Joel Biermann

Showing all 3 resultsSorted by latest

• 

  Natural Law : 5 Views

  $34.99

  The story of “natural law” – the idea that God has written a law on the human heart so that ethical norms derive from human nature – in twentieth-century Protestant ethics is one of rejection and resurgence. For half a century, luminaries like Karl Barth, Carl F. H. Henry, and Cornelius Van Til cast a shadow over natural law moral reflection because of its putative link to natural theology, autonomous reason, associations with Catholic theology, and ethical witness devoid of special revelation. However, over the past twenty years, Protestant theologians have renewed their interest in the subject, often animated by debates on Christian involvement in the public arena and on matters of life, death, and gender and sexuality. Much of this engagement has happened within Reformed circles and has largely been conducted without reference to Roman Catholic construals of the natural law. Conversely, Catholic developments in natural-law thinking have paid little attention to the surge of interest on the Protestant side. As a result, Protestant and Catholic natural proponents – and even those skeptical of the natural law – are not in conversation with one another.

  The lack of dialog between the various schools of natural law has left a historic tradition within Christian moral thought underdeveloped in contemporary Protestant theology. By bringing together a variety of perspectives in much-needed conversation, this book helps readers to understand the various construals of natural law within the broader strands of Christian and classical traditions and clarifies its unique importance for Christian moral witness in a secular culture. The contributors address the following questions:

  *What is natural law?

  *Can moral norms be derived from immanent, creaturely ends? If so, how specific or action-guiding can those norms be? How extensive might these moral norms be?

  *How does natural law endure despite Christian insistence on the noetic, epistemological effects of sin?

  *What is the relationship between Christian reflection on natural law and the broader classical tradition’s understanding of natural law?

  *How do Catholic and Protestant construals of natural law differ?

  *What is the relationship between faith and reason?

  *What’s the relationship between human nature and natural law?

  *Does “natural law” mean: “secular moral reasons”? Or is “natural law” merely religious belief disguised as public reason?

  *How does natural law relate to public re

  1 in stock

  Add to cart
• 

  Wholly Citizens : God’s Two Realms And Christian Engagement With The World

  $65.00

  Introduction

  ?1. The Legacy Of Luther
  2. The Two Realms: Interpreters Of Luther, Faithful And Otherwise
  3. Two Realms For Today: Suitable And Wholly Relevant
  4. Applying The Teaching To The Church And Her Pastors
  5. Applying The Teaching To The Individual Christian Believers
  6. An Essay Grounded In The Two Realms: “Story Time In America”

  Bibliography
  Index

  Additional Info
  Wholly Citizens addresses the relation between the church and the world in light of the Reformation teaching of the two realms-especially as presented by Luther. Rather than exploring again the usual texts of Luther from the 1520’s, this book begins with a careful reading of Luther’s Commentary on Psalm 81 (1531), and then considers subsequent interpreters of Luther, both faithful and otherwise, and the dubious legacy they have left the church. The book argues that both the corporate church as well as individual believers are responsible for the world, and that each must speak directly about and to the world in meaningful ways. The final section of the book addresses the concrete situation facing believers in the early 21st century in light of faithful Reformation teaching about the two realms. Following this path leads to conclusions not entirely expected, including the forthright rejection of “a wall of separation” between church and state, and also a rebuke of the familiar clamor for the preservation of the rights of Christians and the church. Heedless of the status quo, Wholly Citizens offers an engaging and bracing picture of Christian life in today’s world-a picture framed in theological truth.

  in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

  Add to cart
• 

  Case For Character

  $53.33

  Contents:
  Introduction
  1. Virtue Ethics And The Challenge Of Hauerwas
  2. Contemporary Lutheran Voices
  3. The Lutheran Confessions
  4. The Search For A Paradigm-Some Lutheran Efforts
  5. A Creedal Framework-A Proposal For The Reclamation Of Ethics Within Lutheranism
  6. An Ethic For The Church-The Place Of Character Formation

  Additional Info
  Over the last several decades, perceptive observers of Western civilization have documented what virtually everyone has perceived: as the old foundations of society have toppled, morality and personal character have been set adrift and often vanished altogether. How can character be cultivated when it seems no one is willing or able to provide a definitive description of character to which humans should aspire?

  While the reasons for this are many and complicated, one of the more potent singular factors is actually theological, says Biermann. Contemporary Lutheranism, in particular, has struggled with the appropriate place of morality and character formation, as these pursuits often have been perceived as being at odds with the central Christian doctrine of justification.

  A Case for Character explores this problem and argues that Christian doctrine, specifically as articulated within a Lutheran framework, is altogether capable of encouraging a robust pursuit of character formation while maintaining a faithful expression of justification by grace alone through faith alone.

  in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase

  Add to cart