Lexham Press: Practical and Theological Pastoral Care Resources
Leithart, Peter J. Baptism: A Guide to Life from Death. Ashland, OH: Lexham Press, 2021. 140 Pages. Cloth. $15.99. https://lexhampress.com/
Helmer, Christine. The Trinity and Martin Luther (Studies in Historical & Systematic Theology). Ashland, OH: Lexham Press, 2017. 333 Pages. Paper. $24.99. https://lexhampress.com/
Perry, Tim. Harold L. Senkbeil, General Editor. Funerals for the Care of Souls (Lexham Ministry Guides). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press,
Meador, Nathan and Heath R. Curtis. Harold L. Senkbeil, General Editor. Stewardship for the Care of Souls (Lexham Ministry Guides). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press,
Senkbeil, Harold L. and Lucas V. Woodford. Harold L. Senkbeil, General Editor. Pastoral Leadership for the Care of Souls (Lexham Ministry Guides). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press,
This review is a follow-up to our very first review of the impressive resources from Lexham Press. I have organized them into three groups.
The first group is a volume from the Lexham Christian Essentials series on the Catechism, Baptism, an addition to the three volumes in this series that LBR reviewed before (https://lhplbr.blogspot.com/2021/06/resources-from-lexham-press.html).
Baptism
Do You Believe?
You’ve been baptized. But do you understand what it means?
Baptism is the doorway into membership in the church. It’s a public declaration of the washing away of our sin and the beginning of our new life in Christ. But the sacrament that is meant to unite us is often a spring of division instead.
All Christians use water to baptize. All invoke the triune name. Beyond that, there’s little consensus. Talk about baptism and you’re immediately plunged into arguments. Whom should we baptize? What does baptism do? Why even do it at all?
Peter Leithart reunifies a church divided by baptism. He recovers the baptismal imagination of the Bible, explaining how baptism works according to Scripture. Then, in conversation with Christian tradition, he shows why baptism is something worth recovering and worth agreeing on.
(Publisher's Website)
The author quotes a lot of Martin Luther in the chapter "Family, Body, Temple." I appreciate that this little book is his attempt to "reunite a church divided by baptism" (2). That intention is well-received by this reader/reviewer. And kudos for including an excerpt from Luther's flood prayer (2-3) and a brief quote from Luther's Freedom of a Christian (78)! I am impressed that the author even addresses Titus 3:5 and the "washing of regeneration" language (31). He comes so far from this Lutheran's point of view, and I pray evangelical readers hear the Word the author shares with them for their good, and the good of the people they serve.
I'll quote my previous review to conclude:
With regard to the first three books in this review post, I believe I am not the intended reader.
Why?
I was taught to catechize all ages in the Six Chief Parts of the Christian faith as found in the Small Catechism of Martin Luther. With regard to the Ten Commandments, The Apostles’ Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer, I am convinced that his Small Catechism and Large Catechism get the job done in a most excellent manner.
Who is the intended reader of these
three[four] volumes?My working theory is that they will be welcomed by some Christian traditions and pastors, educators, and laypeople in church, school, and home that are actively working to create or recover a tradition of such teaching of young and old, as well as lifelong Christians and those new to the faith.
Lexham Press is to be commended for reminding Christians of their catechetical heritage!
Our second group is also one book, a volume in the Lexham Press series called Studies in Historical & Systematic Theology.
Originally published in 1999, Lexham press presents this second edition.
Luther’s Trinitarian Doctrine
Martin Luther was classically orthodox.
Scholars often portray Luther as a heroic revolutionary, totally unlike his peers and forebears—as if he alone inaugurated modernity. But is this accurate? Is this even fair? At times this revolutionary model of Luther has come to some shocking conclusions, particularly concerning the doctrine of the Trinity. Some have called Luther modalist or tritheist—somehow theologically heterodox.
In The Trinity and Martin Luther Christine Helmer uncovers Luther’s trinitarian theology. The Trinity is the central doctrine of the Christian faith. It’s not enough for dusty, ivory tower academics to know and understand it. Common people need the Trinity, too. Doctrine matters.
Martin Luther knew this. But how did he communicate the doctrine of the Trinity to lay and learned listeners? And how does his trinitarian teaching relate to the medieval Christian theological and philosophical tradition?
Helmer upends stereotypes of Luther’s doctrine of the Trinity.
This definitive work has been updated with a new foreword and with fresh translations of Luther’s Latin and German texts. (Publisher's Website)
The Preface to the new edition (xff) was initially more than slightly alarming until I did a second read. If the author can re-evaluate preconceptions and assumptions, I can, too as a reader and reviewer. It's best to read Luther to understand Luther, rather than understand him through the lenses of Barth, Hegel, Leibniz, or Schleiermacher. I would counsel the author not to trust the interpretations of Oswald Beyer! Luther is indeed properly Catholic, medieval, and Trinitarian.
This volume will be helpful to those who see Luther in certain biased (negative) ways. Imagine if you will a social media post: "I love oranges." Further imagine a troll posting a reply: "So, you're saying you hate apples? How dare you! And I would hate to imagine what you think of bananas!" Such an interaction highlights what is unpleasant and unfair about social media. And tradition. And assumptions. And some parts of academia. That Luther preached so clearly and often about the crucified Christ does not prevent him from being truly and authentically Trinitarian (1). The author examines the genres (33ff) of disputation (131ff, passim), hymn (Chapter 3), and sermon (Chapter 4) to demonstrate Luther's confession of the Trinity. (All I needed was his catechisms and "We All Believe in One True God.") It was encouraging to see rhetorical analysis (295) and a clear understanding and explanation of Luther's pastoral care and practice (300).
