Mark C. Mattes

Seamos honestos: el cristianismo tiene un problema de relaciones p blicas. El mundo secular a menudo presenta la fe cristiana como intolerante, opresiva, supersticiosa y fuera de sinton a con la vida moderna. Ante estos ataques, los cristianos fieles pueden sentirse impotentes para defender sus creencias, especialmente cuando los cr ticos se alan los errores cometidos en nombre del cristianismo o por quienes se identifican como cristianos. En El problema de relaciones p blicas del cristianismo, el Dr. Mark Mattes enfrenta directamente estas preocupaciones. Al desenmascarar las incoherencias de tales suposiciones y centrar la mirada en la cruz de Jesucristo, acepta el desaf o del secularismo. Su prop sito es claro: ayudar a los cristianos comprometidos que desean compartir su fe con seres queridos y con quienes han adoptado una visi n secular de la religi n.

Many contemporary theologians seek to retrieve the concept of beauty as a way for people to encounter God. This groundbreaking book argues that while Martin Luther's view of beauty has often been ignored or underappreciated, it has much to contribute to that quest. Mark Mattes, one of today's leading Lutheran theologians, analyzes Luther's theological aesthetics and discusses its implications for music, art, and the contemplative life. Mattes shows that for Luther, the cross is the lens through which the beauty of God is refracted into the world.

Let's face it: Christianity has a PR Problem. The secular world often paints Christian faith as intolerant, oppressive, superstitious, and incompatible with the modern world we live in. Amidst such attacks, faithful Christians can feel powerless in defending their views, especially when the opposition points to wrongdoings done in the name of Christianity or by Christians. In Christianity's PR Problem, Dr. Mark Mattes addresses these concerns head on. By unmasking the inconsistencies of these assumptions and relying on the cross of Jesus Christ, he accepts the challenge presented by secularism to help faithful Christians who want to share their faith with loved ones and those who buy into secular assumptions about the faith.

Common Places in Christian Theology invites readers to discover the rich and complex world of Christian theology. Sponsored by the journal Lutheran Quarterly and written by some of the finest contemporary Lutheran theologians, this collection of essays helps Christian teachers understand and explain the grammar and inner logic of faith.Exploring everything from scriptural authority to salvation and justification and the last things, these writers provide a unique and compelling introduction to Lutheran theology. As you receive the essentials of each topic, you will also consider contemporary concerns, whether in theology, or from the natural sciences, social sciences, political theories, or hermeneutics.Whether you are a seasoned preacher looking to sharpen your understanding of faith or a curious Christian seeking to better articulate your relationship with God, Common Places in Christian Theology will challenge and inspire you to think through your faith and share it with others.

This booklet introduces readers to the Augsburg Confession, one of the most important charters of Christian liberty. From the time of its appearance in the sixteenth century to this day, the Augsburg Confession connects back to the first Christians and shows how the Bible can be read and Christian life can be lived today. You will see how the gospel enlivens all aspects of the life of faith and the mission of the church.

This book, written for college and seminary age students, is the distillation of reflection on the life and career of Jesus of Nazareth for over three decades. Such reflection needs no legitimizing since preoccupation with Jesus of Nazareth continues in one form or another till the present day. The arrangement of the pieces and fragments which make up the ""mosaic"" in part pursue the usual chronological order as appears in most editions of the Bible. But the interpretation of events within each sequence are this author's own. In discussion with early or contemporary scholars, the text may reflect agreement or disagreement, but assumes the right to and responsibility for a specific point of view. As indicated, the book is a ""mosaic,"" comprised of pieces and fragments. It in no way intends to match the often massive attempts at describing Jesus of Nazareth that have been published over the centuries. Like a mosaic, it will show wear and tear, but it will be sufficient to indicate to the reader precisely whose face appears amid all those fragments and pieces, and enough to awaken reflection on his life and career.

