Over the past two weeks I’ve run a series on Luther’s Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms. While there are unquestionably portions of Luther’s ethic which are possibly problematic and have been interpreted poorly (see Nazi Germany), I do think the Two Kingdom’s can serve as a useful mode of thinking in today’s context, as IContinue reading “Luther’s Two Kingdoms: Links”
This is the final post in our series on Luther’s Two Kingdoms. Having examined Luther’s major writings and construction concerning the relationship of the Christian to the world, we must now consider the common critique of Luther’s theology, that it does not provide a solid foundation for the Christian engagement of temporal authority. In hisContinue reading “Luther’s Two Kingdoms: Conclusions”
This post is part of our ongoing series on Luther’s Two Kingdoms. The common critique that Luther separates the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of the world in such a manner that does not allow for meaningful Christian interaction within the world often stems from an understanding of Luther’s two kingdoms doctrine as highlyContinue reading “Luther’s Two Kingdoms: Critique”
This post is part of our ongoing series on Luther’s Two Kingdoms. To this point it seems that using Bornkamm’s understanding of Luther’s doctrine would allow for little passivity from the Christian when their neighbor was confronted with evil. On the breadth of secular authority, Luther’s concern was that temporal authority must not endeavor toContinue reading “Luther’s Two Kingdoms: Christian Passivity?”
This post is part of our ongoing series on Luther’s Two Kingdoms. The differentiation between the jurisdictions of Christ and the temporal authority does not limit Christian activity to the spiritual sphere alone, but dictates the manner in which the Christian wields the sword and obeys temporal authority. Turning to the Biblical passages in question,Continue reading “Luther’s Two Kingdoms: Christ and Authority”
This post is part of our ongoing series on Luther’s Two Kingdoms. Having considered context and terminology of Luther’s Two Kingdoms, let us now turn to his writing on this subject in On Temporal Authority: To What Extent It Should Be Obeyed. Luther begins Temporal Authority by outlining the Biblical basis for understanding the civilContinue reading “Luther’s Two Kingdoms: On Temporal Authority”
This post is part of our ongoing series on Luther’s Two Kingdoms. Scholars such as Porter have argued that one of the lasting implications of Luther’s construction involves a radical separation of temporal authority from man’s goals in the kingdom of God.[25] Further, Porter argues that “Luther’s radical separation of the ‘two realms’ or kingdoms—churchContinue reading “Luther’s Two Kingdoms: Applied Ethics?”
This post is part of our ongoing series on Luther’s Two Kingdoms Prior to writing Temporal Authority, Luther had rejected the Roman construction of the dichotomous application of the ethical, such as the imperative of the Sermon on the Mount, to commands and counsels,[15] as well as rejecting the view that the Church was theContinue reading “Luther’s Two Kingdoms: Sword and State”
This post is part of our ongoing series on Luther’s Two Kingdoms Looking at the broader context of Luther’s theology, we should note several tenets of his theological program that are vital to understanding his church-state construction. As outlined in Freedom of the Christian, perhaps foremost in Luther’s reformation theology was the importance of solaContinue reading “Luther’s Two Kingdoms: Context”
“Modern church people and theologians have sharply attacked [Martin] Luther’s attitude [concerning the relationship between the Christian and temporal authority] from two perspectives. On the one hand, Luther is accused of having indirectly contributed to the glorification of the orders of creation and to that extent at least making it difficult for Lutherans to takeContinue reading “Luther’s Two Kingdoms: Introduction”
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