The Promise of Martin Luther’s Political Theology

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Michael Laffin demonstrates the promise of Martin Luther’s thought for contemporary political theology by showing how Luther has been over-determined in standard genealogies of modernity which frequently deafen us to his unique contribution. Laffin argues that contemporary theologians have typically followed a narrative derived from the work of a previous generation of political historians and philosophers, which tend to screen out or distort the Reformers’ contribution to political theory. Common to these narratives are charges against Luther for his perceived univocal and nominal ontology resulting in a privatized and spiritualized Christianity, thus falsely dividing the world into autonomous spheres. Additionally, the narratives claim that Luther follows in the wake of voluntarism, leading to an insistence on human passivity that leaves no room for pagan virtue. Thus, politics is reduced to an authoritarian imposition of order. In contrast to the dominant narratives of political modernity, Laffin re-examines these narratives by focusing on the political significance of areas in Luther’s corpus often neglected in contemporary accounts of his political thought, especially his commentaries on Scripture and writings on the sacraments. Attention to these writings brings forth the crucial themes of the two ecclesiae and the three institutions. Constructively, these themes are deployed in critical engagement with contemporary political theology, particularly as represented in Radical Orthodoxy and the new-Augustinianism. Cover Half-title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction: Luther, Theology, and the Dignity of the Political A Portrait of Luther in the History of Political Philosophy Luther and Contemporary Political Theology Content and Structure of the Book Luther’s Theological Contribution to a Contemporary Understanding of Politics Chapter 1. Ontology and Politics: Luther’s Role in John Milbank’s Critique of Secular Modernity Milbank’s Interpretation of Luther Luther, Nominalism, and “the Finnish” Interpretation Union with Christ and Luther’s Grammar of Faith Chapter 2. The Word of God in Luther’s Political Theology Luther’s Theology of the Word of God The Word of God in Scripture and in the Church The Word of God and the Eucharist Conclusion Chapter 3. “The Two” in Milbank and Luther: Civitates or Ecclesiae? The Doctrine of “the Two” in Milbank Violence and Politics: Hannah Arendt The Construal of “the Two” in Luther Conclusion: On the Need for a Doctrine of the Two Ecclesiae and the Two Regiments Chapter 4. Virtue and Agency: Jennifer Herdt’s Critique of Luther Herdt’s Narrative of Virtue Acquisition Response to Herdt Concluding Reflections on the Importance of Luther’s Account of the New Creation for Political Theology Chapter 5. The Three Institutions: A Politics Formed by God’s Story with Us Criticism of the Institutions as Orders of Creation (Schöpfungsordnungen): Karl Barth The Commandments of God as an Invitation to Formed Creaturely Life: The Three Institutions Luther’s Description of the Three Institutions Conclusion: A Politics of Remaining in the Good Will of God Bibliography Index