Classic Lutheran Books Page - On Facebook

Join Classic Lutheran Books on Facebook.
We share our love for many ignored, forgotten, and previously unavailable books.

I started the Classic Lutheran Books page on Facebook, which  suddenly began adding members day after day. If you wish to add your name, let me or another CLB member know.

We already have an excellent e-book library to use - from

The Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry

The e-books are free, as are these books from a growing list -

Dropbox links to free 
public domain books, 
edited and written by Gregory L. Jackson

 The Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry

Prices Slashed 50% and More - Kindle E-Books

Kindle (Amazon) will not let me reduce Kindle e-books to zero, but most of them are now 99 cents, which is pretty close. A few larger ones are $1.99.

We are working on the 8 volumes of Luther plus the Gems on Kindle.

The next step is making as many PDFs available for free as we can - in a public Dropbox folder. Access to the folder will allow people to download whatever they want for free, share and translate the works for the same low price - free. They will all be public domain, and a statement will be there for people to use if needed. The idea is to make as many works available as possible, far into the future, at the lowest price, with no restrictions.

Public Domain, Author's Price, and Free

First of all, all my books are public domain - past, present, and future - so people may translate, copy, and reprint them without a visit from our attorney, Glen Kotten.

I am doing this because the actuaries give me 21 years to live (NML) but God only knows. The problem becomes how to make books available much longer. The UOJ Church Shrinkers ban my books so they sell their garbage - like The Truth about Luther, from Christian News and an ignorant papist bigot. Therefore, there is no profit damage.

I am going to reduce all my Kindles to 99 cents, which will make the books even easier to distribute. The print books on Amazon will also have no profit, a minor reduction in price.

The best price for printed books is always the author's price,  ordering through me. Many times extra books are provided as well.

DropBox Public Folder
Everything will go into the public folder in DropBox, which means anyone can download - whether they have DB or not. I suggest getting the free version to make it easier to store them and save other documents.

I will look into obtaining all the old books in their final form so they can be ebooks in the public folder. There will be no limit in sharing them, copying them, using them in various forms. Since they are public domain now, use them as desired, noting their origin.

The Back Cover

  This is an important lesson from The Gospel of Faith:
From the Disciple Jesus Loved.

Janie Sullivan is a writer, novelist, and a super editor who makes everything right for Amazon print books and Kindle e-books.

Norma A. Boeckler is our member and a phenomenal producer of Christian art for Facebook and all our books.

Amazon author's page - Norma A. Boeckler

Coming Soon

We must stretch forth our hands in faith; and as God through love is the Giver, so we must through faith in Christ be the receivers of His gift. We must believe what our text tells us, that God is kind and merciful and that He manifests His love toward us in sending His only begotten Son into our flesh and blood, to take upon Himself our sins, as John the Baptist and the prophet Isaiah declare: “This is the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.”

With such a gift, and assured of the love of God, we can stay our hearts against the assaults of sin and the accusations of our conscience; for we know that He is not wroth nor terrible, but that for Christ’s sake He is kind and gracious unto us. Whoever believes this is truly happy and blessed, for this gift is so great and powerful that it crushes sin, death and every evil.

—Luther. House Postil Vol. 2. “Whitmonday. John 3:16-21.”

Some Publishing News

John's Gospel of Faith is 99.9% finished, should be OKed today or tomorrow.

1. All my books will be public domain and non-profit, aimed at increasing distribution. Amazon is still too high so order from me at the author's price.
2. I can drop Kindle versions to 99 cents, so I will be doing that.
3. Someone just ordered 50 Gems in black and white to give to people, at my cost - $150. Amazon retail cost - around $400.
4. For individual gifts, Gems in color is about $11 each. Everyone loves it because it is the best of Luther's best, from Lenker's edition.
5. Three volumes of House Postils are next.
6. Calvin Ruined the Protestant Faith follows, now being written. 
7. The Ichabod Lutheran Dictionary is being formulated.
8. I am thinking of one volume of Justification by Faith exegesis, which is the best counter-battery attack on UOJ.
9. Two other volumes like John's Gospel of Faith would be about Mark's Gospel and Paul's Letter to the Galatians.

