Books published by Augsburg Fortress Publishers

Rather than asking if theology is theoretical or practical -- a question that reveals a fundamental lack of understanding about the nature of theology in general -- it is better to ask "What exactly is theology?" It is this question that Oswald Bayer attempts to answer in Theology the Lutheran Way, clearing up misconceptions about the essence of theology. Along with Luther himself, Bayer claims that theology, rather than being something that we do, is really what God does.

Sixteen church historians here examine Martin Luther in an uncommon way -- not as Reformer or theologian but as pastor. Luther's work as parish pastor commanded much of his time and energy in Wittenberg.After first introducing the pastoral Luther, including his theology of the cross, these chapters discuss Luther's preaching and use of language (including humor), investigate his teaching ministry in depth, especially in light of the catechism, and explore his views on such things as the role of women, the Virgin Mary, and music.

As profound as Martin Luther's ideas are, this giant of church history was concerned above all with practical instruction for daily Christian living. Harvesting Martin Luther's Reflections highlights this concern of Luther, mining his thought in key areas of doctrine, ethics, and church practice. Gathering noteworthy contributions by well-known Luther scholars from Europe and the Americas, this book ranges broadly over theological questions about baptism and righteousness, ethical issues like poverty and greed, and pastoral concerns like worship and spirituality.

The most up-to-date English commentary on the Formula of Concord, A Formula for Parish Practice provides helpful, concise descriptions of key theological debates and a unique weaving of historical and textual commentary with modern Lutheran experience. Covering the entire Formula of Concord the book includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter.

Radical Discipleship engages the structural evils of homelessness, mass incarceration, and capital punishment, arguing that to be faithful to the gospel, Christians must become disciples of, not simply believers in, Jesus. Jennifer McBride argues that disciples must work to overcome the social evils that bar beloved community. Unfolding the social and political character of the good news, the book organically connects liturgy with activism and theological reflection enabling a radical discipleship that takes seriously the Jesus of the Gospels.

Since Dietrich Bonhoeffers death in 1945, he has continued to fascinate and compel readers as a theologian, witness, and martyr. In this new biography, Christiane Tietz masterfully portrays the interconnectedness of Bonhoeffers life and thought, theology and politics, discipleship, witness, and resistance, tracing the path from his childhood to his imprisonment and execution. Brief, lucid, and accessible, Tietzs new account brings Bonhoeffers story and work to life in a vivid retelling, unfolding his important and widely read texts in the process. The volume also includes previously unseen pictures.

One of the hallmarks of Luthers theology was its concern for daily life. In the midst of debates about justification and salvation, church authority, and the Lords Supper, Luther himself demonstrated his own powerful sense of vocation. In this refreshing book, Mark D. Tranvik turns attention to the importance of vocation in Luthers life and in doing so discovers renewed insights into this important doctrine. Drawing from the rich experience of twenty years of teaching undergraduates, Tranvik balances the historical roots of Luthers thought and contemporary relevance with skill and vigor.

Much recent scholarship on Paul has searched for implicit narratives behind Pauls scriptural allusions. A. Andrew Das reviews six proposals for grand thematic narratives behind the logic of Galatians: the covenant; the influx of nations to Zion; Isaacs near sacrifice; the Spirit as cloud in the wilderness; the Exodus; and the imperial cult. Das weighs each of these proposals exegetically and finds them wanting, examples of what Samuel Sandmel famously labeled parallelomania. Das reflects on the risks of seeking comprehensive stories behind Pauls letters and offers a path forward.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century. His Life Together and Discipleship are considered to be spiritual classics, and few theological works have made as much of an impact as Letters and Papers from Prison upon publication. But who actually is this Bonhoeffer? Do we really know him? In this magisterial collection, leading international scholars discuss and critically interact with the ways in which a variety of significant figures have engaged with Bonhoeffers thought since his death.

Preaching, and the discipline of preaching, is at a crossroads. The changing realities of church and theological education, the diversity of our classrooms, and our increasingly complex community contexts leave us in search of tools to help train a rising generation of preachers for a future whose contours are far from clear. In Ways of the Word, a dynamic team of master preachers, Sally A. Brown and Luke A. Powery, speaks with one voice their belief that preaching is a witness to the ongoing work of God in the world.

"All translations from the LXX are taken from A New English Translation of the Septuagint"-- title page verso.

At the center of contemporary struggles over aggressive policing practices is an assumed association in U.S. culture of blackness with criminality. Rima L. Vesely-Flad examines the religious and philosophical constructs of the black body in U.S. society, examining racialized ideas about purity and pollution as they have developed historically and as they are institutionalized today in racially disproportionate policing and mass incarceration. These systems work, she argues, to keeps threatening elements of society in a constant state of harassment and tension so that they are unable to pollute the morals of mainstream society. Policing establishes racialized boundaries between communities deemed dangerous and communities deemed pure and, along with prisons and reentry policies, sequesters and restrains the pollution of convicted criminals, thus perpetuating the image of the threatening black male criminal. Vesely-Flad shows how the anti-Stop and Frisk and the Black Lives Matter movements have confronted these systems by exposing unquestioned assumptions about blackness and criminality. They hold the potential, she argues, to reverse the construal of pollution and invasion in Americas urban cores if they extend their challenge to mass imprisonment and the\\ barriers to reentry of convicted felons.

