History Commons^™

Luther On Church Unity : The Commentary On Galatians (1535), Lawrence Porter

Rev. Lawrence B. Porter, Ph.D

This article promotes ecumenical discussion of the eclesiological question: what structures are required to preserve the values of freedom and accountability in matters of faith? it is the author's contention that freedom and accountability are essential elements in the experience of Christian faith but are not easily reconciled; indeed, in the history of the churches, one element has often been sacrificed to the other. As illustration, the author offers a study of these themes in Luther's 1535 Commentary and concludes that both the church of Rome and the churches of the Reformation would do well to reconsider their traditional positions …