These Words We Speak - by Matthew E Borrasso (Paperback)

About the Book

All Lutherans speak about law and gospel, but what do these terms mean to those who use them? How might we learn to listen to each other across the fractured American Lutheran landscape? Borrasso proposes a reframing of the conversation, centering law and gospel as God's address to and for the people God loves--that is, all people in this world.

Book Synopsis

All Lutherans speak about law and gospel, but what do these terms mean to those who use them? Across the fractured landscape of contemporary American Lutheranism, how might we learn to listen to each other? Matthew Borrasso proposes a thoughtful reframing of the conversation, centering law and gospel as God's address to and for the people God loves--that is, all people who live in this world. When we focus our attention on hearing God--and that of God in each other--we can begin to explore how different Lutherans see and express these core theological concepts without immediately dismissing the other.

Through careful analysis and a clear-eyed view of the Lutheran landscape from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Borrasso demonstrates how important it is to ground all our words in the work of the Holy Spirit. These words we speak do not belong to us; rather, they are God's. In the words of American Lutheran theologian Martin Franzmann, "With the meekness of Christ implanted in us we can be strong; we shall have confessional strength without rigidity, and we shall have firmness without contempt or malice." Lutherans of differing stripes may not agree, but with God at the center, we may learn again what it means to speak to--and hear--each other.

Review Quotes

Matthew E. Borrasso is an astute thinker and a clear writer for American Lutherans. His work addresses the major theological dynamic that drives Lutheran teaching: the art of distinguishing between law and gospel in our theology and preaching. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America both draw from scripture to support their understanding of law and gospel in the here and now, but scripture informs them in quite different ways. Using the case study of each church's teaching on abortion in the period between Roe and Dobbs, Borrasso shows how each church applies its understanding of the gospel to painful life choices. Borrasso is a faithful LCMS pastor and theologian but describes the ELCA approach fairly, and for this careful tending of words, he is to be thanked. --Maria Erling, professor of church history, United Lutheran Seminary

In an age of suffocating divisiveness, Matthew E. Borrasso provides a breath of fresh air. Instead of attacking or defending the conservative Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the progressive Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on their use of the law-gospel hermeneutic, he invites us to view these Lutherans as two kinds of voices in an ongoing conversation, one that calls for a humble and charitable form of "intellectual hospitality." His book not only effectively applies such hospitality to hot-button issues like homosexuality and abortion but, in the process, humanizes often-sterile theological abstractions and offers a more Christlike way of engaging those who differ from us on all such topics in today's society, and of rediscovering common ground. --Jon Diefenthaler, president emeritus, Southeastern District, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

Leading us through Lutheran history and into present challenges, Borrasso turns us away from pride, division, and abstractions to point us toward meekness, hospitality, and God's people. Following in the footsteps of Franzmann, Forde, and Thielicke, Borrasso reminds us that law and gospel are not merely concepts to argue about, but they are God's words for God's people to speak, hear, and experience. --Andrew R. Jones, author of Ten Lies Satan Loves to Tell and Ten Questions to Ask Every Time You Read the Bible

Like many others, I've long been disturbed by the multifarious ways US Lutheranism seems riddled with divisions--sometimes confessional, often cantankerous, always unfortunate. Whether addressing differing interpretations of doctrinal content, biblical authority, or divine intent, my former student Matthew Borrasso teaches all with ears to hear. For the church to enjoy a more robustly unified, evangelical-catholic future, we need to know what lurks beneath the breach. --John Nunes, president, California Lutheran University

The right distinction of the law from the gospel has been a hallmark of Lutheran theology since the Reformation. However, the heirs of Luther's legacy have not always agreed as to how this distinction is to be made. Matthew Borrasso has provided readers with an engaging survey of players and themes as the debate over the nature and function of both the law and the gospel plays out in contemporary American Lutheranism. This is more than a historical study, though, as it gives focus to how the distinction between law and gospel determines approaches to biblical interpretation, preaching, pastoral care, and ethical issues. It is a significant contribution to a lively discussion that needs to continue. --John T. Pless, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana