This book describes how God, who wants all people to be saved, installed the 16th century major Reformation into world history. God trained, gifted, and protected Martin Luther to serve as leader for this reformation. This book also sets forth another major purpose that was needed for true reformation, namely, a reliable translation of Holy Scripture from its original languages into the common language of the people. Luther and his co-workers worked diligently for two and a half decades to finish their fourth edited copy by 1545. Since Luther and his followers were sentenced as unforgivable heretics by both the Roman Church and the major secular universal government, the reformation team was working under strong duress. But God kept protecting them through the small provincial government of Electoral Saxony, who kept insisting that Martin must receive a fair trial.

In a clear, nontechnical way, this noted Reformation historian tells the story of how the nascent reforming and confessional movement sparked and led by Martin Luther survived its first battles with religious and political authorities to become institutionalized in its religious practices and teachings. Gritsch then traces the emergence of genuine consensus at the end of the sixteenth century, followed by the age of Lutheran Orthodoxy, the great Pietist reaction, Lutheranisms growing diversification during the Industrial Revolution, its North American expansion, and its increasingly global and ecumenical ventures in the last century.

The Reformation of the 16th century was a complex and multifaceted political, social, cultural, and religious process. Most historians agree, however, that in the framework of this process it was the religious and theological efforts to reform and renew the late medieval church—decadent and irrelevant in many ways—that were the initiating forces that set a broad historical movement in motion. Among these reforming religious and theological forces, the Lutheran reform movement was the most important and influential one. It was the historical impact of the theological genius of the Wittenberg professor Martin Luther (1483-1546) that profoundly changed and shaped the face of Europe and beyond. Today, Lutheranism has become a worldwide communion of churches that stretches from Germany to Siberia, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar, and Surinam. The second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Lutheranism presents information on major theological issues, historical developments of Lutheranism worldwide, Lutheran ecumenical and missionary involvement and activities, worship and liturgy, spirituality, social ethics, inter-religious and Jewish relations, Lutheranism and the arts, theology, and important representatives of Lutheranism. This is done through a detailed chronology, an introductory essay, an appendix of Lutheran Churches, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Lutheranism.

A helpful and accessible guide to Lutheranism's history and central tenents, with numerous photos and illustrations.

Did the Reformers lack a vision for missions? In Sixteenth-Century Mission, a diverse cast of contributors explores the wide-reaching practice and theology of mission during this era. Rather than a century bereft of cross-cultural outreach, we find both Reformers and Roman Catholics preaching the gospel and establishing the church in all the world. This overlooked yet rich history reveals themes and insights relevant to the practice of mission today.

Did Martin Luther wield his hammer on the Wittenberg church door on October 31, 1517? Did he even post the Ninety-five Theses at all? This collection of documents sheds light on the debate surrounding Luther's actions and the timing of his writing and his request for a disputation on the indulgence issue. The primary documents in this book include the theses, their companion sermon ("A Sermon on Indulgence and Grace", 1518), a chronoloical arrangement of letters pertinent to the theses, and selections from Luther's Table Talk that address the Ninety-five Theses. A final section contains Luther's recollections, which offer today's reader the reformer's own views of the Reformation and the Ninety-five Theses.

Luther and his Bible centered theology came into existence during an approximate 30 year period of time (1517-1546). As leader in the reformation movement Luther not only worked against the Roman Catholic religion which had become synergistic and very legalistic, but he also stood firm against Reformed theology which was sprouting forth with a semi-synergistic theology. (The word synergism is derived out of two Greek words which mean,"working together"(with God) for being converted and being saved in the process of becoming a Christian. This teaching approach stands against a number of Bible passages such as Romans 3:28; 11:6; Ephesians 2:5, 8-9; and others.) This Luther biography offers excellent insights into the life of Dr. Martin Luther and provides good summaries of Luther s main teachings. It presents the Gospel as the Bible doctrine of salvation by the grace of God grace alone, through God-given faith in Christ alone, as taught in Holy Scripture alone. Not only are spiritual leaders, but also our lay members, under continuous bombardment during present the time with the decision theology preaching, false baptism theology and the outright denial of our Savior ́s real presence of His body and blood in, with, and under the bread and wine in Holy Communion. False teaching also keeps being promoted about God's forgiveness of original sin as well as actual sin. Other teachings about the church ban (excommunication), purgatory, praying to saints, the Sacraments, and more, also had needed to be warned against. Not only spiritual leaders, but the laity as well, needed to be properly informed in harmony with the teachings of the Bible. The Bible needed to be translated into their speech. The teachings of our Lutheran Catechism still serve a good purpose in our classrooms and in our BIC classes. But again, how much of such valuable information shows up consistently in daily talk in our families or in personal conversations, even at times within our fraternal get-togethers? We may daily read printed meditations or sections out of the Bible, both of which are highly commendable, but to what extend does the Luther story, in tune with our Lutheran heritage, still play a role in this context? In fact, do we still remember the Lutheran background as being very important? There is an ongoing big need for reliable spiritual maintenance and growth in the hearts of all our brothers and sisters at large. Confirmation dare not be regarded as a mere graduation of a Christian learning process. Our Lutheran high schools pick up some of the slack after confirmation. But what happens after that, and what happens to the rest? A minimal number of high school graduates continue in one of our colleges, and a goodly number of these are trained as future pastors and teachers among us. Thanks be to our God for this! However, many other high school graduates fan out into colleges and universities at large, while at the same time big numbers of others are being absorbed by the labor market. At the same time the prince of this world keeps injecting all kinds of worldly philosophies through the world ́s higher education centers, aimed toward destroying implanted Christian values in our maturing brothers and sisters in faith. Heavy bombardments are being launched against our Savior ́s teachings, either directly or under disguise. Bible teachings are treacherously rendered as outdated traditions, or even as somewhat enhanced legends handed down and expanded with the passing of time.

'All God's People: A Theology of the Church' sets out a corrective understanding of the nature of the church universal with a focus on implications for the church local. The book is divided into three basic sections: A Historical Theology of the Church surveys the history of theology of the church, beginning with the early church, the formative years for all Christian theology; A Biblical Theology of the Church examines the Old Testament, Gospels, and apostolic sense of the people of God; A Systematic Theology of the Church seeks to both systematize the biblical theology and synthesize it with contemporary thought. Finally, A Practical Theology of the Church concludes the work relating the book's lessons to the contemporary church climate.