Theology for the Social Gospel: a Book Review Essay example

Luther the Reformer: The Story of the Man and His Career by James M. Kittelson is a biography of the famous German monk turned theologian and reformer, Martin Luther. This is one of the most influential men in history, and as a matter of fact, “In most big libraries, books by and about Martin Luther occupy more shelf room than those concerned with any other human being except Jesus of Nazareth” (Kittelson 9). This fame of Luther’s isn’t only postmortem, “This extraordinary interest in an extraordinary man reaches back almost half a millennium. Even in his own time Luther was a ‘media personality’ the first of such in three thousand years of human history” (Kittelson 9). Luther was a subject of great controversy in his own time, as well as in our, and it has only driven his name and message into the spotlight. No matter or what one aligns himself with, “People still find themselves taking sides on the question of Luther” (Kittelson 9). It is for this reason that James M. Kittelson wrote this survey. He tells us that “The primary purpose of this book is to tell the story of Martin Luther to readers who are not specialists in the field of Luther studies” (Kittelson 10). This book is a general overview of all aspects of Luther, not just a precise dissection of one aspect, which allows for “as faithful a picture as possible of the whole man” (Kittelson 11).

Lesslie Newbigin diagnoses the present missionary movement as exclusively interested in Christ and lacking the richness of trinitarian doctrine.4 This is dangerous, he writes, because “the mission of the church is to be understood, can only be rightly understood, in terms of the trinitarian model.”5 A study of early theologians identifies similar shortcomings in missiology. Craig Ott, et al. find that while Augustine and Thomas Aquinas presented a theology of divine missions rooted in the Father sending the Son and the Father and Son sending the Spirit, they failed to connect the sending action of the Godhead to the sending of the church.6 Ott emphasizes that rooting missiology in trinitarian activity highlights God’s initiative in missions.7 Bryan Stone adds that evangelism, as part of this God-initiated directive, cannot be confined as an offer of Christ to the world, but must be part of the single motion began by the Father through the work of the Son and the power of the Spirit.8 This places missiology squarely in the territory of trinitarian doctrine.

Hebrews 1:2-3 says, “But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (NIV). In an article in The Christian Crier, author Jack Wellman gives a great description of Jesus.

The Social Gospel is the idea of social problems being looked and fixed with a Christian point of view. The Gospel will always stay the same and we should refer the Social Gospel as living out the Gospel. The goal of the Social Gospel Movement was to tie salvation and good work together. They thought people should live the life of a Jesus Christ. Classes, counseling, job training and libraries were provided by churches to act according to the Social Gospel. The origins and issues of the Social Gospel Movement, how the Social Gospel related to a Progressive Era, the work of Walter Rauschenbusch, and how Social Gospel relates to the Gospel will be covered in this essay.

hr and Martin Luther King were seekers of justice and embraced liberal protestant outlooks early on. The similarities in their theology, while not surprising as King derived much of his material from Niebuhr, proved to be uncanny in that they both concerned themselves with how the church should operate within society, the way love should be implemented in the ethics of individuals, and social change brought forth by nonviolence. Niebuhr’s quest for justice was in result to the horrific events he witnessed in World War I and World War II. King’s, on the other hand, was in result to the economic and racial injustices he experienced. While the catalyst in each theologian’s beliefs differed, their shared views on justice, nonviolence to an extent, and God offer a resource for Christians today in understanding their place in society.

The social landscape of the U.S. may naturally be an organic development. Society develops as areas of influence rise and fall over time. Frequently these areas of influence are internal, but at times they also are external. This is especially true as society becomes more aware of international developments and an economy becomes increasingly global, or a society engages activities not originally held as part of the original society. However, there are other parts of society that may hold deeper influence, such as religion, political activities, and family structures. These areas also influence each other, and in different ways depending on the society and time in history. In other words, society can be defined by those that are part of it.

Bonhoeffer and King: Their legacies and Import for Christian Social Thought, ed. by W. Jenkins and J. M. McBride (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2010)

Sittser: The Word of God, whether revealed in scripture or in the life of Christ, I believe – along with the reformers – that it is the primary fulcrum of the Christian faith. I’m proud of my protestant roots, and this week's reading from Sittser made me smile as I read about the work of the great Christian reformers. I admire their dogma, their style, their boldness, and their theology, which is summarized by the five Solas. Again their eloquence and style – at least to me – is unparalleled, I particularly found Martin Luther’s description of Christ’s marriage to the church captivating (Pg. 217). Perhaps the most refreshing element to the reformers was their preaching straight from the Bible; the use of Lectio continua – the style John Calvin used – is the preaching style that I have been blessed with the most, nothing is better than learning the Word of God in depth. Throughout this book, I haven’t been able to deeply relate to any one group of people, except for the Reformers,