 The Student Edition is handy and inexpensive to introduce a lot of people to Luther. The color version is ideal for gifts to special people. Why not get some for your pastors and teachers? - it will shed a lot of light on what they have been doing or not doing.

The Gospel of Faith: From the Disciple Jesus Loved

The Plan of This Book – Let John’s Gospel Speak

Our streaming video series on the Fourth Gospel in Greek caused people to ask for a book similar to the classes, where I explained the verses as we translated. We already have the large, excellent commentary by Lenski on John, and brilliant sermons by Luther on the Fourth Gospel.

I wanted to let the Scriptures speak for themselves, as much as possible, so brief comments follow passages, much like the class. I have taught Romans in Greek, the same way. More streaming classes and books may follow.

The best teacher is the Holy Spirit, who teaches us from the inerrant Word of God. The more time we spend with the Word itself, the more we understand and hear its message.
I am thankful to God for all the people who helped in the production of these books:

• Our artist Norma A. Boeckler;
• Our congregation’s president, Brett Meyer, who suggested the commentary follow the text;
• Our congregation’s attorney, Glen Kotten, who initiated the Greek classes online; 
• Our editor extraordinaire, Virginia Roberts, who helps with all books;
• Our finishing editor, Janie Sullivan, who turns files into books and Kindles;
• Our volunteer editors, Terry and Lori Howell;
• Our members and friends, who give generously to get these books around the world, for the lowest price possible, often for free.
• My wife Christina has encouraged publishing theological works, carried out research, advised me about German terms, and asked for real-time samples of the latest work. We were married 49 years ago, just before Thanksgiving.

In Christ,

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson, Thanksgiving 2018

Warren Malach's Review of Volume I - The Sermons of Martin Luther

Norma A. Boeckler is a prolific artist with a number of her own books. She had artwork for each volume before it was done. How? She looked the sermons up online and planned the art for each sermon. 

Although I already mentioned above Dr. Jackson's additional volume GEMS MINED FROM THE SERMONS OF MARTIN LUTHER, it was only when I examined the individual volumes of the SERMONS that I learned that the GEMS MINED from each individual volume of the SERMONS are offered as an Introduction to each volume, an "appetizer" of what will be found in the SERMONS as well as an overview of the theology of Dr. Luther himself. Dr. Jackson introduces the GEMS with this challenging statement about Luther: "Luther is discussed too much, studied too little." This statement is an indictment of the state of Luther scholarship within the Christian Church, but especially within the Lutheran Church itself. The summary statements for the individual GEMS in this volume demonstrate how Dr. Luther challenges the orthodoxy of those claiming to be "Lutherans" regarding the fundamental doctrines of the Lutheran Church, e.g. "Not All Are Justified"--"Faithless Teachers"--"Where Do We Find Christ?--In the Scriptures." In "The Reason for the Church Postils," Dr. Jackson tells us the history of the Church Postils and how Dr. Luther himself regarded THE SERMONS OF MARTIN LUTHER as "the best of all his books."

GJ - As she read and edited the volumes, Virginia Roberts kept saying, "I found a gem!" and then "Another gem!" My wife and I did this years ago for volumes 1-4 and put them in Megatron, the Database. They were the heavy artillery - dropped on the foes of the efficacy of the Word in the Means of Grace. I said, "We have to feature the Gems in the front," and then "Let's also do a separate volume, full color."

Volume I of THE SERMONS OF MARTIN LUTHER contains the Sermons for the first part of the Church Year, from the First Sunday in Advent through the Festival of the Epiphany.  It includes the Sermons for the festivals of Christmas, Second Christmas Day, Third Christmas Day, St. Stephen's Day, the Day of St. John the Evangelist, and New Year's Day.  Helpful outlines are provided for each Sermon to guide the reader in his study.


I must mention the physical appearance of this large, softbound volume, with its fine illustrations by Norma A. Boeckler, especially the cover illustration of Luther writing the Sermons.  Once again, I must mention how comfortable the volume is to hold and read, with its ease of holding open and its large print.  The volumes in the set of THE SERMONS OF MARTIN LUTHER are designed for regular individual and family use, and not simply to be put on a library shelf in a pastor's office or church library.


