Luther & the State: Writings on Secularism


Book Description

A new 2023 systematic of Luther's works across 7 volumes. This volume contains new translations of the following major works: 1. Von der babylonischen Gefangenschaft der Kirche / Prelude to the Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520) 2. An den Christlichen Adel deutscher Nation von des Christlichen standes besserung/ To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation (1520) 3. Das Magnificat, verdeutscht und ausgelegt / The Magnificat, Germanized and Interpreted (1521) 4. Eyn trew vormanung Martini Luther tzu allen Christen, sich tzu vorhuten fur auffruhr unnd emporung / A Faithful Preamble by Martin Luther to All Christians to Prepare for Revolt and Rise (1522) 5. Von weltlicher Obrigkeit und Wieweit man ihr Gehorsam schuldig sei/ On Secular Authority: To What Extent It Must Be Obeyed (1523) 6. Daß Jesus Christus ein geborner Jüde sei/ That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew (1523) 7. Daß eine christliche Versammlung oder Gemeinde Recht und Macht habe / That a Christian assembly or congregation has right and power (1523) 8. An die Burgermeister und Ratherrn allerlei Städte in deutschen Landen/ To the Mayors and Town Councillors of all the Towns in the German Lands (1524) 9. Wider die räuberischen und mörderischen Rotten der Bauern/ Against the Robbing and Murdering Hordes of Peasants (1525) 10. Über den Bauernkrieg/ On the German Peasant's war (1526) 11. Briefe an Landgraf Philipp von Hessen/ Letters to Landgrave Philipp of Hesse (1530-31) 12. Artikel wider die ganze Satans-Schule und alle Pforten der Hölle / Articles against the whole school of Satan and all the gates of hell (1530) 13. An den Juden Jesel, v. 5. November 1537 / A letter to the Jew Jesel 14. A Letter to his wife of Feb 7th, 1546 / An seine Frau, aus Eisleben vom 7. Februar 1546. (1546) This is volume IV of "The Essential Luther" from NLP. This series lays out Luther's complete major writings along with the original German or Latin text in the back of the book for quick reference. These are the only Bilingual editions of Luther's works ever printed. These manuscripts have been meticulously translated into English from the Original Fraktur manuscript. The German texts have been transcribed into the modern German text. This series is intended to introduce Luther's works systematically and includes all of Luther's writings including minor and obscure texts in 7 editions. Some of these sermons and letters have had no modern English translation until now. Volume I. Luther Contra Mundum: The Ninety-five Theses and other Major Treaties Volume II. Luther & Scripture: Writings on Hermeneutics, Exegesis and Patristics Volume III. Luther on Divine Sovereignty & Human will: Conversations with Erasmus Volume IV. Luther & the State: Writings on Secularism Volume V. Luther's Creeds: Catechisms & Confessions Volume VI. Luther's Table Talk Volume VII. Luther's Sermons and Letters




Luther and Calvin on Secular Authority


Book Description

Martin Luther and John Calvin were the principal 'magistral' Reformers of the sixteenth-century: they sought to enlist the cooperation of rulers in the work of reforming the Church. However, neither regarded the relationship between Reformed Christians and the secular authorities as comfortable or unproblematic. The two pieces translated here, Luther's On Secular Authority and Calvin's On Civil Government, constitute their most sustained attempts to find the proper balance between these two commitments. Despite their mutual respect, there were wide divergences between them. Luther's On Secular Authority would later be cited en bloc in favour of religious toleration, whereas Calvin envisaged secular authority as an agency for the compulsory establishment of the external conditions of Christian virtue and the suppression of dissent. The introduction, glossary, chronology and bibliography contained in this volume locate the texts in the broader context of the theology and political thinking of their authors.




