Between 1548 and 1551, controversies over adiaphora, or indifferent matters, erupted in both Germany and England. Matthias Flacius Illyricus in Germany and John Hooper in England both refused to accept, among other things, the same liturgical vestment: the surplice. While Flacius' objections to the imperial liturgical requirements were largely contextual, because the vestments and rites were forced on the church and were part of a recatholicizing agenda, Hooper protested because he was convinced that disputed vestments and rites lacked a biblical basis. The Devil behind the Surplice demonstrates that, while Flacius fought to protect the reformation principle of justification by grace alone through faith alone, Hooper strove to defend the reformation principle that Scripture alone was the source and norm of Christian doctrine and practice. Ultimately, Flacius wanted more Elijahs, prophets to guide a faithful remnant, and Hooper wanted a new Josiah, a young reform king to purify the kingdom and strip it of idolatry.

The Devil behind the Surplice

History

Johnston, Wade

Historical Study & Educational Resources

Wipf and Stock

Between 1548 and 1551, controversies over adiaphora, or indifferent matters, erupted in both Germany and England. Matthias Flacius Illyricus in Germany and John Hooper in England both refused to accept, among other things, the same liturgical vestment: the surplice. While Flacius' objections to the imperial liturgical requirements were largely contextual, because the vestments and rites were forced on the church and were part of a recatholicizing agenda, Hooper protested because he was convinced that disputed vestments and rites lacked a biblical basis. The Devil behind the Surplice demonstrates that, while Flacius fought to protect the reformation principle of justification by grace alone through faith alone, Hooper strove to defend the reformation principle that Scripture alone was the source and norm of Christian doctrine and practice. Ultimately, Flacius wanted more Elijahs, prophets to guide a faithful remnant, and Hooper wanted a new Josiah, a young reform king to purify the kingdom and strip it of idolatry.

The Devil behind the Surplice: Matthias Flacius and John Hooper on Adiaphora

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

Pickwick Publications

Martin Luther with preached and written word unleashed the unconditional and uncompromising gospel of God’s love for sinners in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. He exposed both man’s lost condition and Christ’s unfathomable love with unrelenting persistence and unmistakable clarity. Bound in sin, only Christ could set the sinner free, and Luther held Christ before his students, hearers, and readers. That message marked and formed his students and coworkers, and yet after his death bitter disputes broke out about some of the most central aspects of his theology. Debates cut to the very heart of the Reformation, and this while its future hung precariously in the balance. An Uncompromising Gospel highlights Luther’s key theological teachings, details the controversies that broke out over them after his death, and provides important lessons for our own day, as Christians still struggle to grasp and hold forth the love of Christ for sinners dead in trespasses and sins. As Lutheranism in specific and Christianity as a whole struggle to find and articulate their identity in challenging times yet once again, An Uncompromising Gospel provides helpful reminders about what the chief task and message of the church are and ought to be as it presses forward in God’s grace and with the good news of Christ Jesus.

An Uncompromising Gospel: Lutheranism's First Identity Crisis and Lessons for Today

World

New Reformation Publications

An Uncompromising Gospel: Lutheranism’s First Identity Crisis and Lessons for Today

NRP Books

Let the Bird Fly: Life in a World Given Back to Us

It's easy for Christians in our day to become fearful and confused. From doctrinal debates to culture wars, some Christians feel like they move from one crisis to another. Christ didn't die and rise for us to live afraid, however, and our crucified and risen Savior ascended to rule all things for our good. We are not a people without hope. We have Christ. Let the Bird Fly reminds readers that we are a free people, bought with the price of Christ's own blood. We are free to weigh the issues of the day, to engage our neighbor, to live out our callings, and know who we are no matter what: redeemed children of God. At the heart of the Christian life is a spoken word, God's absolution, the declaration that Christ's righteousness is our own through faith. From this our Christian life flows and in this we find our confidence to live, love, and labor for our neighbor. Law and gospel become lenses through which we see our world and others. Together with the two kinds of righteousness, civil and divine, Christians have a sort of diagnostic tool for navigating life in a world given back to us as a penultimate gift. We are graced to live beyond ourselves and the here and now. We are gifted to consider and look forward to more than those live without the optimism and freedom of sins forgiven. We are turned outside of ourselves and grounded, even as we are made new and set loose to dare to live as though there is more to life than this life. In short, precisely when fear seems most tempting, Christ calls us to let the bird fly.

1517 Publishing

Mark doesn’t waste words in his Gospel. His Jesus, the Jesus, is a man on a mission, determined, racing. Mark doesn’t waste words, but his words pack a punch and his brief descriptions beg for deep reflection. Like a passenger in a car driving quickly, we can easily miss the details of the landscape if we don’t pay careful attention. Mark sets us on a race, but it’s important to stop along the way. A Path Strewn with Sinners sets us on Jesus’ race to the cross, but it also insists we take time to ponder, to notice what Mark notes, and what he doesn’t. A master storyteller, Mark leaves room for us to ask questions of the text while at the same time giving us enough information to make that profitable. In so doing, He introduces us to Jesus in a most useful and unique way and makes our race well worth the effort, as A Path Strewn with Sinners shows.

A Path Strewn With Sinners: A Devotional Study of Mark's Gospel & His Race to the Cross

Mark doesn’t waste words in his Gospel. His Jesus, the Jesus, is a man on a mission, determined, racing. Mark doesn’t waste words, but his words pack a punch and his brief descriptions beg for deep reflection. Like a passenger in a car driving quickly, we can easily miss the details of the landscape if we don’t pay careful attention. Mark sets us on a race, but it’s important to stop along the way. A Path Strewn with Sinners sets us on Jesus’ race to the cross, but it also insists we take time to ponder, to notice what Mark notes, and what he doesn’t. A master storyteller, Mark leaves room for us to ask questions of the text while at the same time giving us enough information to make that profitable. In so doing, He introduces us to Jesus in a most useful and unique way and makes our race well worth the effort, as A Path Strewn with Sinners shows.

A Path Strewn with Sinners: A Devotional Study of Mark's Gospel and His Race to the Cross

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Johnston, Wade. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Johnston, Wade

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Johnston, Wade. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Devil behind the Surplice

The Devil behind the Surplice: Matthias Flacius and John Hooper on Adiaphora

An Uncompromising Gospel: Lutheranism's First Identity Crisis and Lessons for Today

An Uncompromising Gospel: Lutheranism’s First Identity Crisis and Lessons for Today

Let the Bird Fly: Life in a World Given Back to Us

A Path Strewn With Sinners: A Devotional Study of Mark's Gospel & His Race to the Cross

A Path Strewn with Sinners: A Devotional Study of Mark's Gospel and His Race to the Cross

Let the Bird Fly: Life in a World Given Back to Us