What did Luther teach?  Rather, what does the Bible teach, as Dr. Luther explains?  Study THE SERMONS OF MARTIN LUTHER and you will not be misled by those claiming to be "Lutherans" but who do not teach what Luther taught from the Bible about such fundamental Christians doctrines as the Inspiration of Scripture and Justification by Faith Alone!  
--Warren Malach

***

GJ - One reader has already suggested publishing More Gems later.

Warren Malach - On Luther's Sermons, the Gems, and the Goldmine

A Lutheran pastor for forty-five years, the Rev. Dr. Gregory L. Jackson (STM Yale, PhD Notre Dame ) spent a year revising the Lenker translation of the CHURCH POSTILS of Dr. Martin Luther, written in the 1520s.  These sermons on the historic Epistle and Gospel Lessons for the Church Year fill eight large softbound volumes whose typesetting makes them as easy to read as the volumes are to hold open.  In addition, the volumes are profusely illustrated by renowned Christian artist Norma A Boeckler.  In re-introducing these volumes to the public, Dr. Jackson has performed a great service to the Christian Church by responding to the sectarianism and apostasy of our day with the pure Word of God as taught by Dr. Martin Luther to the members of his congregation.

In addition to THE SERMONS OF MARTIN LUTHER, as part of his long study of Dr. Martin Luther's writings Dr. Jackson has also compiled the additional volumes

• GEMS MINED FROM THE SERMONS OF MARTIN LUTHER and 
• THE LOST DUTCHMAN'S GOLDMINE: LUTHER'S BIBLICAL DOCTRINE OF THE WORD.  

 The color version of Gems is the one sent to everyone.
This black and white version was planned at the last minute as a good way to introducepeople to Luther's Sermons without selling the rose farm. This is often included free in orders.

GEMS is the fruit of Dr. Jackson's editorial work on THE SERMONS OF MARTIN LUTHER in which Dr. Jackson distills for the reader the contents of the eight individual volumes in quotations drawn from the sermons, for which Dr. Jackson has supplied titles which are included in the table of contents for easy topical reference.  The quotations drawn from the sermons are generally more extensive than those found in E. Plass' WHAT LUTHER SAYS, which traditionally was searched by students of Luther for useful quotations from Dr. Luther's vast writings, and therefore GEMS is a more comprehensive compendium of extracts from Dr. Luther's writings as a theologian who was also a pastor.

In THE LOST DUTCHMAN'S GOLDMINE Dr. Jackson presents Dr. Luther's doctrine of the Word of God as drawn directly from Luther's own writings, the Lutheran Confessions, and the writings of orthodox Lutheran teachers.  In an age in which the inspiration and authority of God's Word are under constant attack and false doctrine is rampant, Dr. Jackson in his Luther editorial work as well as in his own writings and online blog  (http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com) seeks to follow the mandate of Jude 3 to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" and presented by Dr. Luther in these Sermons, especially the glorious doctrine of Justification by Faith.

These volumes are only the latest publications of Martin Chemnitz Press (martinchemnitzpress.blogspot.com) which also publishes the theological writings of Dr. Jackson covering a wide variety of subjects both of Christian doctrine and of practice.  You are warmly encouraged to search for these books online, and follow Dr. Jackson's Amazon author's page (https://www.amazon.com/Pastor-Gregory-L.-Jackson/e/B00MDC6S4U?ref_=pe_1724030_132998060). 
--Warren Malach

 All the covers and interior illustrations came from our
artist-in-residence, Norma A. Boeckler.

Luther Publishing News

I look at life this way. Things happened so I could learn a lot and experience what was happening in the synods. I am blessed to have reasonably good health, energy, and time to write and teach.

Apart from a few books sold retail on Amazon, everything is being distributed at cost or for free. The synods refuse to teach Luther's Biblical theology so someone has to do their job for them.

I will be sending out more Luther volumes very soon. Some have gone to Africa already, but America is also a mission field. How many Lutheran pastors have Luther's Sermons in their studies or on their computers? Precious few, I am sure.

One woman got multiple sets of all nine volumes for herself and her kin.

Some might consider getting the full color Gems book ($10), with selections from all eight volumes of sermons. Or, my very special promotional item for Luther - the black and white version of Gems, which costs only $2.40 each.

