Dr. Dennis Ngien, an ILT Ph.D. Fellow, is excited to announce the release of his new book, “Paragon of Excellence: Luther’s Sermons on I Peter,” by Fortress Press on September 26, 2023. The book delves into the history of Lutheran-Reformed polemics and brings 1 Peter into the light of Lutheran biblical scholarship.

The book showcases how Martin Luther considered 1 Peter as one of the books that most truly represented the gospel, alongside John and the Pauline epistles. Dr. Ngien’s careful explication brings this pastoral epistle into the realm of Lutheran biblical scholarship and reveals Luther as an exegete at his best.

In his endorsement for the book, Dr. Michael A.G. Azad Haykin, chair, and professor of church history at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, notes that “this is a superb examination of Luther’s evangelical reflection on the Petrine text.”

The book covers Luther’s understanding of the epistle in five thematic frames, presenting a comprehensive expression of Luther’s mature thought. Dr. Ngien argues that the sermons on 1 Peter present Luther’s vocational maturation as a “caretaker of the soul,” proclaiming Christ as gift and example.

Dr. Lois Malcolm, the Olin and Amanda Fjelstad Reigstad Chair of Systematic Theology at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, notes that “I recommend this book for anyone who seeks to understand how Luther’s hermeneutic principle, the theology of the cross, makes a difference for all aspects of our lives—at home, in the workplace and politics, and in the church.”

The book is immensely readable, academically-sound, non-combative, and essential reading for all who take the Christian life seriously. It is highly recommended for scholars and students of biblical studies, theology, and church history.

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