Lutheranism 101 presents a good overview of confessional Lutheranism in an easy-to-read style through the use of short articles, sound bites, sidebars, and illustrations while offering a concise, easy-to-read explanation of what Lutherans believe and why.
The Large Catechism
Martin Luther’s Large Catechism remains for most Lutherans an unheralded and unknown document. We are familiar with the Small Catechism, as it is generally a required textbook for most confirmation classes, but the Large Catechism has not enjoyed the recognition of its shorter counterparty.
Martin Luther: A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought
Most books about Martin Luther are either biographical or theological, but this book by Stephen J. Nichols is both. This book is “a marvelous mixture of biography, history, theology and anecdote” (Sinclair B. Ferguson, back cover).
Convicted by the Spirit
Convicted by the Spirit published by Lutheran Press is the written record of Luther’s Postil 235 – John 16:8‒13. This sermon was never preached publicly by Luther but was published with the intent that it would be read in public by someone other than the author. It’s committed to being a help in the preparation of a sermon or is to be read for personal edification of the one reading it.
Reading the Psalms with Luther
Reading the Psalms with Luther (published by Concordia Publishing House, 2007) serves as a simple but excellent daily devotional book for meditation on the Psalms. The book consists of brief meditations on all 150 psalms. Each meditation in the book is followed by the text of the Psalm drawn from the English Standard Version. The text of the Psalm is then followed by a brief prayer.
Luther on the Christian Life: Cross and Freedom
Carl R. Trueman has given us a gem with this book because it allows us to sit at Dr. Martin’s feet and learn about the Christian life. This book has eight chapters that summarize Luther’s thought and experience all with a view to the Christian life. I’ll share a few highlights here.
God’s Outlaw
The back of the DVD case begins, “A true story, God’s Outlaw is about international politics, church intrigue, cold-blooded betrayal, and false justice ending in a criminal’s death. But it’s also about victorious faith and spiritual triumph over some of the greatest political and religious forces known in the 16th century.”
Luther: The Graphic Novel
The opening statement on page 5 of this book is: “This is the story of Martin Luther, a hero of the church”—and that it is. It is a biography of the life and times of Martin Luther from birth to death.
This biography is presented in a high quality graphic novel format, a modern-day version of what I knew as a comic book. It is a quick read of 142 pages divided into 5 sections:
Luther Discovers the Gospel
In a sleuth-like manner, Dr. Uuras Saarnivaara in Luther Discovers the Gospel seeks the solution to the question of when Martin Luther became a “Lutheran.” Saarnivaara, the first theology professor at the AFLC Seminary, offers the purpose of this book in the preface:
Martin Luther: A Man Who Changed the World
When browsing recently at the Ambassador Publications store, I picked up and began reading Martin Luther, a Man Who Changed the World. Within moments I knew I had to purchase the book. The twenty-six page, large format book would be perfect to share with my grandchildren. Yes, the oldest is only two, but it is always good to be ahead of the curve.
A Case for Character: Towards a Lutheran Virtue Ethics
Dr. Joel Biermann (Professor of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis) has written an important book entitled A Case for Character: Towards a Lutheran Virtue Ethics. I should begin by defining virtue ethics. You may have taken a course in Christian ethics that dealt with issues like abortion, euthanasia, just war, and capital punishment. Virtue ethics, on the other hand, is more interested in the routine, ordinary habits and practices that people make in daily life. Virtue ethics assumes that humans have a telos (purpose for which we are made), and that certain practices, habits, skills, and even communities will help us attain this telos better than others. Biermann argues that Lutheran theology, properly understood, is well-suited for producing people of virtue, although many argue that just the opposite is true.
Lutherans in America: A New History
This is the main textbook for one of our AFLC seminary classes, “Lutheranism in America.” Other fine histories have been used over the years for this course, and they are still good resources for studying past events as well as important personalities. The last major text, however, was published in1980, and a lot has happened within American Lutheranism since then. There was need for a more up-to-date text, to tell the story of the formation of the ELCA, for example, and this is what Dr. Granquist has provided for us.