Robert Kolb

There is a great degree of controversy on the proper complexion and role of general principles of law in the international legal order. Opinions range from total rejection of some types of principles to the most enthusiastic endorsement of principles as the necessary oil for the many complex wheels of the legal order. In this book one of the leading public lawyers of his generation explores the concept of good faith and its role in international law. Rather than offer a detailed, comprehensive examination, Kolb aims to map the true points of gravity of the principle of good faith in the international legal order. In so doing, he illustrates how the various legal institutions who operate in the sphere of public international law allow the principle of good faith to unfold.

This highly readable book examines the law of State responsibility, presenting it as a fundamental aspect of public international law. Covering the key aspects of the topic, it combines a clear overview with use of specific case studies in order to provide a deeper understanding.The concise chapters are organized into two parts. Part One provides a structural overview of the law, with up-to-date coverage of practice and case law reflecting the key international law reports. Part Two offers specific case studies, asking probing questions in order to explore how the international legal order deals with breaches of its norms and what rights and faculties are accorded to the aggrieved State. With an approach that is legally analytical yet also practical, this accessible book will provide valuable insights to both scholars and practitioners of international law. Its clear structure and guidance on the latest practice and case law will also make it an ideal choice for students.

Galvanized by Erasmus' teaching on free will, Martin Luther wrote "De servo arbitrio", or "The Bondage of the Will", insisting that the sinful human will could not turn itself to God. In this first study to investigate the sixteenth-century reception of "De servo", Robert Kolb unpacks Luther's theology and recounts his followers' ensuing disputes until their resolution in the Lutheran churches' 1577 "Formula of Concord".

This book seeks to analyse various aspects of international law, the link being how they structure and marshal the different forces in the international legal order. It takes the following approaches to the matter. First, an attempt is made to determine the fundamental characteristics of international law, the forces that delineate and permeate its applications. Secondly, the multiple relations between law and policy are analysed. Politics are a highly relevant factor in the implementation of every legal order (and also a threat to it); this is all the more true in international law, where the two forces, law and politics, have significant links. Thirdly, the discussion focuses on a series of fundamental socio-legal notions: the common good, justice, legal security, reciprocity (plus equality and proportionality), liberty, ethics and social morality, and reason.

The first in a series of Companions that offer broad coverage of a range of international courts and tribunals, The Elgar Companion to the International Court of Justice is a one-stop reference for those wishing to understand this highly significant and successful court.The Companion offers an objective account of how the ICJ came into being, the general principles on which it was founded, and how it functions today. It addresses certain fundamental aspects of the Court, such as its jurisdiction, structure and jurisprudence, as well as its role in the wider world. The Companion gives a human flavor to the institution through the portraits of some of the great figures that have served as its judges.Written in a lucid and clear manner, the Companion will appeal to all those interested in learning more about the work of the principal judicial body of the United Nations.

It is easy to forget how often Luther's concerns turned toward helping the common person understand and take comfort from God's word. In this volume, Dennis Ngien helps contemporary readers engage Luther's commentary on the lament psalms. Difficult to understand, and perhaps even more difficult to implement in life and devotion, the lament Psalms play a key role in Luther's thought, and Dennis Ngien's careful explanation of them and their use rewards the reader

Robert Kolb, one of the leading international scholars of his generation, offers a seminal survey of the question of peremptory international law. The author analyses and systemises different questions, such as: the typology of peremptory norms beyond the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties; here he distinguishes between ‘public order’ jus cogens and mere ‘public utility’ jus cogens. Furthermore, what about relative jus cogens, such as regional jus cogens norms or conventional jus cogens norms? What about some consequences of jus cogens breaches in the law of State responsibility: are they themselves jus cogens? Thus, can individual war reparations be renounced by lump-sum agreements? What happens if different jus cogens norms are in conflict? Is there a difference between the scope of jus cogens in inter-State relations and its scope for other subjects of law, such as the UN and its Security Council? Is jus cogens necessarily predicated on the concept of a hierarchy of norms? What is the exact extent of the peremptory nature of some rules? Sometimes, only the core of a principle is peremptory, while its normative periphery is not. Also, in the use of force, the peremptory character of the provision is compatible with agreements falling under the recognised exceptions, such as collective self-defence. These and other unusual questions are discussed in the present book.