The color Gems is the one always sent when ordered. The black and white volume is only for people who want to give away some Luther at a very low price. No one should be worried about being caught with contraband, since each volume is all Luther, plus graphics from Norma A. Boeckler. Luther is not political, unless one wants to compare the Reformer with the deformers of today.

I have started a reader's verson of St. John's Gospel, plus some initial ideas for a new Lutheran dictionary.

More Luther is planned, plus a long essay on how Calvin ruined Protestantism.

Books Are Being Shipped

Below - Norma A. Boeckler, artist. Virginia Roberts, editor.
Above - Janie Sullivan, Christina Jackson, Gregory Jackson.
Out of space at the gallery - Terry and Lori Howell; a Lutheran pastor.


Eight people were the key to getting 9 volumes of Luther, 27 titles in all, out in public at the lowest possible price.

Someone Doubts 27 titles, But Observe

1. The Lenker set of Luther's Sermons, illustrated in color by Norma A. Boeckler, 8 volumes, plus the Gems.
2. Black and white, Economy Edition - The Lenker set of Luther's Sermons, illustrated by Norma A. Boeckler, 8 volumes, plus the Gems. Complete set, shipping and taxes, $70.
3. Kindle Ebooks - The Lenker set of Luther's Sermons, illustrated in color by Norma A. Boeckler, 8 volumes, plus the Gems. Most titles are 99 cents.

 John N. Lenker, Hamma Divinity School graduate, translated and organized other translators to create the eight-volume set.

But Wait - There's More

If all goes well, God willing, there will be one master PDF with all nine volumes included, each volume paginated separately. That will allow for quick, easy searching. Copy and pasting sections would probably go better in Kindle, but this is a 3,000 page library of Luther.

Naturally, this PDF file will be full color. I will stow the Word version in various secure, undisclosed locations, for another generation to use.


Rogue Edition of The Gems Mined from Luther's Sermons

When people want The Gems, they will get the full color edition, which is only $10. However, to promote the Sermons and the full color Gems, I had a black and white edition published for $2.40.

CPAs understand why. If a congregation wants to generate interest in Luther and give people an introduction to Luther, they can get 10 Gems for $24 in black and white. Otherwise, that number would cost $100.

"Why So Many Links?" Someone Forgot To Ask
One of my graduate students taught me Search Engine Optimization. When people click on links, the URL rises on the search engine results.

Also, reviews do the same for book titles. Even if someone checks in at that book's page and says, "This is a good book to read," that will count.

The Gems Volume Is in Print. The Sermons of Martin Luther, Lenker Edition - Are Now Complete - Surprise Coming!

Gems Mined from Luther's Sermons is now in print at Amazon. This volume is a collection of the best quotations from all eight volumes. Of course, not all of the best could be included. However, they represent great Biblical insights unequaled today, after the plague of Fuller Seminary chatterboxes.

I will start sendingout  expected volumes today.

No wonder the synodocrats hate Luther.

 Christina E. Jackson

I often read the Lenker edition of Luther’s Sermons to my wife Christina, especially in Columbus. We were constantly struck by the way the Reformer addressed the issues of life and the carcinogens of Fuller’s Church Growth Movement. That pattern turned into a plan to put the best quotations into a database nicknamed Megatron. Four of the eight volumes were filled with inked exclamations about the topic addressed. Many more resources were added from various denominations and programs of Enthusiasm.

Help in research did not begin or end in Columbus. We turned the libraries inside-out in Waterloo Ontario, at Yale Divinity and Yale Medical, at Notre Dame and Augustana, at the Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, and the Vatican owned seminary near her work at an engineering firm. Sometimes I helped her in medical and engineering research, but she always helped in me theological research and publishing.

The decades of enjoyment in reading Luther led to consternation as the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation approached. The old Lenker set was hard to find and expensive. Christina encouraged me to reproduce it in an expensive edition, and the Kindle ebooks will be free. She cheered on the year’s work and helped in editing. The LCMS member who worked on all the volumes kept saying, “This paragraph is a gem!” and marked it. So Virginia Roberts’ exclamations turned into a new version of what Chris and I began together, 30 years ago – these Gems Mined from Luther’s Sermons.

