Posts from November 2019
Ambrose on Justification: A Study in the Catholicity of Lutheran Theology
Ambrose on Justification: A Study in the Catholicity of Lutheran TheologyDAVID JAY WEBBER The Lutherans of the sixteenth century consistently maintained that their cultus and confession were truly catholic: “…nothing has been received among us, in doctrine or in ceremonies, that is contrary to Scripture or to the church catholic”;1 “…No novelty has been introduced which did not exist in the church from ancient times…”;2 “…our churches dissent from the church catholic in no article of faith but only omit some…
Confessing the Faith in the Language of America: The Historical Context and Enduring Significance of the Henkel Translation of the Book of Concord
Confessing the Faith in the Language of America The Historical Context and Enduring Significance of the Henkel Translation of the Book of Concord DAVID JAY WEBBER In the words of Gerhard Friedrich Bente, The Lutheran Church differs from all other churches in being essentially the Church of the pure Word and unadulterated Sacraments. Not the great number of her adherents, not her organizations, not her charitable and other institutions, not her beautiful customs and liturgical forms, etc., but the…
The Nicene Creed and the Filioque: A Lutheran Approach
The Nicene Creed and the Filioque: A Lutheran Approach DAVID JAY WEBBER On November 4, 1998, representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas approved “A Lutheran-Orthodox Common Statement on Faith in the Holy Trinity.” This communiqué addresses, among other things, the historic debate between the Eastern and Western branches of Christendom on the subject of the Filioque clause in the Nicene Creed. The older Greek version of the Creed, used…
Some Thoughts on the Divine Call to the Ecclesiastical Ministry of Word and Sacrament
Some Thoughts on the Divine Call to the Ecclesiastical Ministry of Word and Sacrament DAVID JAY WEBBER Prepared for the General Pastoral Conference of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, 30 August 1999 As indicated by the title of this paper, I am here offering “some thoughts” about the Lutheran doctrine of the Ministry, and about the Lutheran doctrine of the Call to the Ministry. This paper is not, and is not intended to be, a comprehensive presentation on these subjects. All…