The Promise of Martin Luther's Political Theology: Freeing Luther from the Modern Political Narrative
Ebook
Michael Laffin demonstrates the promise of Martin Luther's thought for contemporary political theology by showing how Luther has been over-determined in standard genealogies of modernity which frequently deafen us to his unique contribution.
Laffin argues that contemporary theologians have typically followed a narrative derived from the work of a previous generation of political historians and philosophers, which tend to screen out or distort the Reformers' contribution to political theory. Common to these narratives are charges against Luther for his perceived univocal and nominal ontology resulting in a privatized and spiritualized Christianity, thus falsely dividing the world into autonomous spheres. Additionally, the narratives claim that Luther follows in the wake of voluntarism, leading to an insistence on human passivity that leaves no room for pagan virtue. Thus, politics is reduced to an authoritarian imposition of order.
In contrast to the dominant narratives of political modernity, Laffin re-examines these narratives by focusing on the political significance of areas in Luther's corpus often neglected in contemporary accounts of his political thought, especially his commentaries on Scripture and writings on the sacraments. Attention to these writings brings forth the crucial themes of the two ecclesiae and the three institutions. Constructively, these themes are deployed in critical engagement with contemporary political theology, particularly as represented in Radical Orthodoxy and the new-Augustinianism.
Examines the promise inherent in Martin Luther's thought as it applies to contemporary political theology.
Offers a careful consideration of the significance of areas in Luther's corpus for his political theology, much of which has received little attention, especially in the English-speaking world
Brings to an English language readership an important strand of German language Luther scholarship for theological ethics that is only recently beginning to receive wider notice
Proposes correction to important elements of the political Augustinianism that has enjoyed resurgence in recent years
I. Introduction: Luther, Theology, and the Dignity of the Political
Ch. 1: Ontology and Politics: Luther's Role in John Milbank's Critique of Secular Modernity
Ch. 2: The Word of God in Luther's Political Theology
Ch. 3: "The Two" in Milbank and Luther: Civitates or Ecclesiae?
Ch. 4: Virtue and Agency: Jennifer Herdt's Critique of Luther
Ch 5: The Three Institutions: A Politics Formed by God's Story with Us
Bibliography
Index
Michael Richard Laffin offers a persuasive friendly amendment to those who critique Martin Luther's theology…this work is a valuable contribution to the ongoing reassessment of Luther's soteriology and offers us a useful orchestration of the voices identifying relational ontology and faith-as-process in Luther's thought …[this] book deserves a spot in advanced coursework and theological libraries.
- Title: The Promise of Martin Luther's Political Theology: Freeing Luther from the Modern Political Narrative
- Author: Michael Laffin
- Publisher: T&T Clark
- Print Publication Date: 2016
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9780567669919, 9780567681225, 056768122X, 0567669912
- Resource ID: LLS:9780567669919
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-05-12T03:49:06Z
Michael Laffin teaches Theology at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University in La Mirada, California, USA.