Treatise on Good Works

Luther, Martin; Hendrix, Scott H.

doi:10.2307/j.ctt22nm6q2

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In The Large Catechism , Luther maintains that though humans are equal in relation to God, interpersonal relationships must be hierarchic: “Even though we are all equal in the eyes of God, there needs to be proper inequality and difference between us” (Luther, 1529, WA 30 I: 148.3‐4). Consequently, in On Good Works , Luther states that it is the duty of parents to break down the will of their children and teach them to be humble so that they are able to act against their own depraved nature (Luther, 1520b, WA 6: 255.6‐8).…”

Section: Luther's Anthropology Determines His View Of Societymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Luther emphasizes these strands differently during his life as the situation changes from him attempting to reform the church from within to him dealing with the need for a complete societal restructuring. The earlier works stress the freedom and equality of Christians, attack the hierarchy of the Roman church, and admonish Christians to disobey authorities, who interfere in matters of faith (see for instance Luther, 1520b, WA 6: 258,11ff). In light of the Peasants’ War, though, Luther realizes the chaotic political consequences of interpreting the evangelical freedom to administer one's own relationship to God as a political freedom from the obligation to obey worldly authority.…”

Section: Luther's Anthropology Determines His View Of Societymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Women as wives and rulers in Martin Luther's theology

Stopa

2023

Dialog

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article offers a theological analysis of Martin Luther's complex view on women and their role in society, focusing on his exposition of the narratives of creation and fall in the Lectures on Genesis. Luther's understanding of women is defined by an ostensible paradox. On the one hand, Luther claims that all women are equal to men in relation to God and hold the power to rule over the earth, which they execute as leaders of the household. On the other hand, Luther passes on a traditional view of women being of a weaker nature and argues that wives have to subordinate to their husbands. I interpret this understanding of women as an outcome of Luther's theological anthropology based on his doctrine of justification. Men and women are equal as priests and kings in relation to God and authorized to manage their relationship with him, to teach and pray for others, and to disobey authority that interferes with this faith relation. As sinners, though, they must submit to authority to suppress sin. Both men and women exercise authority through their gender-specific callings in the earthly hierarchies, which constitute God's created order. However, women have to subordinate to their husbands in order to suppress sin. The article discusses whether this complex view on women promoted patriarchal social structures or whether the freedom and equality of the spiritual realm over time filtered through to the role of women in society, paving the way for their liberation.

show abstract

Section: Luther's Anthropology Determines His View Of Societymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Luther's Anthropology Determines His View Of Societymentioning

confidence: 99%

Women as wives and rulers in Martin Luther's theology

Stopa

2023

Dialog

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…24 He called upon princes and other political authorities to control them and regulate rates of interest well below what lenders were commonly charging. 25 He did not persuade political authorities to do so.…”

Section: Martin Luther and Secular Governmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The children of light and the children of darkness (pp. [25][26]. He also believed that "liberal society never achieved the perfect harmony of which it dreamed because it overestimated the reciprocity of the free market and also equated economic competition with all encounters of society."…”

Section: Seeking Proximate Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Can we all get along:”¹ American political divisiveness in the 21st Century

Duty¹

2020

Dialog

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The current American political divisiveness follows prior divisive periods and is not unique. The simultaneous developments of a culture war and a partisan realignment helped to create division. Disagreement over the proper role of government completed the division. Race is a significant dividing social and political issue in America. For Reinhold Niebuhr, “Democracy is a method of finding proximate solutions to insoluble problems.” Finding agreement over policing policy may be possible, but principled political compromise over underlying issues contributing to racial inequities is likely to be harder.

show abstract

“…Merit was a dominant issue for Martin Luther too and shaped his teachings on good works. 21 As Timothy Wengert notes, Luther was trying to promote a "new, down-to-earth piety to all Christians" in response to those who argued that Luther's position implied that Christians were "free from the obligation to perform any good works at all." 22 Luther's purvapakhsa is a religious world occupied with praying, fasting, holy days, almsgiving, acquiring indulgences, pilgrimages, and a host of other recommended or required works.…”

Section: Where's the Merit?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Act Properly: Rāmānuja and Luther on Works

Dass¹

2018

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

2017 offered a reason to celebrate and compare two great theologians. In April 2017, Hindus celebrated the 1000th anniversary of Śri Rāmānujācārya. In October, Christians celebrated the 500th anniversary of Luther's reformation. The occasion to compare was also an opportunity to show that the ideas of Rāmānuja and Luther converge in certain ways. This paper explains that Rāmānuja's teachings on proper acts prefigure Luther's commentary on good works. This echo is threefold in nature. First, the idea of merit or reward-inspired actions preoccupied and shaped their respective theologies. Second, their teachings on merit reflect a shared interest in placing the work of a gracious God at the center of soteriology. Third, their occupation with the idea of merit inspired them to differentiate good or proper acts from improper acts. I further explain that this convergence is more than an accident. Rather, Luther echoes Rāmānuja on works because both theologians faced a common quandary-what should I do to be saved?-to which their responses were shaped by a shared set of theological commitments. Both asserted the importance of proper acts or good works even as they exhorted a dependence on God for liberation. Dr. Rakesh Peter Dass studies the role of religion in society, and his research and teaching focus on the intersections of religion with business, language, law and politics. Ongoing projects include manuscripts on language and religion in modern India, Hindi Hindu nationalism and Christianity, and the shaping of religious rights in legal rulings by the Supreme Courts in India and the U.S.A. At Hope College, which he joined in 2016, he teaches courses on world religions, the Bhagavad Gita, business and religion, and Hindu-Christian theology.

show abstract

Treatise on Good Works

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Women as wives and rulers in Martin Luther's theology

Women as wives and rulers in Martin Luther's theology

“Can we all get along:”¹ American political divisiveness in the 21st Century

Act Properly: Rāmānuja and Luther on Works

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Treatise on Good Works

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Women as wives and rulers in Martin Luther's theology

Women as wives and rulers in Martin Luther's theology

“Can we all get along:”1 American political divisiveness in the 21st Century

Act Properly: Rāmānuja and Luther on Works

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

“Can we all get along:”¹ American political divisiveness in the 21st Century