This book, written for college and seminary age students, is the distillation of reflection on the life and career of Jesus of Nazareth for over three decades. Such reflection needs no legitimizing since preoccupation with Jesus of Nazareth continues in one form or another till the present day. The arrangement of the pieces and fragments which make up the ""mosaic"" in part pursue the usual chronological order as appears in most editions of the Bible. But the interpretation of events within each sequence are this author's own. In discussion with early or contemporary scholars, the text may reflect agreement or disagreement, but assumes the right to and responsibility for a specific point of view. As indicated, the book is a ""mosaic,"" comprised of pieces and fragments. It in no way intends to match the often massive attempts at describing Jesus of Nazareth that have been published over the centuries. Like a mosaic, it will show wear and tear, but it will be sufficient to indicate to the reader precisely whose face appears amid all those fragments and pieces, and enough to awaken reflection on his life and career.

Mark Mattes' hope is not only to secure believers' consciences in Christ but also to reclaim theological and social turf which mainline Protestants have too quickly ceded to various secular agendas. The collected essays engage the reality of believers' death and resurrection in Christ, and how that bears upon the life of faith while also attending to a wide range of relevant theological topics such as scriptural authority, apologetics, a critique of contemporary mainline Protestant and Evangelical Catholic ethics, a critique of Lutheran-Reformed ecumenism, and the church's mission and outreach. The collection concludes with several sermons based on Old Testament lessons seeking to show how the theology embedded in the essays can be used for proclamation.

Mark Mattes' hope is not only to secure believers' consciences in Christ but also to reclaim theological and social turf which mainline Protestants have too quickly ceded to various secular agendas. The collected essays engage the reality of believers' death and resurrection in Christ, and how that bears upon the life of faith while also attending to a wide range of relevant theological topics such as scriptural authority, apologetics, a critique of contemporary mainline Protestant and Evangelical Catholic ethics, a critique of Lutheran-Reformed ecumenism, and the church's mission and outreach. The collection concludes with several sermons based on Old Testament lessons seeking to show how the theology embedded in the essays can be used for proclamation.

Many contemporary theologians seek to retrieve the concept of beauty as a way for people to encounter God. This groundbreaking book argues that while Martin Luther's view of beauty has often been ignored or underappreciated, it has much to contribute to that quest. Mark Mattes, one of today's leading Lutheran theologians, analyzes Luther's theological aesthetics and discusses its implications for music, art, and the contemplative life. Mattes shows that for Luther, the cross is the lens through which the beauty of God is refracted into the world.

The Preached God' speaks directly to preachers, calling them to deliver the truths of forgiveness, life, and salvation through both word and sacrament to all who listen.

Gerhard O. Forde has stood at the forefront of Lutheran thought for most of his career. This new collection of essays and sermons-many previously unpublished- makes Forde's powerful theological vision more widely available. The book aptly captures Forde's deep Lutheran commitment. Here he argues that the most important task of theology is to serve the proclamation of the gospel as discerned on the basis of the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone. For Forde, the doctrine of justification is not one topic among other theological topics; rather, it is the criterion that guides "all theology and ministry. Throughout the book Forde applies this truth to issues of eschatology, authority, atonement, and ecumenism. Also included are seven insightful sermons that model the Lutheran approach to proclamation.

In this significant book Mark C. Mattes critically evaluates the role of justification in the theologies of five leading Protestant thinkers -- Eberhard Jungel, Wolfhart Pannenberg, Jurgen Moltmann, Robert W. Jenson, and Oswald Bayer -- pointing out their respective strengths and weaknesses and showing how each matches up with Luther's own views. Offering both an excellent review of recent trends in Christian theology and a powerful analysis of these trends, Mattes points readers to the various ways in which the doctrine of justification has been applied today. Despite the greatness of their thought, Jungel, Pannenberg, and Moltmann each accommodate the doctrine of justification to goals aligned with secular modernity. Both Jenson and Bayer, on the other hand, construe the doctrine of justification in a nonaccommodating way, thus challenging the secularity of the modern academy. In the end, Mattes argues that Bayer's position is to be preferred as closest to Luther's own, and he shows why it offers the greatest potential for confronting current attempts at self-justification before God.