In Chapter X of Waiting for Gospel, Hall once again reflects on the “theology of the cross” that he discussed in previous chapters, but this time he wishes to speak more directly about Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s perspective on the issue. Much of the issues discussed in this chapter about what the theology of the cross, or theologia crucis is, Luther’s opinion on the subject, and how it should relate to Christian beliefs and actions were already discussed in chapter 6. However, in this chapter Hall also to wishes to address “the ethic of the Theology of the Cross,” as well as what it means to carry the theologia crucis “into the context of worldly existence.”

The modern world embodies many views and perspectives throughout time. Amongst all these realities, God calls on humanity to witness and live through the paschal mystery throughout this world to help strive for eternal peace. Through examination of works by faithful leaders such as Fr. Nouwen, Fr. Brackley, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Sr. Prejean, Fr. Arrupe, and St. John Paul II, one can witness the paschal mystery’s many facets and roles it plays in the modern world today. Through a faithful life, the paschal mystery is lived through God’s vocation for us, the act of displaying solidarity through compassion, and serving social justice to all desperately in need.

The main idea was Reformation of Germans Christians nobility. The important point, words, sentences in were: Gods grace and power was the only thing that could deliver people from distress and oppression. Secondly people cried for deliverance from suffering. Third was to sincere trust in God. “There is no king saved by multitudes of an host” [Luther 301]. Fourth, we must humbly fear God. Many Germanys emperors were shamefully oppressed and trodden Popes. Fifth, Romanist with great adroitness had built three walls. Sixth, King and Princes were intimidated make them believe it would be an offence against God not to obey them in all these knavish, crafty deceptions. Seventh, It is pure inventions that Pope, Bishops, Priest, and monks are to be called the “spiritual estate”; princes, lord artisans, and famers the “temporal estate.” That indeed a fine bit of lying and hypocrisy. Yet no one should be frightened by it; and for this reason-viz., that all Christians are truly of “spiritual estate”; and there is among them no difference at all but that of office , as Paul says in 1 Corinthians xii, “we are all one body yet every member has its own work, whereby it serves every other, all because we have one baptism, one Gospel, one faith, and are all alike Christians”; [Luther 302] for baptism, Gospel and faith alone makes us “spiritual” and a Christian people. Lastly according to St. Paul teaching that all Christians shall be taught of God. “ If to anyone something better is

W. The Gospel According to Matthew. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1963. Barclay, William. The Gospel of John: Volume 1 Chapters 1-7.

In my opinion, the most significant contribution to the article was the reflection in reference to the Scriptures, which states that they are not simply seen as Theology, but as God’s relation to the World. Therefore,

Known as the “Father of Modern Liberal Theology,” Friedrich Schleiermacher was a German philosopher and theologian who directed his attention on the nature of religious experience from the viewpoint of the individual and human nature itself (Mariña 3). Highly influenced by German Romanticism, Schleiermacher attempted to settle the criticisms of the Enlightenment with conventional Protestant Christianity (Crouter 261). By doing so, he abandoned the Moravian theology that had neglected to gratify his growing reservations and he embraced the sensible outlook of Christian Wolff and Johann Salomo Semler. He then became accustomed to the methods of historical criticism of the New Testament and of Johann Augustus Eberhard, from whom he attained an adoration of the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. Consequently, he began reforming Immanuel Kant’s structure by implementing thoughts from the Greek thinkers (Mariña 3). On this basis, this essay will clearly articulate Friedrich Schleiermacher’s conception of religion and religion’s association with Christianity as expressed in Speech I: Defense and Speech II: The Nature of Religion of his work, On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers. The essay will explore Schleiermacher’s refutation of three notions of religion possessed by the despisers, clarify his recognition of the true religion with sensation as well as express his understanding of the association involving religion and Christianity.

As part of revivals in Christian faith during 18th century onward three practices evolved into their own interpretation on the place and authority of Scripture in the Christian faith. The first of these were the Liberals who “viewed themselves as the saviors of a defunct out of date Christianity” (Bingham 149). Their founder, Friedrich Schleiermacher an 18th century pastor, “did not view traditional, authoritative doctrines, creeds and biblical texts as the preeminent sources in theology (150). Instead the Liberal perspective of Christianity put more emphasis on the doctrines of sin and grace and less attention on the holiness of the trinity (Kerr 213). Jesus was viewed as a historical figure that we can learn from spiritually and the