Reviews of “Where Christ Is Present”

By Bror Erickson [editor’s note:  a longtime commenter on this blog]

This collection of essays contributed to and edited by John Warwick Montgomery and Gene Edward Veith is a product of the 1517 Legacy who gave me a promo copy for review. The 1517 Legacy Project is largely centered around Concordia University Irvine where its founder Rod Rosenbladt of “The Gospel for Those Broken by the Church” fame, and longtime cohost of ‘The White Horse Inn” radio show, has long taught theology and apologetics. I have long considered the $40,000 I spent to study under him at Concordia Irvine for two years to be the best money I ever spent. The goal of this organization, in line with this book, is to bring the insights of the Lutheran Reformation back into public consciousness.

This book is largely aimed at those who are looking at various churches for whatever reason and then making a case for becoming Lutheran. To this end, several of the early essays do some comparisons of the gospel as it is presented in different churches, and why the Lutheran distinctive matters. Much in these essays draw upon the experience of their authors in other church bodies before themselves becoming Lutheran. As the book progresses, this theme leaves off in examinations particular Lutheran facets in the realm of Lutheran doctrine and culture.

I especially liked “Vocation versus Narcissus” By Uwe Siemon-Netto explicating the Lutheran doctrine of vocation relating how the gospel frees us to be servants of our neighbors. His application of the Max Weber thesis to the Lutheran Doctrine of Vocation in relation to the automobile industry was fascinating, especially his citation of Roland Peugeot crediting the Lutheran doctrine of vocation in being instrumental to the quality of the Peugeot product.  This theme carries on into essays by Craig Parton concerning a Lutheran gospel centered freedom concerning music and the arts using the legacy of Bach to illustrate the genius of it. Angus Menuge picks up on this same freedom to show how the Lutheran Reformation helped carry along the Copernican Revolution by actually publishing Copernicus, influencing Kepler (ironically away from Holy Ministry, to a holy service in science) and driving the work of Tycho Brahe, mostly by breaking the alliance of theology with Aristotelian philosophy that had so long dominated the Roman Catholic Church with tyrannical results. Angus uses this as a warning against making the Christian faith dependent upon any particular scientific worldview or philosophy in one’s presentation of it.
These essays will not only be good for those inquiring into the Lutheran Church, but for many Lutherans who may not understand the great cultural contributions of the Lutheran faith, and how they continue even today. More to the point, pastors and other Lutherans who are interested in the work of evangelism, that is sharing your Christian faith with friends and neighbors who perhaps are not Christian, or are suffering the effects of bad Christian theology at the local non-denominational big box church, will find this book to be a refreshing resource to help you shape your conversation and deepen your own understanding of the Christian faith.

Lutheranism 102: The Conservative Reformation

By John J Bombaro

The 500th anniversary of the Reformation will see a profusion of publications analyzing virtually every aspect of the sixteenth century megashift in Christianity triggered by the daring genius of one Augustinian Friar named Martin Luther.

Fast out of the gates is this volume edited by John Warwick Montgomery and Gene Edward Veith with worthy contributions by notable Lutherans within the American academic and pastoral scene. This book, however, makes an important distinction between the Conservative Reformation and the Radical Reformation, that is, between confessional Lutheranism and much of the rest of Protestantism. It is a monumental distinction manifest in terms of theology, praxis, liturgy, sacramentology, and vocation. And it is a helpful and necessary distinction. As each of the authors make abundantly clear, Lutheranism isn’t your garden variety fellowship of believers amidst a largely indistinct panoply of denominations. No. Confessional Lutherans are “evangelical-catholics” (p.32), whose theological epicenter is the Cross of Christ and who, at the same time, conserve the valued and useful traditions of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, so long as they do not hinder the Holy Gospel but rather assist in the church’s catechesis.

Of the twelve chapters, editor Gene Edward Veith offers one of the more useful contributions through his diagnosis of contemporary American Christianity. Likewise, Cameron A. MacKenzie’s chapter adroitly sketches Luther’s theological and pastoral journey in context and further traces the trajectories of disagreement with Calvinists and Anabaptists, as well as Roman Catholics, though without being pugnacious but rather gracious.   Adam Francisco’s chapter entitled, “Authority: The Holy Scriptures”, shows nuance and sensitivity regarding sola scriptura — rightly distancing Luther and Lutheranism from implausible solo scriptura commitments, fundamentalism, and the all-too-common failure to recognized how God uses His Word.
The three standout chapters come from Todd Wilken (“God’s Two Kingdoms”), Uwe Siemon-Netto (“Vocation versus Narcissus”), and Craig Parton (“Christian Liberty, The Arts, and J.S. Bach”). Each essay is worth the price of the book.
Collectively, this is a welcome contribution from Lutherans saying, as it were, ‘Here we stand with the Gospel in Word and Sacraments.’ Lutherans longing to understand their holy faith more deeply, evangelicals dissatisfied with trivialities and emotionalism, Calvinists recognizing the efficacy of God’s Word in the sacraments and liturgy, and disenfranchised Roman Catholics will find rich faire for their souls at Wittenberg, the home of the conservative Reformation.

Let’s Get Back to Basics

by Ken Lopez Maddox

This is an easy to read and theologically sound collection of essays on the importance of orthodoxy, sola scriptura, and the rejection of today’s secularized christianity so often preached by the like of Joel Osteen and others. This book is written by some of the premier theologians of orthodox Lutheran apologetics. I would highly recommend this book to not just Lutherans but also to evangelicals and mainstream protestants who have witnessed the infusion of modern rationalism into their doctrine.

via Where Christ Is Present: A Theology for All Seasons on the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation

Note:  You can get the book cheaper than at Amazon here.