Reformation Celebration: The Significance of Scripture, Grace, Faith, and Christ
Overview
Although the 500th anniversary celebration of the Reformation of 1517 is over, ministry in the church continues. In having looked to the past, we now focus on the present to see how the church can move forward with this strong historical base. Particularly, how do the solas of the Reformation apply as we look at Scripture and work within the church to nurture the laity in their practice of faith?
This was the discussion at a recent conference, “Reformation Celebration,” at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. This book (written and edited by Gordon-Conwell professors) is the result of that conference, with multidiscipline essays ranging from Luther on Scripture, grace, and Christ to the implication today of the Christology of Athanasius and Calvin. Some of the important questions addressed—historically, theologically, and sociologically—include:
- What does sola scriptura (scripture alone) have to say about spiritual formation?
- What does Bible translation have to do with Christian mission?
- How do grace and works compare in Islam and Christianity?
- In what ways does sola gratia (grace alone) affect Christian counseling?
- How are social ethics shaped by sola gratia?
- How is sola fide (faith alone) the foundation for ministry?
- In what way is solus Christus (Christ alone) related to Christian wholeness and maturity?
Key Features
- Contains essays collected from Gordon Conwell’s Reformation Celebration conference
- Explores the present day implications of the Reformation and five solas
- Examines the impact of the Reformation on church history
Contents
Martin Luther and the Reformation in 1517
- Thinking in the Manner of Scripture: Luther on Sola Scriptura
- Sola Gratia: The Foundational Significance of Grace in Luther’s Early Theology
- Solus Christus: Luther’s Journey to the Singular Focus
Sola Scriptura: By Scripture Alone
- Torah in Psalm 119
- Shaped by the Word: Sola Scriptura for Spiritual Formation
- Sola Scriptura and the Rise of Global Christianity
Sola Gratia: By Grace Alone
- Sola Gratia: How This Grace Still Extends to Israel
- Understanding the Relationship between Grace and Works: Ephesians 2:8–10 and John Calvin
- Sola Gratia: Does It Apply to Sanctification?
- Sola Gratia and Its Dilemma for Social Ethics: Reformational Responses
- God’s Common Grace and the Theological Praxis of Counseling
- The Superiority of Grace in Missions: A Comparison of Grace and Works in Christianity and Islam
Sola Fide: By Faith Alone
- “By Faith”? Ongoing Translation Issues (Five Hundred Years after the Reformation)
- Fides Quae Creditur? The Nicene Background to the Reformation
- Faith: The Foundation of Preaching
- Faith: Amening God
Solus Christus: By Christ Alone
- The Centrality of Jesus Christ in Paul’s Exhortations
- How Athanasius and Calvin Championed a High View of Christ with Implications for Today
- Justification Five Hundred Years Later: Should It Still Be a Church-Dividing Issue?
Contributors
- Gordon L. Isaac
- Eckhard J. Schnabel
- Gwenfair Walters Adams
- Seong Hyun Park
- David A. Currie
- Todd M. Johnson
- Walter C. Kaiser Jr.
- Aída Besançon Spencer
- Richard Lints
- Dennis P. Hollinger
- Karen Mason
- Paul T. Martindale
- Roy E. Ciampa
- Donald Fairbairn
- Scott M. Gibson
- Jeffrey J. Niehaus
- William David Spencer
- John Jefferson Davis
Product Details
- Title: Reformation Celebration: The Significance of Scripture, Grace, Faith, and Christ
- Editors: Gordon L. Isaac and Eckhard J. Schnabel
- Publisher: Hendrickson
- Publication Date: 2018
- Pages: 264
- Resource Type: Collected Essays
- Topic: Reformation
About the Editors
Gordon L. Isaac (MTh, Luther Theological Seminary; PhD, Marquette University) is the Berkshire Associate Professor of Advent Christian Studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is the author of “Monastic Memoria in the Preface to the Complete Edition of Luther’s Latin Writings 1545” in Luther Digest (Luther Academy, 2012), and coeditor of Great Awakenings: Historical Perspectives for Today (Hendrickson, 2016).
Eckhard J. Schnabel is the Mary French Rockefeller Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies at Gordon-Conwell. He is the author of numerous books, commentaries, and essays, including Early Christian Mission, Paul the Missionary, and Der Erste Brief an die Korinther in the Historisch-Theologische Auslegung commentary series.