Church and State


Book Description

In an age marked by controversy over public support of religious schools, federal encouragement of religious providers of social services, and sexuality education, the whole arena of church-state relations appears in flux. In this volume, seven experts probe the meaning of religion in public life for Christians when the "Protestant establishment" has given way to pervasive religious pluralism and a growing secularism. Working specifically out of Lutheran traditions, the authors probe the deeper legal, moral, and religious questions at issue in the current debate. They not only rethink classical sources about law and gospel and two-kingdoms theory but also resurrect neglected resources for Christian civil resistance. They then look to contemporary developments and show how functional interaction of church and state is compatible with their strong institutional separation. Finally, three chapters probe the most hotly contested First Amendment questions: religious liberty, education, and land use.




The Political Theories of Martin Luther


Book Description

After a description of the Germany of Luther's day, the author enters upon various important topics in political science and endeavors to show by citations from Luther's writings the positions taken by that reformer. His views are not formulated in any connected treatise on the theory of the State but a compilation of detailed expressions exhibit the principles upon which he seemed to act. The author organizes the matter in a final summary, by which it appears that Luther was of the opinion that the State was of divine origin but its form was a matter for human determination. The sovereignty of the State is exclusive, not shared by the Church, and, furthermore, the State is not simply a sword in the interest of the Church. The object of the State is to maintain peace, and its powers should be used in the interest of all, not for the benefit of special classes. It is the duty of the State to educate youth both in secular and religious matters. It should care for the poor, protect the people against monopolies and extortion, and should suppress gambling and immorality. Freedom of conscience, liberty of speech and of the press are inalienable rights of every individual. It is important to know the political views of the man who wrought such changes in religious associations, and the author has performed good service in assembling Luther's expressions, but it is difficult to count him as a contributor to political science.




Lutheran Theology and Secular Law


Book Description

This collection brings together lawyers and theologians in the U.S. and Europe to reflect on Lutheran understandings of the political use of the law by secular governments. The book furthers the intellectual conversation about how Lutheran insights can be used to develop jurisprudence and specific solutions to legal issues in which there is strong conflict. It presents the basic theological and interpretive assumptions of the Lutheran tradition as they may inform the creation of legislation and judicial interpretation at local, national and international levels. The authors explore Luther’s conception of the foundations of modern secular law and understanding of vocation. The work discusses the application of Lutheran theological principles to contemporary issues such as the war on terror, native land rights, property law, family law, church and state, medical experimentation, and the criminal law of rape, providing ethical insights for lawyers and lawmakers.




Rebel in the Ranks


Book Description

When Martin Luther published his 95 Theses in October 1517, he had no intention of starting a revolution. But very quickly his criticism of indulgences became a rejection of the papacy and the Catholic Church emphasizing the Bible as the sole authority for Christian faith, radicalizing a continent, fracturing the Holy Roman Empire, and dividing Western civilization in ways Luther—a deeply devout professor and spiritually-anxious Augustinian friar—could have never foreseen, nor would he have ever endorsed. From Germany to England, Luther’s ideas inspired spontaneous but sustained uprisings and insurrections against civic and religious leaders alike, pitted Catholics against Protestants, and because the Reformation movement extended far beyond the man who inspired it, Protestants against Protestants. The ensuing disruptions prompted responses that gave shape to the modern world, and the unintended and unanticipated consequences of the Reformation continue to influence the very communities, religions, and beliefs that surround us today. How Luther inadvertently fractured the Catholic Church and reconfigured Western civilization is at the heart of renowned historian Brad Gregory’s Rebel in the Ranks. While recasting the portrait of Luther as a deliberate revolutionary, Gregory describes the cultural, political, and intellectual trends that informed him and helped give rise to the Reformation, which led to conflicting interpretations of the Bible, as well as the rise of competing churches, political conflicts, and social upheavals across Europe. Over the next five hundred years, as Gregory’s account shows, these conflicts eventually contributed to further epochal changes—from the Enlightenment and self-determination to moral relativism, modern capitalism, and consumerism, and in a cruel twist to Luther’s legacy, the freedom of every man and woman to practice no religion at all. With the scholarship of a world-class historian and the keen eye of a biographer, Gregory offers readers an in-depth portrait of Martin Luther, a reluctant rebel in the ranks, and a detailed examination of the Reformation to explain how the events that transpired five centuries ago still resonate—and influence us—today.




