Luther and the Stories of God - by Robert Kolb (Paperback)

About the Book

A leading Lutheran scholar highlights Luther's use of biblical narrative in his preaching and teaching on Christian living.

Book Synopsis

Awarded the Hermann-Sasse-Preis by the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany

Martin 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.

From the Back Cover

"We think of Martin Luther as a great reformer, preacher, theologian, and writer of oceanic breadth and depth. But he was also a compelling master of the spiritual life. In this engaging study, Robert Kolb shows how Luther's spirituality is rooted in the metanarrative of God's words and deeds conveyed through the sacred Scriptures. A major contribution both to Luther studies and to spiritual theology."
--Timothy George, Beeson Divinity School; general editor, Reformation Commentary on Scripture

"Martin Luther was a great church leader and storyteller. Robert Kolb is a great Luther scholar and churchman. Here we have the dream combination, as Kolb offers an interpretation of Luther's theology that brings the Reformer's thought into dialogue with contemporary theology and church life. A must read for all who, like me, have learned so much from both men over the years."
--Carl R. Trueman, Westminster Theological Seminary

"A thoughtful and engaging survey of how Luther used biblical narrative to understand Christian life and to admonish, encourage, uplift, and direct his listeners and readers. Kolb broadens and deepens our knowledge of Luther as theologian, exegete, and pastor."
--Mary Jane Haemig, Luther Seminary

"Robert Kolb has once again written a superb study of Martin Luther that opens new avenues for understanding the thought of the Reformer. The book is sensitive to current analyses of narrative theology and profoundly immersed in the thought-world of Luther, adding significant insight to the discussion of themes in Luther's theology such as Law and Gospel and the two kinds of righteousness."
--Richard A. Muller, Calvin Theological Seminary

"Provides an expert and engaging account of how the Wittenberg reformer sought to cultivate a rich sense of Christian identity in his contemporaries through narrative, in both his teaching and preaching of the Word of God. Valuable for historians, theologians, and literary scholars alike."
--Ronald K. Rittgers, Valparaiso University

"In this fine book Robert Kolb outlines an approach to the moral life that is neglected in Luther studies: that Luther employed biblical storytelling as a way to form the moral imagination and thereby strengthen and enrich the Christian life."
--Robert D. Benne, Center for Religion and Society, Roanoke College

About the Author

Robert Kolb (PhD, University of Wisconsin) is Mission Professor of Systematic Theology emeritus at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He is the author of numerous books including The Genius of Luther's Theology and is coeditor of The Book of Concord (2000 translation).