The Lutheran Doctrine of the Ministry: Catholic and Reformed

Abstract

THIS ARTICLE is encyclopedic, not in the sense that it covers the universe from A to Z, but rather because it seeks to give a condensed yet comprehensive and reliable account of its subject. It argues no over-all thesis, but does contain a multiplicity of minor ones which reflect with reasonable faithfulness, I hope, the present state of scholarship in this area. The general impression which emerges is that while the structure of the Lutheran understanding of the ministry is very different from the traditional Roman Catholic one, there are few, perhaps no, points of irreducible conflict. Yet my purpose is not to insist on this conclusion. Those who are not persuaded will find here, I hope, the data needed for responsible disagreement. In the three sections which follow I deal with the Lutheran doctrine of the ministry, first, in its official traditional form, second, in the light of contemporary developments, and third, in relation to current Catholic thought.