Luther and Bonhoeffer – New Books from Fortress Press

Two books from Fortress caught my attention recently.

First, a new English edition of The Collected Sermons of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

“Preaching, according to Bonhoeffer, is like offering an apple to a child. The gospel is proclaimed, but for it to be received as gift depends on whether or not the hearer is in a position to do so. Offered here are thirty-one of Pastor Bonhoeffer’s sermons, in new English translations, which he preached at various times of the year and in a variety of different settings. Each is introduced by Bonhoeffer translator Isabel Best who also provides a brief biography of Bonhoeffer… In his preaching, Bonhoeffer’s strong, personal faith—the foundation for everything he did—shines in the darkness of Hitler’s Third Reich and in the church struggle against it. Though not overtly political, Bonhoeffer’s deep concern for the developments in his world is revealed in his sermons as he seeks to draw the listener into conversation with the promises and claims of the gospel—a conversation readers today are invited to join.”

Also of note, the new third edition of Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings.

“a single-volume introduction to Luther’s most influential, noted, and important writings in the modern translations—including excerpts of his sermons and letters—presents Luther the theologian “steeped in the word of God, speaking to the whole church,” even as it takes the reader straight to Luther the man, to his controversial Reformation insights, to his strongest convictions about God and Scripture and the life of the church, and most importantly to his theology—a still-exciting encounter with the meaning of Jesus Christ for each age.”

Happy reading!