Martin Luther’s historical significance can hardly be overstated. Known as the father of the Protestant Reformation, Luther has had an enormous impact on Western Christianity and culture. In Luther on the Christian Life, historian Carl Trueman introduces readers to the lively Reformer, taking them on a tour of his historical context, theological system, and approach to the Christian life. Whether exploring Luther’s theology of protest, ever-present sense of humor, or misunderstood view of sanctification, this book will help modern readers go deeper in their spiritual walk by learning from one of the great teachers of the faith. John Newton is best known as the slave trader turned hymn writer who penned the most popular English hymn in history: “Amazing Grace.” However, many Christians are less familiar with the decades he spent in relative obscurity, laboring as a “spiritual doctor” while pastoring small parishes in England. In the latest addition to Crossway’s growing Theologians on the Christian Life series, Tony Reinke introduces modern readers to Newton’s pastoral wisdom by leading them through the many sermons, hymns, and—most importantly—letters that he wrote over the course of his life. Considered by many to be one of the greatest letter writers of all time, Newton has valuable insights to offer modern Christians, especially when it comes to fusing together sound doctrine, lived experience, and godly practice. Widely recognized as a pillar of 20th-century evangelicalism, J. I. Packer has had a profound impact on millions of Christians living today. Now in his late eighties, Packer still exerts an enormous influence on pastors and laypeople around the world through his many books, articles, and recorded lectures—works that overflow with spiritual wisdom related to the Christian life. In the latest addition to Crossway’s growing Theologians on the Christian Life series, well-known pastor Sam Storms examines Packer’s legacy when it comes to the Christian and sanctification. Whether exploring Packer’s insights into prayer, Bible study, the sovereignty of God, or the Christian’s fight against sin, this accessible book offers readers the chance to learn from the best of Packer’s thinking on what true godliness really entails. The importance of Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck to Reformed theology is difficult to overstate. Bavinck's comprehensive four volume systematic theology, Reformed Dogmatics, is a modern classic that has influenced countless pastors and theologians over the past 100 years. In Bavinck on the Christian Life, scholar John Bolt brings the great Dutch theologian’s life and work to bear on following Jesus in the 21st century. By practically applying Bavinck's systematic works to the Christian life and looking at the life of the man himself, this book shows the direct connection between robust theology, practical holiness, and personal joy. John Owen is widely hailed as one of the greatest theologians of all time. His many works—especially those encouraging Christians in their struggle against sin—continue to speak powerfully to readers today, offering much-needed spiritual guidance for following Christ and resisting temptation day in and day out. Starting with an overview of Owen’s life, ministry, and historical context, Michael Haykin and Matthew Barrett introduce readers to the pillars of Owen’s spiritual life. From exploring his understanding of believers’ fellowship with the triune God to highlighting his teaching on justification, this study invites us to learn about the Christian life from the greatest of the English Puritans. Part of the Theologians on the Christian Life series.

The first in a series of Companions that offer broad coverage of a range of international courts and tribunals, The Elgar Companion to the International Court of Justice is a one-stop reference for those wishing to understand this highly significant and successful court.The Companion offers an objective account of how the ICJ came into being, the general principles on which it was founded, and how it functions today. It addresses certain fundamental aspects of the Court, such as its jurisdiction, structure and jurisprudence, as well as its role in the wider world. The Companion gives a human flavor to the institution through the portraits of some of the great figures that have served as its judges.Written in a lucid and clear manner, the Companion will appeal to all those interested in learning more about the work of the principal judicial body of the United Nations.

In this important new volume, Arand, Kolb, and Nestingen bring the fruit of an entire generation of scholarship to bear on these documents, making it an essential and up-to-date class text. The Lutheran Confessions places the documents solidly within their political, social, ecclesiastical and theological contexts, relating them to the world in which they took place. Though the book is not a theology of the Confessions, readers will clearly understand the issues at stake in the narratives, both in their own time, and in ours.

Awarded the Hermann-Sasse-Preis by the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church of GermanyMartin Luther read and preached the biblical text as the record of God addressing real, flesh-and-blood people and their daily lives. He used stories to drive home his vision of the Christian life, a life that includes struggling against temptation, enduring suffering, praising God in worship and prayer, and serving one's neighbor in response to God's callings and commands. Leading Lutheran scholar Robert Kolb highlights Luther's use of storytelling in his preaching and teaching to show how Scripture undergirded Luther's approach to spiritual formation. With both depth and clarity, Kolb explores how Luther retold and expanded on biblical narratives in order to cultivate the daily life of faith in Christ.

