Free in Deed: The Heart of Lutheran Ethics
Stock No: WW479125
Free in Deed: The Heart of Lutheran Ethics  -     By: Craig L. Nessan

Free in Deed: The Heart of Lutheran Ethics

Fortress Press / 2022 / Paperback

Expected to ship on or about 06/16/26.
Stock No: WW479125

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Fortress Press / 2022 / Paperback
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Product Description

Free in Deed serves as a primer in Lutheran ethics for faith and the church as the body of Christ. It captures the fruit of Craig L. Nessan's teaching of ethics and his research and reflection on Christian ethical existence over his entire career. The heart of Lutheran ethics, Nessan claims, involves serving neighbors. When Christ sets us "free indeed" (John 8:36), we are set free to serve others "in deed."

Ethics involves intentional and disciplined reflection, together in community, on the choices we must make in living out our lives in the world. While the focus on loving the neighbor is not unique to Lutheran ethics, the author contends in this book that it is the most distinctive feature of ethics in the Lutheran perspective. To that end, Nessan explores biblical authority and Lutheran hermeneutics alongside the authority of the traditional elements of tradition, reason, and experience. He moves on to explore what gospel freedom looks like in the current American context.

Nessan acknowledges the misinterpretation of Luther's two-kingdoms teaching, opting to describe Luther's two kingdoms as God's two strategies to bring forth the kingdom (shalom) of God. Also addressed are the themes of justification and sanctification, the vocation of the universal priesthood, the ethics of the cross, Lutheran ethics and political advocacy, and the ethics of forgiveness.

Free in Deed is accessibly written with theology students, pastors, and interested lay readers in mind.

Product Information

Title: Free in Deed: The Heart of Lutheran Ethics
By: Craig L. Nessan
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 192
Vendor: Fortress Press
Publication Date: 2022
Dimensions: 9.00 X 6.00 (inches)
Weight: 8 ounces
ISBN: 150647912X
ISBN-13: 9781506479125
Stock No: WW479125

Author Bio

Craig L. Nessan is William D. Streng Professor for the Education and Renewal of the Church and professor of contextual theology and ethics at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, and serves as coeditor of the online journal Currents in Theology and Mission. He is the author of many articles, chapters, and books, including Free In Deed: The Heart of Lutheran Ethics (2022) and Shalom Church: The Body of Christ as Ministering Community (2010).

Editorial Reviews

"A wonderfully lucid treatment of what Christian ethics is, here fine-tuned to all the core themes of Luther and Lutheran traditions. The consequence is a splendid exposition of neighbor love lived in freedom for a planet in peril." --Larry Rasmussen, Reinhold Niebuhr Professor Emeritus of Social Ethics, Union Theological Seminary

"Craig Nessan provides us with a concise and compelling introduction to ethical reflection in the Lutheran tradition. Instead of a tired litany of Lutheran catchphrases, this book creates a conversation for the purpose of speaking a word to the challenges that face our world today. Nessan's voice allows readers to find their own as they respond to neighbors and people freed and forgiven in Christ." --Anthony Bateza, associate professor of religion, St. Olaf College

"Free in Deed is timely, Lutheran to its core, and accessible to all who want to connect their faith to their daily lives. It will be a welcome addition to the core curriculum of synodical lay schools, as well as the academy." --Greg Kaufmann, assistant to the bishop, Northwest Synod of Wisconsin, ELCA

"Craig Nessan has created a thorough, deeply faithful, insightful, and vibrant exposition of Lutheran ethics as an emancipatory mode of being people of God. This book will be invaluable in both classroom and congregation!" --Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, professor of Christian ethics, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and Graduate Theological Union

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