Hermeneutics and the Confessions (original) (raw)
A Lutheran Confessional Exploration of Gospel Praxis
Gift and Promise: The Augsburg Confessions and the Heart of Christian Theology, 2016
The Confessors at Augsburg addressed various practices that their evangelical churches found necessary to change because they burdened Christian consciences with church-made requirements that contradicted the Gospel and obscured the law. Steve Kuhl reminds us that these changes serve as examples of the Confessors' concern to have every practice of the church be an articulation of the "hub," the Gospel itself, in distinction from the law of God. When the church's practice is shaped and evaluated in this way, by what Kuhl calls the "meta-assumption" of the Gospel (as the Augsburg Confession advocates), Christians are freed from the burden of an accusing conscience not because they are in themselves above the law's accusation, but because they are by faith securely included in Christ's victory over the law.
(Confessional) Lutheran perspectives on the unity of the church
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 2017
From personal experience, this article shares to what degree the Faculty of Theology at the University of Pretoria was and continues to be a gateway to the future, challenging among others the divisions that characterise the Church of Christ worldwide. The article argues that for the 16th-century Reformers the unity of the church was a given and that the (Lutheran) confessions were written to establish such a unity through agreement in confession and joint rejection of false doctrines. However, such statements of faith did not overcome the divisions, but institutionalised them, leading to a divided Church of Christ. Political intervention to work unity between Lutherans and Reformers deepened divisions more than ever, leading among others to a break of fellowship at the Lord’s Supper. Applying Luther’s hermeneutical principle of was Christum treibet (what drives Christ), the author seeks to rediscover a way of interpreting Scripture by focusing not on literal differences, but on th...
Theology of the Cross in the Lutheran Confessions
Concordia Theological Quarterly , 2018
Luther's theology of the cross has different interpretations. This paper explores how the Lutheran Confessions teach the theology of the cross compared with other interpretations of this hallmark of Luther's theology.
Lutheran and Reformed Theology in Conversation
Conspectus, 2019
The 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation occurred in 2017. That is the same year that a collaborative effort between Robert Kolb and Carl R Trueman was published by Baker. The title of the authors’ work is Between Wittenberg and Geneva. The subtitle provides a clearer indication of the publication’s focus, namely, Lutheran and Reformed theology in Conversation. Kolb and Trueman are neither the first nor the last specialists to compare Lutheran and Reformed approaches to the classical theological loci. That said, their publication represents a fresh and irenic contribution to the ongoing dialogue between these two confessional traditions. Both theologians, in their respective ways, seek to ground their statements about hermeneutics, the law / gospel dialectic, and the Son’s person and work (among other topics) to the teachings found in the Word. Along the way, both authors, likewise, highlight salient pastoral convictions that arise from their deliberations. An examination of each chapter within the book surfaces the shared historical and theological legacy between the Lutheran and Reformed communions. Also, while being appropriately self-critical of their own faith traditions, both authors delineate what they regard as the key differences between the two confessional groups. Moreover, as the dialogue unfolds between Kolb and Trueman, readers discover areas of agreement and disagreement between the Lutheran and Reformed camps and Roman Catholicism (on the one hand) and nonconfessional Protestant groups (on the other hand). Doing so helps to elucidate the major areas of theological differentiation among all these ecclesial communions. What follows is a chapter-by-chapter distillation of the information appearing in the treatise. It is interspersed with supplementary observations of varying depth and detail made by both of us—Dan Lioy (who brings a Lutheran perspective) and Robert Falconer (who brings a Reformed perspective). Our intent in doing so is to promote further conversation within the SATS community about doctrinal issues of shared interest.
Church History and Religious Culture, 2012
The essay explores the question of the evidence of distinct Lutheran and Reformed confessional practices of exegesis particularly concerning interpretations of Old Testament prophecy. It begins by outlining differences in Martin Luther and John Calvin’s practices of christological exegesis and vision of sacred history in their interpretations of the Minor Prophets. Next, it traces the evolution of these differences in a set of figures from the next generation of Lutheran and Reformed exegetes in order to discern whether consistent patterns emerge to indicate ways in which biblical interpretation shaped confessional identity. Through a survey of commentaries on the Minor Prophets by a set of next generation Lutherans (Philip Melanchthon, Aegidius Hunnius, Lucas Osiander, and Nicolas Selnecker) and next generation Reformed (David Pareus, Lambert Daneau, Johannes Drusius, and Johannes Piscator) the author provides a picture of how biblical interpretation did indeed play a significant r...
This paper argues that Justification is the central article of the CA and BC in general. Although not explicit like CA, Ap, Epit, SD, FC or SA, it is argued that each section of BC embodies justification even if it is not overt within the main theme. Hence it is argued that justification by faith is implied, alluded to, presupposed and implicit in confessions such as the Tractate, LC, SC and Ecumenical Creeds. Unpacked is the historical context of the Justification by Faith controversy in the sixteenth century, Luther’s theological developments, writings and vocal position of it, relating to the lead up to and post-fallout of the Council of Trent (CoT). Lastly examined is the doctrine of justification, its relationship to creation and sanctification whilst studying Luther’s SC. Examined is justification and Lutheran teaching within the Church and the Lutheran Education system, including justification’s relationship to Lutheran Spirituality and what this looks like in practical application. In conclusion justification is the ‘beating heart’ and centre of Lutheran Confessional writings, teaching and spirituality. It is grounded in Pauline Theology and is the one doctrine that openly declares ‘God for us’ sanctioning a distinct basis for Lutheran teaching and practical spiritual living.
What Options do the Confessions Give Us
Rev John W Fenton, 2004
This paper examines the extent to which the Evangelical-Lutheran Confessions of 1580 are followed and maintained by those who profess to be Confessional Lutherans in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. It is a diagnosis, not a prescription.