In this volume in the series Reading the Bible in the Twemty-First Century: Insights, Mitzi J. Smith describes the distinctive African American experience of Scripture, from slavery to Black Liberation and beyond, and the unique angles of perception that an intentional African American interpretation brings to the text today. Smith shows how questions of race, ethnicity, and the dynamics of “othering” have resulted in new reading of particular texts, and describes challenges that scholarship raises for the future of biblical interpretation.

Jerusalem, with its turbulent history, is without doubt one of the best-known cities of the world. A long line of foreign powers have ruled over it, from as far back as biblical times. But the city owes its importance not to them but to the fact that it is the birthplace of monotheism. Othmar Keel sketches in broad brush strokes the development of Israelite-Jewish monotheism and its integration of polytheistic symbols and perceptions. Abundant maps and illustrations enhance the volume.

The historical problem of Romans is its double character: concerned with issues of Torah and the destiny of Israel, the letter is explicitly addressed not to Jews but to Gentiles. In The So-Called Jew in Romans, nine Pauline scholars focus their attention on the rhetoric of diatribe and characterization in the opening chapters of the letter, asking what Paul means by the so-called Jew in Romans 2 and where else in the letters argumentation that figure appears or is implied. Each component of Pauls argument is closely examined.

The Holy One in Our Midst: An Essay on the Flesh of Christ aims to defend the doctrine of the extra Calvinisticumthe doctrine that maintains the Son of God was not restricted to the flesh of Christ during the incarnationby arguing that it is logically coherent, biblically warranted, catholically orthodox, and theologically useful. It shows that none of the standard objections are devastating to the extra, that the doctrine is rooted in the claims of Christian Scripture and not merely a remnant of perfect being philosophical theology, and that the doctrine plays an important role in contemporary theological discussion. In this way, James Gordon revives an important Catholic doctrine that has fallen out of favor in contemporary theology. Also, this project aims to integrate biblical, philosophical, and systematic theology by showing that the tools and methods of each distinct discipline can contribute to the goals and aims of the others.

Into the Far Country is an investigation of Karl Barth''s response to modernity as seen through the prism of the subject under judgment. By suggesting that Barth offers a form of theological resistance to the Enlightenment''s construal of human subjectivity as "absolute," this piece offers a way of talking about the formation of human persons as the process of being kenotically laid bare before the cross and resurrection of Christ. It does so by reevaluating the relationship between Barth and modernity, making the case that Barth understands Protestantism to have become the agent of its own demise by capitulating to modernitys insistence on the axiomatic priority of the isolated Cartesian ego.Conversations are hosted with figures including Fyodor Dostoevsky, Rowan Williams, Gillian Rose and Donald MacKinnon in the service of elucidating an account of the human person liberated from captivity to what Barth names "self-judgment," and freed for creative participation in the super-abundant source of life that is the prayerful movement from the Son to the Father in the Spirit. Therefore, an account of Barth''s theology is offered that is deeply concerned with the triune God''s revelatory presence as that which drives the community into the crucible of difficulty that is the life of kenotic dispossession.

Stars Beneath Us brilliantly shows Gods presence in the ever-evolving cosmos. Relying on his upbringing as a Baptist, his doctoral work in experimental nuclear physics and gamma-ray astronomy, and his ordination to the gospel ministry, Paul Wallace weaves a book unlike any other in faith-and-science literature. This is a call to courage for those who fear a true encounter with the cosmos will distance them from God. Stars Beneath Us will inspire readers to engage with the natural world in new ways and find God, as it turns out, everywhere.

In this novel of Martin Luther's life, teen readers (and more than a few adults!) will be introduced to the life and adventures of Martin Luther.

Timothy J. Wengert shows Luthers Treatise on Good Works to be one of the clearest introductions to Luthers reforming work and theology. Luthers goal was to commend a new, down-to-earth piety to all Christians through a radically different meaning of good works that would transform the way believers practiced their faith. This volume is excerpted from The Annotated Luther series, Volume 1. Each volume in the series contains new introductions, annotations, illustrations, and notes to help shed light on Luthers context and to interpret his writings for today.

With great clarity and insight, James M. Estes illuminates Luthers call to secular authorities to help with the reform of the church in this important 1520 treatise. To combat Romes intransigent opposition to reform of any sort, Luther appealed to secular rulers to intervene and clear the way for ecclesiastical reform. This volume is excerpted from The Annotated Luther series, Volume 1. Each volume in the series contains new introductions, annotations, illustrations, and notes to help shed light on Luthers context and to interpret his writings for today.

In his The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, Martin Luther set forth a reconsideration of the sacramental Christian life that centered on the word. His thesis is that the papacy had distorted the sacraments with its own traditions and regulations, transforming them into a system of control and coercion. This volume is excerpted from The Annotated Luther series, Volume 3. Each volume in the series contains annotations, illustrations, and notes to help shed light on Luthers context and to interpret his writings for today.