The Wittenberg Concord : creating space for dialogue / Gordon A. Jensen ; foreword by Timothy J. Wengert.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jensen, Gordon A., 1956- author.

Series:

Lutheran quarterly books

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Reformed Church--Relations--Lutheran Church.

Reformed Church.

Relations.

Lutheran Church.

Lutheran Church--Relations--Reformed Church.

Interfaith relations.

Physical Description:

xxiv, 235 pages : map ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Minneapolis, MN : Fortress Press, [2018]

Summary:

Rethinking the Wittenberg Concord for Today One of the mostly forgotten gems of the sixteenth century Reformations is the Wittenberg Concord. Signed in 1536 by representatives of evangelical southern German imperial cities and territories and the Lutherans, the dialogue that led to the concord provided space for the participants to have a meaningful dialogue that led to the recognition of each other's understanding of the sacraments as orthodox. This was remarkable, given the very public failures at Marburg in 1529 and Augsburg in 1530. The lack of agreement threatened the unity of the evangelical estates and made them, along with the Reformation teachings, vulnerable to attack by the Holy Roman Empire and the Roman Catholic Church. The dialogue participants created enough space in their own understandings of the sacraments of baptism, absolution, and the Lord's Supper to allow the agreement to occur--and function reasonably well, at least until the beginning of the Thirty Years War in 1618. The final two chapters explore how this concord has impacted the church since its acceptance, and how the lessons learned from this dialogue can assist churches today in providing healthy spaces for ecumenical dialogue to discuss controversial issues.

Contents:

The quest for an evangelical political alliance

Stifled dialogues (1520-29)

Recreating space for theological dialogue (1530-34)

Negotiating an agreement (1534-36)

Agreeing on the Lord's Supper

Agreeing on baptism and absolution

Failed negotiations : controlling church property

Implementing the Concord : after the negotiations

Making room for dialogue today

Appendix 1. The Constance Articles : articles proposed by Martin Bucer to the Conference of Swiss and South German Theologians, held in Constance, December 17, 1534

Appendix 2. Luther's thoughts : given by Luther to Melanchthon in preparation for the Kassel Dialogue, December 17, 1534

Appendix 3. The Wittenberg Concord, 1536

Appendix 4. Memorandum on the jurisdiction of civil authorities over church property (for the councillors of the city of Augsburg), May 23, 1536

Appendix 5. Personnel involved with the Wittenberg Concord negotiations

Appendix 6. Map of cities and territories accepting the Wittenberg Concord.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-223) and index.

ISBN:

1506431569

9781506431567

OCLC:

1032580720