The Catholicity of the Reformation ( )

Jacket Description/Back: As the title of this engaging book suggests, "catholicity" was the true intent of the Reformation. The Reformers did not set out to create what later came to be known as Protestant Christianity. Theirs was a quest for reformation and renewal in continuity with the "one holy catholic and apostolic church" of ancient times. The authors of the essays collected here demonstrate this catholicity of the Reformers and stress the importance of recovering the church's catholic tradition today. Robert W. Jenson examines communio ecclesiology, describing ecumenical thought on this ecclesiology and developing it in a number of areas. David S. Yeago proposes a new way of reading Luther, suggesting that the shift in Luther's thought actually brought him closer to the church's catholic tradition. Frank C. Senn discusses the Reformers' changes to the order of the mass, which restored the people's participation and regular preaching on biblical texts. Carl E. Braaten explores the problems that arise from the lack of an office of teaching authority in Protestant churches. James R. Crumley examines various perspectives on the office of pastor, seeking to clarify the notion of ministry in the catholic tradition. Robert L. Wilken looks at Pietism, showing that this movement sought to recover lost aspects of medieval spirituality and called for a deepening of personal piety. Finally, Gunther Gassmann discusses the ways in which the church universal is and should be a communion of churches. Publisher Marketing: As the title of this engaging book suggests, "catholicity" was the true intent of the Reformation. The Reformers did not set out to create what later came to be known as Protestant Christianity. Theirs was a quest for reformation and renewal in continuity with the "one holy catholic and apostolic church" of ancient times. The authors of the essays collected here demonstrate this catholicity of the Reformers and stress the importance of recovering the church's catholic tradition today. Contributors: Robert W. Jenson, David S. Yeago, Frank C. Senn, Carl E. Braaten, James R. Crumley, Robert L. Wilken, Gunther Gassmann

Contributor Bio:  Braaten, Carl E Ronald F. Marshall (MA, Claremont Graduate School) has been the pastor at First Lutheran Church of West Seattle since he was ordained there in 1979. He is the author of more than fifty articles, specializing in the thought of Martin Luther and Soren Kierkegaard. For more details on Pastor Marshall, go to flcws.org. Contributor Bio:  Jenson, Robert W Robert W. Jenson is Senior Scholar for Research at the Center for Theological Inquiry in Princeton, New Jersey, and Professor Emeritus of Religion at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.