Church and Ministry: Witness of the Evangelical Lutheran Church on the Question of the Church and the Ministry = Kirche Und Amt [Hardcover]

C. F. W. Walther (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1987 | ISBN-10: 0570042410 | ISBN-13: 978-0570042419

A translation of Walther's famous treatise on church and ministry, Die Stimme unserer Kirche in der Frage von Kirche und Amt (3rd edition) explains the theological foundation for the congregation and pastoral office. Walther offers 9 thesus on the Chruch and 10 theses on the Ministry, supported from Scripture, the church's confessions, and patristic and confessional writers.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 366 pages
• Publisher: Concordia Publishing House (May 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0570042410
• ISBN-13: 978-0570042419
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,077,052 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Compendium of Quotations on Church and Ministry, June 21, 2006

By 

Joshua V. Schneider (Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Church and Ministry: Witness of the Evangelical Lutheran Church on the Question of the Church and the Ministry = Kirche Und Amt (Hardcover)

This is a valuable book for studying the doctrine of Church and Ministry. In separate halves of the book, Walther lays out the doctrines of church and ministry in a thesis-by-thesis style, with each thesis consisting of proof from 1) Scripture 2) The Lutheran Confessions 3) Luther and other Lutheran theologians, such as Chemnitz, Melanchthon, Gerhard, and dozens of others from that period and later; and 4) from other ancient church fathers, such as Augustine, Irenaeus, etc. While it may not be the most dynamic prose, the writing is very straightforward, and especially the lengthy quotations from Luther and Chemnitz are very instructive and helpful.

Some of the downsides of the book are that Walther does not give much intervening commentary or explanation on the quotations--there is very little material in the book that is not a quotation. This sometimes leaves you a little unclear on how Walther himself reconciled some of the apparent discrepancies between quotations on similar matters. One example is on the issue of whether a head of the household should conduct family communion. But by in large, the book is very well organized, and I learned a great deal about what the Reformers taught about the role of the pastor in the church and various controversial matters concerning both. The Lutheran theologians amply show how the doctrines presented are in harmony with and flow from the Scriptures. Altogether this is essential reading on the topic, and well-worth the time spent reading it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very popular lately, January 6, 2006

By 

Philip J. Bohlken (Caldwell, Idaho) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Church and Ministry: Witness of the Evangelical Lutheran Church on the Question of the Church and the Ministry = Kirche Und Amt (Hardcover)

This is pretty standard stuff on what the church is and the place of the ministry in relation to the place of all believers in Christ. It reads like a lot of other dogmatic treatments on these things and echoes what one finds in the Small Catechism. There is not much new ground here. It has become popular in recent years because of controversies within the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod over the roles of pastors and laity. It is a necessary historical and biblical benchmark, but it is not very exciting reading. I bought a copy for a presentation I had to make, but I also found it very easy to give it away later.