Martin Luther's Understanding of God's Two Kingdoms (Texts and Studies in Reformation and Post-Reformation Thought)

Download or read book Martin Luther's Understanding of God's Two Kingdoms (Texts and Studies in Reformation and Post-Reformation Thought) written by William J. Wright and published by Baker Academic. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The concept of God's two kingdoms was foundational to Luther and subsequent Lutheran theology. Since the middle of the nineteenth century, that concept has been understood primarily as a political concept. But is a political reading of the two kingdoms a perversion of Luther's teaching? Leading Reformation scholar William Wright contends that those who read Luther politically and see in Luther a compartmentalized approach to Christian life are misreading the Reformer. Wright reassesses the original breadth of Luther's theology of the two kingdoms and the cultural contexts from which it emerged. He argues that Luther's two-kingdom worldview was not a justification for living irresponsibly on planet earth.