I commend this volume to your study and edification in either paperback or digital form (or both).
Our third group of Lexham titles are a trilogy of theologically-informed pastoral care resources:
The following short yet substantial books are titles in the Lexham Ministry Guides series. Will there be more? Stay tuned.
Pastoral Leadership: For the Care of Souls
Authors: Harold L. Senkbeil & Lucas V. Woodford
Publisher: Lexham Press
Publication Date: 2021
Page Count: 208
Christ’s sheep need shepherding. That’s where you come in.
Based on a sound theological framework, Senkbeil and Woodford present a set of practical tools for church leadership and strategy. Calling on their vast experience, they encourage pastors to protect, guide, and feed their flock as Jesus would, bridging the eternal wisdom of the word of God with the everyday practicality of hands-on leadership.
(Publisher's Website)
Recommended!
A new book on Funerals is next.
Funerals: For the Care of Souls
Author: Tim Perry
Publisher: Lexham Press
Publication Date: 2021
Page Count: 280
Death will strike your congregation. Are you ready? Are they?
Fear of death affects us all, and so pastors have significant hurdles to overcome. What Christians need today is a renewed vision of the traditional Christian funeral liturgy. In Funerals, Tim Perry recovers the rich theology inherent to the Christian funeral: communion with the saints in death, peace in forgiveness, hope in the resurrection, and joy in life eternal. Perry guides pastors through the practice of funerals, from planning the service to preaching the eulogy, and offers wisdom for the hard cases.
(Publisher's Website)
I have no great appreciation for N. T Wright (21, 120, etc.), nor is a reference to the C. S. Lewis Narnia character Emeth helpful when he comes up (92ff). The Burpo claims (113) and those of others do need to be addressed because of the confusion they cause, yet I wanted more clarity and Bible in the initial opening of that chapter. Things improved as Scripture informed the portions on the Intermediate State and the Resurrection of the Body, yet more Bible would have been welcome. The author demonstrates why Eulogies are a bad idea (166ff).
Times have changed, and rarely for the better when it comes to funerals (7, passim). It can no longer be assumed that a Christian will be given a funeral. Often, the Christian faith is not a part of the lives of the descendants or relatives of the sainted members of the congregations we serve (10, passim), and many are not looking for a Christian funeral (140) even if their loved one requested one. I appreciated the author acknowledging hell as a warning (97). That's law, in addition to the loss of a loved one through death. A good funeral will (150ff) commit the deceased to the care of God, comfort the bereaved, and call the living to repentance. This is a helpful description. I also appreciated the concluding section of the final chapter (220ff) about Coming Home.
This was my first experience with this author, though not with the General Editor. I could appreciate much about the volume, though it wasn't my favorite of the three.
Do we need another book on Stewardship? If it is this one by these authors, yes.
Stewardship: For the Care of Souls
Authors: Heath R. Curtis & Nathan Meador
Publisher: Lexham Press
Publication Date: 2021
Page Count: 144
Stewardship isn’t just managing resources—it’s soul care.
Nathan Meador and Heath R. Curtis present a practical theology of stewardship focused on ministry in service of the gospel. Guiding pastors away from the pitfalls of idolatry around money, they instead call stewards to embrace their identity in Christ and encourage their congregations to do the same. This fresh approach to stewardship reorients both individuals and congregations toward their true purpose as stewards who have been baptized into Christ.
(Publisher's Website)
One of our LCMS Wyoming District Presidents expanded my understanding of Christian stewardship beyond the tired time, talents, and treasure by reminding us of our stewardship of Christians and of the Gospel itself. So do the authors of this brief volume (xxiv). They are transparent in explaining how their previous false/misguided understanding of stewardship was corrected by important resources (14) they summarize and explain to the reader. Questions can be helpful. Theirs are, both their initial questions (39) and their fuller diagnosic questions (45ff, especially 46-7). It is encouraging to hear how the authors' preaching changed (67ff), and they were able to create a culture of stewardship in their congregations (Chapter 4). Don't miss the recommended resources for further reading (109ff).
Recommended!
Taken together, these three short books are a great start of what could be a larger series of Lexham Ministry Guides. This is the quality of content that I would expect from experienced parish pastors, seminary professors, and ecclesiastical supervisors, men with a heart for the people, congregations, and church bodies they serve.
We thank Lexham Press for publishing all five of these volumes and for sharing complimentary copies with us at LBR.
Rev. Paul J Cain is Senior Pastor of Immanuel, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School and Immanuel Academy, a member of the Board of Directors of the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education, First Vice-President of the Wyoming District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and a member of its Board of Directors, Rhetoric Teacher for Wittenberg Academy, and Editor of Lutheran Book Review. He has served as an LCMS Circuit Visitor, District Worship Chairman, District Evangelism Chairman, District Education Chairman/NLSA Commissioner, and District Secretary. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Rev. Cain is a contributor to Lutheran Service Book, Lutheranism 101, the Hymnal Companion hymn and liturgy volumes, and is the author of 5 Things You Can Do to Make Our Congregation a Caring Church. He is an occasional guest on KFUO radio. He has previously served Emmanuel, Green River, WY and Trinity, Morrill, NE. Rev. Cain is married to Ann and loves reading and listening to, composing, and making music.
