Book: The doctrinal theology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church

In the contemporary Lutheran church, our rich dogmatic heritage is often forgotten. We tend to privilege Luther and other early reformers over the later tradition that developed through his reforms. The church would benefit from a thorough read of those within the seventeenth century scholastic tradition, along with the reformers, who systematized and expounded upon Luther's ideas.

Heinrich Schmid's The Doctrinal Theology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church is a concise summary of the developments of the seventeenth century scholastic theologians in the Lutheran tradition. Schmid compiles citations from the best of that tradition, including Gerhard, Chemnitz, Calov, and Quenstedt. Schmid also includes several historical notes, demonstrating how each particular doctrine has developed in the history of Lutheran theology. This book is an essential read for anyone who desires to understand the Lutheran theological tradition and how the Lutheran doctines developed.