Lutheran Religion

The development of Martin Luther’s thought was both a symptom and moving force in the transformation of the Middle Ages into the modern world. Luther’s vigorous, colorful language still retains the excitement it had for thousands of his contemporaries. In this volume, Dr. Dillenberger has made a representative selection from Luther’s extensive writings, and has also provided the listener with a lucid introduction to his thought.

Why are you Lutheran? It's a valid question in this modern age of denominations, distinctions, and choices. Throw out all those notions you might have about what it means to be Lutheran. When it comes down to it, being Lutheran is really very simple. It's about following Jesus. We go where Jesus goes, we listen when Jesus speaks, we trust when Jesus promises. And we live because Jesus lives.

Most Christians know the name Martin Luther. Less familiar, however, are his words. This audio compilation of many of Luther's most important writings serves as an excellent introduction for those new to Luther. It also provides a fresh medium for people familiar with his writing.

To Christians, nothing is more important than clearly confessing and bearing witness to the truths of God's word, which reveals the glorious Gospel of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. That is what the Book of Concord is all about. This edition of the Lutheran Confessions instructs, inspires, and educates all who use it and help them learn what it means to be, and to remain, a genuinely confessing Lutheran Christian.

Help catechism students dig deeper. As listeners learn Martin Luther's foundational teachings in the Small Catechism, this volume will encourage them to go further in their doctrinal knowledge by studying the Large Catechism. Written by Luther in 1529, the Small and Large Catechisms provide a clear summary of God's Word on the essentials of the Christian faith. This edition combines the two catechisms and includes the woodcuts found in Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions.

Recognizing Paul’s words to the Galatians as crucial to understanding the truth of God’s saving grace, Martin Luther set out to examine this great work verse by verse, especially for those led astray by the teachings of false gospels. All of Luther’s writings, including this commentary, directly combat the direction of the Catholic church at the time that strove to portray salvation as a thing to be earned and then mediated through religious leaders.

In this, one of Martin Luther’s most impactful works, he brings together the similarities between the exile and captivity of the Israelites and the state of the Catholic church, in their destructive servitude to the papacy. He goes through each of the seven sacraments—questioning, analyzing, and applying the Biblical understandings he had reached. He rejects many of the practices, calling out the issues of control and misrepresentation of true Christian faith and repentance.

Originally published in 1520, The Freedom of a Christian is one of Martin Luther's most well-known and enduring treatises. In it, Luther examines Christian ethics and how justification by faith alone impacts the liberty of believers. He famously writes, "A Christian is a free lord of everything and subject to no one. A Christian is a willing servant of everything and subject to everyone." Luther also further develops ideas and doctrines that were key to the Reformation, such as the priesthood of all believers and union with Christ.

If you search for the word "coffee" in the Bible, if you're pretty sure that all the pairs of animals in Noah's Ark were married, and if you think tuna hotdish is okay but fishsticks are a little too ecumenical, you'll find humor in Growing Up Lutheran. If the Lutherans you know seem rather, er, mysterious, it will do you good.

Martin Luther started a reformation movement that revolutionized Europe in the 16th century. His far-reaching reforms of theological understanding and church practices radically modified both church and society in Europe and beyond. Paulson's introduction to Luther's thought, coupled with illustrations, provides an engaging introduction to Luther's multifaceted self and the ideas that catapulted him to fame.

The Freedom of the Christian was Martin Luther's first public defense of the doctrine of justification by grace through faith on account of Christ alone. Luther's explosive rediscovery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ shattered the Church of Rome's foundation of works, which considered good works a part of salvation instead of a result of it. Here, Luther constructed a rich theology that relies on the full power of the Gospel, which not only grants saving faith but also nurtures that faith through good works done in the freest service.

In a society where conversations about gender have too often become stale and predictable, Ladylike: Living Biblically reimagines what it means to be a Christian woman in our feminized secular society.

Church congregations all across the United States are searching for the magic bullet, the secret to attracting people, growing their membership and their cultural relevance. They are looking for the right program, or the right environment, or the right features to help bring people back into the pews. With all of this searching for the right answer, they're missing what's right in front of them: Word and Sacrament.

In Commentary on Galatians, Martin Luther expounds Paul's epistle with an insight, power, and depth of emotion which is sorely lacking in modern commentaries. From the very first minute of this book, Luther cuts to the heart of the epistle - the doctrine of justification - in the way that only he can. His bold words and plain-sense interpretations result in a work filled with much of the same force and passion that characterized the epistle itself.

A Shepherd's Letter is Bo Giertz distilled and served neat. He wrote this book to introduce his theological agenda for the Diocese of Gothenburg to which he was elected bishop in 1949. Here, he takes a straightforward approach to the theological themes that guided his writing of The Hammer of God, Faith Alone: The Heart of Everything, and With My Own Eyes. What he wrote for the sheep of the Gothenburg diocese, has applicability for all Christians everywhere even today, and will enrich their understanding of the "faith once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).

American Christianity teaches the centrality of the individual: my will, my experiences, my decision, my heart, my work, and my dedication. Yet we couldn't be more unaware that Christ and His saving and comforting work are being lost. Our minds and hearts are captivated in some way by those who often preach the Christian instead of Christ.

Luther’s 95 Theses, written in Latin, were famously posted by Martin Luther on the door of the Castle Church, Wittenberg, on October 31, 1517, an event that came to be considered as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. The Theses focus on three main issues: selling forgiveness through indulgences, the pope’s claimed power of forgiveness, and the damage indulgences caused to sinners. The first thesis states, "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, "Repent," he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance."

Veith explores and presents a true understanding of justification by faith, the means of grace, vocation, theology of the cross, the two kingdoms, worship, and the church. This is a revised edition of the original text written in 1999.

Lutheran theology is glorious and mysterious. It is relatable and applicable. It is for everyone, in any time, in any place. But it also can be intimidating. A Martyr's Faith in a Faithless World serves as a starting point for those looking to start exploring theological works and deepen their understanding of Lutheran theology.

Martin Luther was a controversial figure during his lifetime, eliciting strong emotions in friends and enemies alike, and his outsized persona has left an indelible mark on the world today. Living I Was Your Plague explores how Luther carefully crafted his own image and how he has been portrayed in his own times and ours, painting a unique portrait of the man who set in motion a revolution that sundered Western Christendom.