs to be told, and he tells it in a way that people will find both gripping anduplifting. This is his personal account, done with the precision and documentationof a professional historian, but his writing also produces a narration of many keyevents and a strikingly human portrayal of the people on both sides of the conflict.In John Tietjen's hands, this story of conflict and crisis brings us back to the Godwho produces order out of chaos and blessing out of the suffering of God's people."Jeanette H. BauermeisterJohn H. Tietjen, formerly president of ConcordiaSeminary, St. Louis, and Christ Seminary-Seminex, Saint Louis and Chicago, was pastor of Trinity LutheranChurch, Fort Worth, Texas.

Justification, Volume 2

Justification, Volume 2
Author: Michael Horton
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
Total Pages: 528
Release: 2018-11-27
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310578396

The second of a two-volume project delving into the doctrine of justification. Michael Horton seeks not simply to recover a clear message of its role in modern Reformed theology, but also to bring a fresh discovery of the gospel in a time when contemporary debates around justification have reignited. The doctrine of justification stands at the center of our systematic reflection on the meaning of salvation and grace as well as our piety, mission, and life together. And yet, within mainline Protestant and evangelical theology, it's often taken for granted or left to gather dust in favor of modern concerns and self-renewal. Volume 2 embarks on the theologically constructive task of investigating the biblical doctrine of justification in light of contemporary exegesis. Taking up the topic from a variety of theological vantage points, Horton engages with contemporary debates in biblical, especially Pauline, scholarship. Part 1 draws out The Horizon of Justification from the Old Testament narratives of Adam and Israel. Part 2 defines The Achievement of Justification in the blood of Christ and seeks to lay the groundwork for understanding its extent. Part 3 focuses on The Gift of Righteousness, delving into a clear articulation of what justification means, its mechanism, and the role of works on the day of judgement. Part 4 proposes a way forward for Receiving Justification and understanding faith and justification within the broader framework of union with Christ. Engaging and thorough, Justification shows that the doctrine of justification finds its most ecumenically significant starting point and proper habitat in unity with Christ, where the greatest consensus, past and present, is to be found among Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant theologies.

The Art of Exegesis

The Art of Exegesis
Author: Matthew E. Borrasso
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2019-02-27
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1532672020

Although he loomed large during his lifetime, Martin Hans Franzmann has faded away in the minds of American Lutherans. Memories of him typically orbit around an appreciation for his hymnody. He was, however, more than a hymn writer. To only understand or appreciate his hymns is to only understand or appreciate a part of him. This book seeks to shine a light on a brilliant and gifted poet of the church by unpacking and analyzing his life and work. In so doing, it is hoped that he will loom large once again. Franzmann's hymns have endured for a reason, namely because he was singularly focused on teaching people to hear the voice of God in the text of the Scriptures.

Authority Vested

Authority Vested
Author: Mary Todd
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2000
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780802844576

Like other major Protestant denominations in the United States, the 2.6-million-member Luther Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), founded in 1847, has struggled with issues of relevance and identity in society at large. In this book Mary Todd chronicles the history of this struggle for identity in the LCMS, critically examining the central--often contentious--issue of authority in relation to Scripture, ministry, and the role of women in the church. In recounting the history of the denomination, Todd uses the ministry of women as a case study to show how the LCMS has continually redefined its concept of authority in order to maintain its own historic identity. Based on oral histories and solid archival research, Authority Vested not only explores the internal life of a significant denomination but also offers critical insights for other churches seeking to maintain their Christian distinctives in religiously pluralistic America.

Ink Against the Devil

Ink Against the Devil
Author: Harry Loewen
Publisher: Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press
Total Pages: 356
Release: 2015-06-18
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1771120819

Sixteenth-century Reformation Europe was a tumultuous time during which many defining ideas of the modern era were formulated. The technological advancement augured by the Gutenberg press allowed the unprecedented circulation of ideas among a growing legion of literate Europeans. The writings of radical reformer Martin Luther were perhaps most influential of all. His opposition to the universal Roman Catholic Church fundamentally challenged the elites and their institutions. Along the way, Luther was opposed by the Church, the political powers of the day, and competing religious ideologies. Ink Against the Devil distills the major impulses from these debates that continue to resonate to this day. This book will appeal to both lay and professional scholars of the Reformation and its major players with prose that is accessible and free of jargon. Loewen directly addresses the debates between Luther and his many foes, including Humanists like Erasmus and the sectarian opponents found among contemporary Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Of particular interest will be a focus on anti-semitism throughout Luther’s published writings and sermons. There may be no other examples of this book’s scope in such a natural, narrative presentation.

Calvin and the Federal Vision

Calvin and the Federal Vision
Author: Jeong Koo Jeon
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2009-06-12
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 149827482X

John Calvin (1509-64) was the pinnacle of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation in Europe. As we celebrate the five hundred-year anniversary of his birth, it is worthy to explore Calvin's covenant theology, which may be one of the best windows to understand and evaluate his theology as a whole. In recent years, the Federal Vision has been surfaced in the American conservative Reformed and evangelical circles. It has strong hermeneutical, theological, and practical attachment with Calvin. Although Calvin was a covenant theologian, he firmly maintained the evangelical distinction between law and gospel, especially in his exposition of justification by faith alone (sola fide) and salvation by grace alone (sola gratia) with a balanced emphasis of believers' covenantal obedience. Moreover, we will find out that Calvin not only applied the distinction between law and gospel to soteriology but also in the depiction of redemptive history. In Calvin, the distinction between law and gospel was foundational for the depiction of biblical vision of eschatology in the Garden of Eden before the Fall and under the Old Covenant. However, the exponents of the Federal Vision deny any validity of the distinction between law and gospel in hermeneutics, theology, and practice while they identify themselves with those of Calvin. In that sense, we may identify the Federal Vision not with the Protestant Reformation and Calvin but as consistent monocovenantalism in which they deny the distinction between law and gospel and apply that monocovenantal principle consistently to their understandings of hermeneutics, soteriology, the doctrine of double predestination, and sacramental theology.