If people wonder why so many books and articles have come from my cramped study, they only need to credit – or blame – Christina, who always encourages more projects and cheers them on. There are many ways to find gems –

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
Proverbs 31:10-12 KJV

 Anniversary present - a real rose preserved in plastic and edged in gold.

The Surprise!

God willing, there will soon be a another way to have, to hold, and to study Luther's Sermons.

I have asked our finishing editor, the incomparable Janie Sullivan, to stitch together the nine volumes into one PDF. I will post that via Dropbox, so people have a free version to use and share.

Why the all-in-one volume? I found the PDF of Thy Strong Word was quite useful in finding and quoting sources for other books or booklets, especially Making Disciples.

A PDF is portable so it can be read on all digital devices.

The all-in-one can be shared freely. This old geezer is staggered that a set of books can be made available all over the world, simply by posting the DropBox link.

This PDF will help preserve a beautifully illustrated - the only illustrated one - set of Lenker.

Norma A. Boeckler designed all the covers and illustrated all nine volumes. Today she wrote, "I have a large collection for the Gospel of John Commentary."

Wait There's More!

I have asked Janie Sullivan to set the Kindle version of Luther's Sermons (all nine) as FREE for FIVE DAYS. They will go to 99 cents after that. I would keep them free at all times, but Kindle has  a base price of 99 cents.

I will be doing this with all the other books, and there will be a DropBox folder posted for all the free book files (PDFs).

Janie Sullivan finishes each volume for Amazon and Kindle publication.

Breaking News - Volume 8 of Luther's Sermons Is Finished at Amazon. The Gems Mined from Luther's Sermons Will Be Sent Today

When I see this Veterans Honor rose in the garden, I recall the funniest story told by my wife's cousin Peter. He was on KP duty for some reason, but was forced to keep potato peeling and cleaning for an extremely long day. Peter was short and about 110 pounds. The sarge came in and wanted to keep him working hours more. Peter got excited about that and began yelling and waving his little potato knife in the process.

The sarge reported him for attacking him with a knife. When Peter repeated the entire experience to the officer, the man could not help but laugh about Peter being a threat, waving a little potato peeler and yelling in frustration at this big muscular sargeant. Peter was judged innocent, and he had us doubled over in laughter about the whole story.

Publishing is like that, because there may be a jealous someone who wants to make something out of nothing. But nevertheless, the Sermons are done and the Gems are finishing today. Certain events have made me decide to make all the published books free online, although I am not sure about the platform. Q may need to liberate Kindle before this is all done, but there are many, many options for ebooks, including DropBox.

Rest in Peace, Peter Ellenberger, one of five family members born in Europe, but hserved in the US military.

Luther's Sermons - So Far

Volume 6 was tied up for a time by HAL - long story. The color version has been set free.

A Kindle issue is being addressed.

The Gems Mined from the Sermons of Martin Luther volume needs to have pagination added to each quotation - not a big job, really a fun and inspiring task.

Gems - selections from each of the eight volumes, designed to introduce people to Luther's Sermons. This is smaller in size so it will be full color only and Kindle.

Volume 8 is being prepared by Janie Sullivan for Amazon-Kindle.

If someone does not grasp this gem from Luther, he does not understand the Reformer, the Gospel, or the Scriptures.

Anticipated Results

When everything is done, the sermons in black and white will be about $40 TOTAL for all eight volumes - author's price. With sales tax and shipping for the whole set, that might be $60 - 70 or so. Sales tax varies quite a bit.

The Gospel Sermons - Volumes 1-5 - would be about $40 with taxes and shipping. Don't kid yourself, the Epistle Sermons are just as good.

Kindle ebook prices will be a little higher but I may run some specials, which will be noted here.

Gems will be $10-15 (author's price) and a good gift or library addition by itself.

Pastors who get stuck for sermon ideas should turn to Gems, or the complete set of Luther's Sermons, not to ELCA preaching books (yuk!), or Calvin's Commentaries (Why?) or the Pietistic Spoonfuls on Purpose.

 No, we saved a few titles.