This work aims to fill a gap in the existing legal literature by presenting a compact, concise but nevertheless panoramic view of the law of the United Nations. Today the organisation is at the centre of all multilateral international relations and impossible to avoid. And of course the UN Charter is a foundational document without which modern international law cannot be properly understood. In spite of its importance, this pre-eminent world political organisation is poorly understood by the general public, and the extent and variety of its activities is not widely appreciated. Even lawyers generally possess insufficient knowledge of the way its legal institutions operate. Assessments of the organisation and judgements about its achievements are consequently frequently distorted. This work is aimed especially at remedying these deficiencies in public and legal understanding, but also at presenting the organisation as a coherent system of values and integrated action. Thus the book presents an overarching view of the significance of the UN organisation in general, the history of its origins in the League of Nations, the aims and principles of the Charter, governmental agencies, members of the Organisation, the non-use of violence and collective security, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the question of amendments to the Charter. This work will be suitable for students of law and international relations, as well as scholars and those interested in the work and organisation of the United Nations.

This book provides a modern and basic introduction to a branch of international law constantly gaining in importance in international life, namely international humanitarian law (the law of armed conflict). It is constructed in a way suitable for self-study. The subject-matters are discussed in self-contained chapters, allowing each to be studied independently of the others. Among the subject-matters discussed are, inter alia: the Relationship between jus ad bellum / jus in bello; Historical Evolution of IHL; Basic Principles and Sources of IHL; Martens Clause; International and Non-International Armed Conflicts; Material, Spatial, Personal and Temporal Scope of Application of IHL; Special Agreements under IHL; Role of the ICRC; Targeting; Objects Specifically Protected against Attack; Prohibited Weapons; Perfidy; Reprisals; Assistance of the Wounded and Sick; Definition of Combatants; Protection of Prisoners of War; Protection of Civilians; Occupied Territories; Protective Emblems; Sea Warfare; Neutrality; Implementation of IHL.

This volume offers a unique approach to the study of the great German reformer, Martin Luther. Robert Kolb and Charles Arand offer an introduction to two significant themes that form the heart of Luther's theology.The first theme concerns what it means to be truly human. For Luther, "passive righteousness" described the believer's response to God's grace. But there was also an "active righteousness" that defined the relationship of the believer to the world. The second theme involves God's relation to his creation through his Word, first creating and then redeeming the world. Clergy and general readers will find here a helpful introduction to Luther's theology and its continuing importance for applying the good news of the gospel to the contemporary world.

In this book, the author presents the basic teachings of the Christian faith from the Lutheran framework. This framework presents all the articles of faith in accordance with the Scriptures and also correctly distinguishes between Law and Gospel.Chapters focus onGodCreator and creationGod's provisionSin and evilGod's LawPerson of ChristWork of ChristJustificationHoly Spirit and the work of conversionHoly ScriptureGod's WordBaptismLord's SupperSanctified lifeChurchPublic ministryLast thingsHeavenHighly readable for serious Bible students, church professionals, and those preparing for church work.Can be used as an in-service teacher review.

Born in controversy and raised in university settings, the Lutheran reform movement was embroiled immediately, publicly, and perennially in theological disputes and political battles. While controversies during Martin Luther's lifetime centered on disagreements with Rome and Geneva, present and later differences emerged over interpreting Luther's and Melanchthon's theologies on such issues as governmental interference, liturgical practices, justification's implications for good works and sin, the Lord's supper, and election. It is this defining dis-concord, alternating with attempts at concord and conciliation, that is reflected in the documents newly translated in this indispensable documentary companion to The Book of Concord, which includes the works of Agricola, Eck, Chemnitz, Melanchthon, and Luther.

This practical textbook and tool enables readers to evaluate programs and current thoughts regarding contemporary evangelism that will lead to the development of individual evangelism programs. This book attempts to model the way in which the insights of theologians, the observations of other disciplines, and the pulse of popular culture can be brought together to inform the bridge-builders, the baptized children of God, on ways of constructing the bridges over which they, as the Holy Spirit's agents, can bring the dying into new life in Christ. Revised edition.The most complete book on evangelism that I have read. . . . A theological book, rich in biblical grounding. . . . A comprehensive book, bring the many facets of the Christian faith to bear on the evangelical task. . . . A practical book, from which every reader is going to capture useful insights for the work of evangelism. . . . Three things in the author's treatment. . . . were especially helpful to me. . . . the consistent use of the Law-Gospel distinction, the presentation of God the Creator as an important part of the evangelical witness, and the extensive reflection on the fact of evil. . . . Any Christian will find in Kolb's book fresh and challenging insights for the central task of speaking the Gospel.David W. Preus, Presiding Bishop EmeritusThe American Lutheran Church