The Doctrine of Justification: Theological Essays from the Weidner Institute

by Jordan B Cooper, Matthew Fenn (Editor)

The doctrine of justification through faith alone is in some ways the definitive doctrine of the Lutheran Reformation. It is this teaching which Martin Luther famously referred to as the "doctrine upon which the church stands or falls." Despite agreement on the centrality of this teaching, however, there have been no shortage of disagreements on justification from within the Lutheran tradition. From the controversies which followed Luther's death into the beginning of the twenty-first century, debates have continued surrounding various aspects of this crucial doctrine. In this volume, eight contemporary voices shed light on these controversies, detailing theological and practical issues involved. Topics discussed here the idea of objective justification, the active obedience of Christ, the relationship between the Roman Catholic and Lutheran teachings, the place of speech-act theory in modern expositions, the nature of "the righteousness of God" in Paul's thought, and the church fathers' approach to the subject.

280 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2021

Reviews

[Ben Mizrahi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure why the other reviewer's liked Matthew Fenn's article so much. While providing a good exegesis of Romans 1:1-3:27 that correctly takes social sciences (especially anthropology) into account, and seems to have a better historical method than most historians do when discussing Luther and the nominalists, he still failed to accomplish what he set forth to do: offering a middle way between Luther and the New Perspective on Paul. This article, as well as David Weber's on Objective justification (sorry, I belong to the European, specifically Swedish, Lutheran tradition, I do not adhere to Walther's theological innovations) were the weakest in this anthology in my own not so humble opinion.

The rest of the articles were amazing and informative and really left me with a lot of food for thought. This is especially true for the articles penned by Jordan Cooper (on the active obedience of Christ), Eric Philips (on Melanchton's use of Augustine) and Laurin Fenn (On the Council of Trent and the late effort of Lutheran-Catholic re-unification).

Other than that, some of the articles (especially those by Weber and Philips) could greatly benefit from the additions of internal divisions and sub-headings.

[Jared Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptional collection of essays! Although it is difficult to choose a favorite, for me it was Matthew Fenn's essay "Defending God's Honor," which sought to reconcile a confessional Lutheran view of justification with the New Perspective on Paul. For the most part, these are accessible to the layman, but are very deep. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in theology, especially regarding the Lutheran view of justification, or anyone interested in hearing the gospel.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of essays is stellar. Matthew Fenn's article on reading Romans through an honor-and-shame lens is particularly enlightening. The article by Eric Phillips is also challenging and very helpful.

[Ryan Olander · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know others may love Matthew Fenn's contribution,, but it was my least favorite of the articles and I still found it fairly helpful! An excellent volume that explores so many aspects of this foundational doctrine!