Martin Luther's purpose was to console and encourage people and to help them overcome anxiety. He calls Christians to a free reliance upon Christ through faith made possible by his mercy, grace and favour. An informative anthology of Martin Luther's writings, emphasising his work as a theologian, exegete and pastor, the book in itself is an eloquent witness on how far Lutherans and Catholics have advanced in their quest for mutual understanding as fellow Christians. Luther, a towering figure who stood at the vortex of the 16th century storms that left Catholics and Protestants divided, is one who belongs to us all. His spirit has kept the message alive and most Catholics have heard the legendary account of his nailing 'Ninety Five Theses' calling for reforms to the door of a church in 1517. Renegade or reformer, his writings and creativity were in part due to a defensiveness and aversion created by the bitterness of past divisions. The entire collection of his works fills over 100 volumes and Eric Gritsch is one of the most experienced and expert guides and the urgency, directness and simplicity which aims right at the reader in this century. His was an age of 'anguished conscience' that could not find peace. Ours is an age troubled by a different form of 'works righteousness', an achievement orientated society that strives for accomplishments but with an emptiness about the deeper meaning of our lives. In this collection the figure of Luther emerges as a pastor, teacher and preacher and he is always invigorating and one of the greatest Christian spiritual writers. One of his favourite quotations from Paul: 'Test everything; hold fast to what is good.' 'Eric Gritsch in this collection puts his finger on the pulse of the Reformer so that we can sense the heartbeat of this religious genius.' 192pp, paperback.
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