The Essential Nestingen Essays on Preaching, Catechism, and the Reformation

James Arne Nestingen (1945-2222) was a beloved pastor, seminary professor, and most of all a confessor and preacher of the Gospel of Jesus. The essays in The Essential Nestingen: Essays on Preaching, Catechism, and the Reformation represent his scholarly but at the same accessible work in these three areas of his research and teaching. Spanning over three decades of his ministry as a teacher of the church, these essays find a common focus in Christ who is the end of the law for righteousness (Romans 10:4). They remain timely and serve not only as a testimony to Nestingen erudite scholarship but as a resource for the edification for a new generation of both pastors and lay people who share Nestingen passion for “ handing over the goods” that he found in Luther and the Lutheran Confessions.

John T. Pless is a professor on the faculty of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne where he teaches pastoral theology, theological ethics, and catechetics. He is also a visiting professor at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Pretoria, South Africa. A friend of Nestingen since 1984, they collaborated on many projects including co-editing of The Necessary Distinction: A Continuing Conversation on Law & Gospel (Concordia Publishing House, 2017) and have shared the lecture podium at conferences in the United States and Norway.

Foreword Introduction I.  Preaching  and Pastoral Theology Preaching Repentance Distinguishing Law and Gospel: A Functional View (from ConcordiaJournal January 1996) Forgiveness of Sins and Restoration to Office (from Logia Epiphany 1993) Preaching the Catechism (from Word & World Winter 1990) Flood Logic: Tending the Means of Grace (from Logia Eastertide 2009) Handing Over the Goods (from Logia Easter 2008) Luther on Marriage, Vocation, and the Cross (from Word & World Winter 2003) II.  The  Catechism Justification by Faith in Luther’ s Small Catechism (from Logia Reformation 2007) The Lord’ s Prayer in Luther’ s Catechism (from Word & World Winter 2002) Luther’ s Cultural Translation of the Catechism (from Lutheran Quarterly Winter 2001) Graven Images and Christian Freedom (from Lutheran Theological Journal May 2015) The Catechism’ s Simul (from Word & World Fall 1983) III. Studies  in  Luther  and  the  Lutheran  Confessions Biblical Clarity and Ambiguity in TheBondageoftheWill Changing Definitions: The Law in Formula VI Luther on Psalm 51 The End of the End: The Role of Apocalyptic in the Lutheran Reform Luther in Front of the Text: The Genesis Commentary Luther’ s Heidelberg Disputation: An Analysis of the Argument The Book of Concord: A Historical/Confessional Perspective Luther: Death and Resurrection of Moses Appendix. Funeral Sermon by Dr. Steven Paulson on Luke 7:36-50 A Basic Chronological Nestingen Bibliography