In this book, Kolb and Arand offer the reader some thoughts on how the riches of the Lutheran tradition might be used in contemporary church life. Both men are well qualified for the task: Kolb is well known for a number of outstanding monographs on Martin Luther; and Arand has worked on the background to the Book of Concord, the Lutheran confessional standards, and has writ-ten an excellent pastoral book on the history and theology of Luther's catechisms. Here, these two outstanding Lutherans have pooled their considerable resources and offer to the church a fine example of how a historic tradition can yet be of relevance today.
For most evangelicals, Luther looms larger as a symbol than as a positive resource. Indeed, he is known more as the man who stood against Rome on the point of justification than as one who helped to build a church. His exegesis has dated considerably; and his view of the sacraments sits uncomfortably both with the default Zwinglians of the evangelical tradition and the Calvinists among the Reformed. Yet his work still possesses riches that are there for the taking by anyone who cares to look.
The book is divided into two sections, the first deals with humanity and the two kinds of righteousness, and the second with the doctrine of the Word of God. Thus, this is no comprehensive statement of Lutheran thought; rather it is intended as an example of how the writings of Luther, Melanchthon, and others can inform discussion of these vital topics today. Of particular note in both sections is the centrality of assurance. I am often asked in class about how we as Protestants should interact with Catholics. My answer is that we should stress what we have that Catholics lack: a robust doctrine of assurance. That was the hinge on which the Lutheran Reformation turned, and this book demonstrates how that element is integral to the whole of Lutheran theology.
The authors also demonstrate in brilliant fashion how righteousness and Word connect with each other. Much is often made about the "legal fiction" that is the Protestant notion of justification. Kolb and Arand demonstrate that Luther's understanding of the Word is highly creative: God speaks, and a certain state of affairs is true, no matter what the outward, empirical or "rational" evidence might suggest. As there was nothing, then God spoke and there was the creation, so on the cross all evidence suggest a disaster, but God's Word tells us that it is grace triumphant; so in justification, when God declares me to be righteous, I am so in the eyes of the only one who ultimately determines what reality is-God himself. Particularly helpful in parts of this discussion is the authors' (intentional?) appropriation of the language of conversation to express that which they intend. "Conversation" has become one of the perennial clichés of the postmodern church world, where it generally refers to a democratic exchange of ideas that may-or may not-lead to some kind of conclusion. Here, Kolb and Arand make it clear that there is a divine-human conversation, but it is always the case that God holds the initiative and that human beings simply respond. We can speak to and of God because he has first spoken to and of us.
The section on sacraments is perhaps the area where evangelicals will find most with which to disagree, given the strong realism of the Lutheran tradition. Nevertheless, in an evangelical world that neglects sacraments, there are some healthy correctives here. I found particularly helpful the notion of sacraments nourishing the believer, a point scarcely unique to Lutheranism, which reminds us of the church's central priorities and which functionally connects the sacraments to the Word.
One final point: Chapter nine is particularly useful. Here, the authors talk about the conveying of God's Word from one to another. The point is simple: Only as we speak the gospel to each other as believers do we die to sin and rise with Christ. So much of evangelical life focuses on telling the gospel to unbelievers, yet one of the great insights of Lutheranism was the transformative power of the Word for human beings in general. It does not lose its power for believers; it is not simply a transfer of information; rather, the Word is the lifeblood of the Christian life.
This is an excellent book, well written, and fascinating. I have not enjoyed reading something so much for a long time.