Luther's Sermons and Letters


Book Description

A new 2023 systematic of Luther's works across 7 volumes. This volume contains a new translation of his existant sermons and letters in American English, translated directly from the original manuscripts. This is volume VII of "The Essential Luther" from NLP. This series lays out Luther's complete major writings along with the original German or Latin text in the back of the book for quick reference. These are the only Bilingual editions of Luther's works ever printed. These manuscripts have been meticulously translated into English from the Original Fraktur manuscript. The German texts have been transcribed into the modern German text. This series is intended to introduce Luther's works systematically and includes all of Luther's writings including minor and obscure texts in 7 editions. Some of these sermons and letters have had no modern English translation until now. Volume I. Luther Contra Mundum: The Ninety-five Theses and other Major Treaties Volume II. Luther & Scripture: Writings on Hermeneutics, Exegesis and Patristics Volume III. Luther on Divine Sovereignty & Human will: Conversations with Erasmus Volume IV. Luther & the State: Writings on Secularism Volume V. Luther's Creeds: Catechisms & Confessions Volume VI. Luther's Table Talk Volume VII. Luther's Sermons and Letters




On Secular Governance


Book Description

This volume puts forth an unprecedented, distinctive Lutheran take on the intersection of law and religion in our society today. On Secular Governance gathers the collaborative reflections of legal and theological scholars on a range of subjects — women’s issues, property law and the environment, immigration reform, human trafficking, church-state questions, and more — all addressed from uniquely Lutheran points of view.




Luther on Divine Sovereignty & Human will: Conversations with Erasmus


Book Description

A new 2023 systematic of Luther's works across 7 volumes. This volume contains new translations of the following major works: 1. Von der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen/ On the Freedom of a Christian (1520) 2. Epistula Lutheri Erasmo / Letter from Luther to Erasmus (1525) 3. Vom unfreien Willen (De Servo Arbitrio) Das der freie wille nichts sey. Antwort D. Martini Luther an Erasmum Roterdam / The Bondage of the Will: That free will is nothing. Answer D. Martini Luther to Erasmum Roterdam (1526) 4. Von der Erbsünde/ On Original Sin (1530) 5. Von der Rechtfertigung des Menschen vor Gott, An Johann Brentius / On the Justification of Man before God, To Johann Brentius (1535) This is volume III of "The Essential Luther" from NLP. This series lays out Luther's complete major writings along with the original German or Latin text in the back of the book for quick reference. These are the only Bilingual editions of Luther's works ever printed. These manuscripts have been meticulously translated into English from the Original Fraktur manuscript. The German texts have been transcribed into the modern German text. This series is intended to introduce Luther's works systematically and includes all of Luther's writings including minor and obscure texts in 7 editions. Some of these sermons and letters have had no modern English translation until now. Volume I. Luther Contra Mundum: The Ninety-five Theses and other Major Treaties Volume II. Luther & Scripture: Writings on Hermeneutics, Exegesis and Patristics Volume III. Luther on Divine Sovereignty & Human will: Conversations with Erasmus Volume IV. Luther & the State: Writings on Secularism Volume V. Luther's Creeds: Catechisms & Confessions Volume VI. Luther's Table Talk Volume VII. Luther's Sermons and Letters




Race and Secularism in America


Book Description

This anthology draws bold comparisons between secularist strategies to contain, privatize, and discipline religion and the treatment of racialized subjects by the American state. Specializing in history, literature, anthropology, theology, religious studies, and political theory, contributors expose secularism's prohibitive practices in all facets of American society and suggest opportunities for change.