Gems Mined from the Sermons of Martin Luther

This is the kernel of the Gospel, in which the nature and character of faith is explained as an assurance of things not seen. It clings alone to the words of God and follows the things that are not seen, as alone conveyed in the word of God, and looks askance at many things which urge it to disbelieve the Word. What nature calls playing the fool, faith calls the true way. Nature may be wise and clever, faith remains nature’s fool and idiot, and thus comes to Christ and finds him. St. Paul’s words, 1 Corinthians 1:25 apply here: “The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” For feeling and believing do not get together.
The Sermons of Luther, Epiphany


Volume 8 is being prepared for printing by Janie Sullivan.

Norma Boeckler is illustrating the final volume, Gems Mined from the Sermons of Martin Luther.

Nice, but where's my coffee?

Thy Strong Word Reviewed - Loved by Laity, Hated by Sect Leaders, Banned by Marvin Schwan's Logorrhea Journal

 Thy Strong Word is found on Amazon as a printed book,
on Kindle as an e-book. Copies can be ordered at the author's price, too.

Today, someone wrote - There's so much information in the book, it must have taken you years to put it all together. As you said in the preface, the book can be used as a reference source for documentation regarding the efficacy of the Word. 

Thanks for writing it.

---

Top customer reviews

Amazon Customer

5.0 out of 5 starsGregory L Jackson. PhD is a leading figure in ...

February 28, 2018

Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase

Gregory L Jackson, PhD is a leading figure in confessional Lutheran theology today, the principles of which are found in the writings of Martin Luther and the Lutheran reformers and in the Book of Concord. A key Lutheran doctrine is that the Holy Spirit is an active, vital force which works through the preaching and hearing of the God's Word. God's Word is “quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit” Hebrews 4:12.

Dr. Jackson stated his reason for writing this book in the preface:

“I have written Thy Strong Word for one purpose: to teach the Biblical doctrine of the efficacy of the Word and thereby utterly destroy the Church Growth Movement in the Lutheran Church. ... Until recently the efficacy of the Word was taken for granted by all Lutheran, even by the liberals ... Now we have a generation or two of pastors and laity who cannot refute the Reformed errors cunningly promoted by their own synodical leaders and seminary professors.”

Using his decades of experience in teaching and the ministry, Dr Jackson chronicles the erosion of the centrality of the Lutheran confessions in the preaching of the conservative synods (ELS, LCMS, and WELS). He traces the erosion to the influence of rationalism and Reformed doctrine, which caused the synods to turn away from faith in the effectiveness of preaching and teaching God's Word. This goes with the Reformed idea that God's Word needs man's help to be effective.

Rationalism and Reformed doctrine diminished the vitality of the conservative synods beginning in the 20th century and accelerating in the 21st century. The symptoms include declines in membership, infiltration of various false doctrines, and synod hierarchies more interested in prestige and perks than the preaching the Gospel.

Dr Jackson shows how synod leadership reacted not by restoring sound doctrine, but instead by adopting Madison Avenue sales techniques and gimmickry (known as the Church Growth Movement or CGM) with the hope that these would put people into the pews of their emptying churches.

Dr Jackson begins his critique of CGM by presenting the principles of Lutheran doctrine: the authority of the Bible, justification by faith alone, the efficacy of the Word of God, and the power of the Sacraments.

Then, Dr Jackson presents quotes from CGM leaders and contrasts them with quotes from Luther and Lutheran foundational documents to illustrate how the principles of CGM are non-Lutheran, or anti-Lutheran, in nature.

This book is 533 pages, the information is detailed, the sources are foot-noted. This isn't a book that you should expect to read in one sitting. The dust jacket calls it a textbook for Lutheran biblical theology. You can consider it a teaching tool as well as a reference source. Dr Jackson includes a suggested reading list consisting of 3 pages of book titles. That being said, his writing style presents the information in an interesting and engaging manner, so you shouldn't find yourself becoming bogged down, as you might when reading a dry textbook on theory.

If you want to understand the foundational principles of confessional Lutheranism, then you should read this book. If you want to understand the problems of present day confessional Lutheranism and what the solutions are, then you should read this book.

