Lutheran Systematic Theologies
Reading List
This list contains Lutheran Systematic Theologies (LST) as listed and commented by Jordan Cooper in his 2015 ‘Just and Sinner’ blogpost as a basic guide for Lutheran texts on systematic theology.
Basic Systematic Theologies
- Biblical Dogmatics by A.G. Voigt. | “a great introductory book, very short, and yet quite comprehensive for its size”.
- Enchiridion by Martin Chemnitz. | “a short and classic work by the greatest theologian of the Lutheran tradition”, per Cooper an excellent introduction to Lutheran theology.
- Elements of Religion by Henry Eyster Jacobs. | link to PB source - “comparable to Voigt. It consists of short chapters on each major theological topic”.
- Called to Believe, Teach, and Confess by Steven P. Mueller. | “a more modern book than the others on this list”.
Intermediate Systematic Theologies
- A Summary of the Christian Faith by Henry Eyster Jacobs. | link to Logos CP site - “a lot more in-depth than Elements of Religion, and its written in a catechetical question and answer format”.
- God So Loved the World: A Summary of Christian Doctrine by Lyle W. Lange. | “extensive in its treatment, but written in a simple style”, in Cooper’s opinion the best modern one-volume LST.
- Christian Dogmatics by John Theodore Mueller. | “a standard for many in modern confessional Lutheranism”, condensed version of Pieper.
- Compend of Lutheran Theology by Leonard Hutter. | link to PB source - “a standard theological textbook in the years following the reformation”.
- The Christian Faith by Joseph Stump. | – not available in Logos – “quite comprehensive yet highly readable”.
Advanced Systematic Theologies
- The Doctrinal Theology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church by Heinrich Schmid. | “the best one-volume summary of Lutheran scholastic theology”.
- Christian Dogmatics and Notes on the History of Dogma by Conrad Emil Lindberg. | link to PB source - “packs a lot of theology into each chapter”.
- Christian Dogmatics by Franz Pieper. | “the standard theological text at the Missouri Synod seminaries”.
- Evangelical Lutheran Dogmatic by Adolf Hoenecke. | – not available in Logos – “written by the greatest theologian to come from the Wisconsin Synod, very thorough and scholastic in its treatment”, Cooper’s favorite multivolume LST.
- Loci Theologici by Martin Chemnitz. | “the first Systematic theology of the post-reformation era, invaluable resources”.
- Theological Commonplaces by Johann Gerhard. | search link to logos.com - “the most extensive dogmatics text available, Gerhard is often considered the greatest of the Lutheran scholastics”.
- Various texts by Revere Franklin Weidner | search link to logos.com - “one of the greatest systematicians of the nineteenth century”.
- Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics by various authors. | – not available in Logos – “a contemporary series with multiple authors, the volumes available are worthwile”.
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