“Mission from the Cross: The Lutheran Theology of Mission” by Klaus Detlev Schulz
The Reformation and Lutheran orthodoxy largely focused on the repristination of the Gospel, yet the writings coming out of these periods indicate an undeniable missionary flavor. Mission from the Crossfurther accentuates the fact that the doctrine of justification is the golden thread that holds the mission tapestry neatly together. The author’s African and German roots bring to light many previously unknown German missiologists. The Lutheran Church is a missionary church! – Rev. Dr. David P. Tswaedi – Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa
“The Brothers Karamazov,” by Fyoder Dostoevsky
The last and greatest of Dostoevsky’s novels, The Brothers Karamazov is a towering masterpiece of literature, philosophy, psychology, and religion. It tells the story of intellectual Ivan, sensual Dmitri, and idealistic Alyosha Karamazov, who collide in the wake of their despicable father’s brutal murder. Into the framework of the story Dostoevsky poured all of his deepest concerns—the origin of evil, the nature of freedom, the craving for meaning and, most importantly, whether God exists. The novel is famous for three chapters that may be ranked among the greatest pages of Western literature. “Rebellion” and “The Grand Inquisitor” present what many have considered the strongest arguments ever formulated against the existence of God, while “The Devil” brilliantly portrays the banality of evil. Ultimately, Dostoevsky believes that Christ-like love prevails. But does he prove it? A rich, moving exploration of the critical questions of human existence, The Brothers Karamazov powerfully challenges all readers to reevaluate the world and their place in it.
“Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel,” by Martin Luther
Martin Luther is often thought of as a world-shaking figure who defied papacy and empire to introduce a reformation in the teaching, worship, organization, and life of the Church. Sometimes it is forgotten that he was also a pastor and shepherd of souls. Collected in this volume are Luther’s letters of spiritual counsel, which he offered to his contemporaries in the midst of sickness, death, persecution, imprisonment, famine, and political instability. For Luther, spiritual counsel was about establishing, nurturing, and strengthening faith. Freshly translated from the original German and Latin, the letters shed light on the fascinating relationship between his pastoral counsel and his theology.
“Augustine of Hippo: A Biography (New Edition, with an Epilogue),” by Peter Brown
This classic biography was first published thirty years ago and has since established itself as the standard account of Saint Augustine’s life and teaching. The remarkable discovery recently of a considerable number of letters and sermons by Augustine has thrown fresh light on the first and last decades of his experience as a bishop. These circumstantial texts have led Peter Brown to reconsider some of his judgments on Augustine, both as the author of the Confessions and as the elderly bishop preaching and writing in the last years of Roman rule in north Africa.
Bo Giertz – “To Live with Christ”
To Live With Christ translates a collection of Bo Giertz’s classic devotions for those who want to explore their Christian faith and to connect God’s Word in their daily lives. Each Christ-centered devotion embraces the church-year calendar and includes a Bible reading, meditation, and a prayer. Bo Giertz was a pastor, author, and Swedish confessional Lutheran bishop.
Ingemar Oberg – “Luther & World Mission”
The Reformer’s are often blamed for not emphasizing ‘Missions.’ Yet, this criticism is often rooted in an ignorance about the Reformer’s culture, which was almost entirely converted. That however did not mean that they didn’t believe
in ‘Missions,’ and in fact they often encouraged missions to lands they new were specifically not culturally Christian. In this book ’Luther and World Mission,’ Luther scholar Ingemar Oberg argues persuasively that missions were of primary concern to Luther and demonstrates his argument by extensive appeal to and exposition on Luther’s writings.
Hans Iwand – “The Righteousness of Faith According to Martin Luther”
Hans Joachim Iwand’s 1941 monograph, ‘The Righteousness of Faith According to Luther,’ is an important contribution to contemporary appreciation of Luther’s theological significance for today. Although Iwand wrote his study three decades after the beginning of the Luther Renaissance, it nevertheless developed some of the central insights of Luther scholarship during that period. Two concepts—in particular, promise and simultaneity—are crucial to an appreciative understanding of Luther’s doctrine of justification. The language of promise presents justification to the believer as a reality that has yet to arrive or is hidden under present reality. And the language of simultaneity attests that humans remain throughout their lives one in the same, sinner and saint. This beautiful translation by Randi H. Lundell makes Iwand’s down-to-earth presentation of the doctrine at the heart of Luther’s theology, at long last, available to English-language readers.
Gerhard Forde – “The Preached God: Proclamation in Word and Sacrament”
The third of Gerhard Forde’s texts published in Lutheran Quarterly Books, “The Preached God” speaks directly to preachers, calling them to deliver the truth of forgiveness, life, and salvation [in Christ alone] to all who listen. It is an inspiring collection of lectures, essays, and sermons centering on the proclamation of the Gospel in word and sacrament. Closely tying preaching to theology and vice versa, this book argues that preaching itself is a sacrament, and is God’s election of the ungodly. This collection provides a window into the way that Forde taught others to do the kind of preaching in which God himself is done to hearers by word and sacrament. If, as Forde claimed, theology is for proclamation, here is a collection of theological thought on preaching that will challenge any to proclaim in faith and conviction.
Flannery O’ Connor – “Complete Stories”
Fans of O. Henry and other short story writers would do well to read the collected stories of Flannery O’Connor. Though the stories are as rural as O. Henry’s are urban, the sense of irony and tragedy remains the same, as does the sense of comedy. O’Connor was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, a superbly gifted technical writer. However, what takes O’Connor beyond the works of O. Henry is the theology behind so many of her stories. Raised in the deep South with several religious influences throughout her years, O’Connor struggled relentlessly with questions of faith, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and justification, especially in connection to social and racial prejudice. Readers will be hammered time and time again with O’Connor’s understanding of what it means to be a sinner and what it means to stand under grace, and it is not for the faint of heart. Among the many stories worth mentioning are “A Good Man Is Hard To Find”, “The River”, “The Artificial Nigger”, and “Revelation.” These four stories by themselves would be worth the price of this collection - the rest simply add to the value. Any collection of 20th century fiction is incomplete without something from O’Connor, whose life was tragically cut short just as her work began to be truly appreciated.
Franz Friday 