Dr Jackson discusses the problems of present day Lutheranism on his internet blog, Google ichabodthegloryhasdeparted for the URL. He conducts a weekly Lutheran worship service via the internet, the blog has a link to the broadcast site which also has archived broadcasts. If you want to hear solid, scripture-based, Lutheran sermons, you'll find them in his worship services.

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Gerald Parker

5.0 out of 5 starsMagisterial Defense of Truly Confessional Lutheranism

April 14, 2007

Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase

I am a layman, not a theologian, but I have read fairly widely in the literature of Lutheranism, my heritage faith, so I do not hesitate to praise with the highest encomia possible this very fine and much-needed book that refutes the errors of latter-day North American Lutheranism, alike the unbelieving "liberalism" of the E.L.C.A. and E.L.C.i.C. as well as the pseudo-conservatism (which falsely poses as Confessional) of the denominations deriving from the old Synodical Conference (most notably the L.C.M.S., W.E.L.S., E.L.S., and the L.C.M.S.' sister sect, the Lutheran Church Canada), which have betrayed genuine Confessional Lutheranism with their bizarre speculations embodied in the theological paradigm of "Universal Objective Justification and Subjective Justication" (U.O.J.), which Ptr. Dr. Gregory Lee Jackson anathematises and disproves, as well he should do, showing these heinous false speculative ideas to be being neither Scriptural nor Confessional, and, hence, not genuinely Lutheran at all. (Coming back to this review to revise it some, I would point out that Jackson has written and published a separate book, one that handles the matter suberbly, on the U.O.J. heresy, titled "Luther versus the U.O.J. Pietists: Justification by Faith".) Jackson also scathingly and realistically savages the venal "Church Growth Movement" tendencies in all forms of this hemisphere's Lutheranism, liberal and pseudo-confessional alike.

There are magnificent defenses of "genesio-Lutheran" Confessional teaching versus the claims of what Ptr. Dr. Jackson calls the "Reformed" (by which he includes all non-Lutheran Protestantism and sectarianism, rather than only, more properly, the teaching of other genuinely Protestant churches that follow the doctrinal teachings of Martin Bucer, especially, and of Jean Calvin, as well as the Three Forms of Unity and Westminster Standards that so principally, soundly, and moderately codify them confessionally). Jackson's defense of the Lutheran and hence Orthodox Christian "Means of Grace" is a stunning refutation of the claims of Baptists, Pentecostals/Charismatics, the loud-mouthed "Fundamentalists" who are so fundamentally wrong, the so-called "Neo-Evangelicals", Campbellites/"Restorationists", and other "cheap white [or black] theological trash") by explicating from the Scriptures (using, wisely, the Authorised "King James" Version, free of the sectarian bias that afflicts to one degree or another the modern versions in English of the Bible) the true Lutheran and biblical teaching about Holy Baptism and the Eucharist (Holy Communion, Mass). For the fine defense of Lutheran sacramental theology alone this book would be worth the purchase, but there is so much more as well!

A fault, a minor but nonetheless somewhat irritating one, is Jackson's intemperately vituperative assaults on other Lutherans and their squabbles and peccadillos over relatively minor matters of turf, petty corruption, and so forth which, really, are of only passing interest or importance compared to the major issues that this book addresses, something that inevitably will cause this book become a bit dated in that regard. (That said, though, Jackson`s comments on such matters are reasonable and, I believe, true.) Dr. Jackson's book is already a classic of Lutheran exegesis and sound doctrinal teaching.

A note of warning is in store for those who purchase the book second-hand; the earliest printing of this book had some pagination and binding irregularities, but even a copy with these defects is worth having, since they do not affect any of the most important passaages of the book.

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Glen

5.0 out of 5 starsThis is one of the best modern Christian polemics books out there

October 25, 2016

Format: Kindle Edition

This is one of the best modern Christian polemics books out there. Pastor Jackson does an excellent job of teaching God's Word and exposing the false teachings of men in the various Lutheran sects. It is very edifying to Christ's Church to have this publication to share with laity and Pastors alike. Most Lutheran laity I have met are uniformed that their Church leaders reject the efficacy of the Word and teach a damnable false gospel of Universal Objective Justification. Much like the polemic publications of the church fathers during the reformation, (1500's) Jackson's "Thy Strong Word" serves to the posterity of God's people in guarding against false doctrine.