The Ritschlian theology, a reaction against rationalism, was influential in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Ritschl held that God could be known only through the revelation contained in the person and work of Jesus. His theology stressed ethics and the community of man and repudiated metaphysics. Ritschl's most characteristic work is presented here and has been translated as 'The Christian Doctrine of Justification and Reconciliation'. In it Ritschl proposes understanding the doctrine of justification in interpersonal rather than juridical categories.

We are saved by faith when we trust that Jesus died for our sins. This is the gospel, or so we are taught. But what is faith? And does this accurately summarize the gospel? Because faith is frequently misunderstood and the climax of the gospel misidentified, the gospel's full power remains untapped. While offering a fresh proposal for what faith means within a biblical theology of salvation, Matthew Bates presses the church toward a new precision: we are saved solely by allegiance to Jesus the king. Instead of faith alone, Christians must speak about salvation by allegiance alone. The book includes discussion questions for students, pastors, and church groups and a foreword by Scot McKnight.

Arthur W. Pink (1890-1953) launched his yearly publication, Studies in the Scriptures in 1921. These continued until his death, altogether 33 volumes of 288 pp. each. Most of Pink's books are taken from these yearly books (written monthly in 24 page format). This title is one of the many taken from eight of those monthly magazines. Readers will find thorough consideration of all the facets of this Biblical Doctrine of Reconciliation. Pink covers: Its Arrangement; Its Need, Its Effectuation; Its Meaning; Its Scope; and Its Reception. There are Scriptures galore cited. Undoubtedly the reader will grow rich in knowledge and in the grace of Christ. The pages are full, with probably 400 words to a page, so buyers will get their moneys worth. As an example of what a master workman like Pink does, note that he cites Romans 12:1, 2: [This verse] ''supplies an interpretation of the rites of the Law and of the reasonable part of the O. T. order of things. Thus, he who would make a covenant with God is required to give up himself wholly unto God with a sincere and firm resolution unto a new life of obedience to Him. If there is any reservation the covenant is marred in the making of it: ''Their heart was not right with Him, neither were they steadfast in His covenant'' (Ps. 78:37). Goodwin's Reconciliation by the Blood of Christ is a sermon he preached on Colossians 1:20, in which He describes the seeming impossibility of reconciling totally depraved men to a holy God. Who is sufficient for such a task? He proves that only Christ Jesus had the fitness to fill this role of perfect obedience to the Law, together with an acceptable sacrifice to propitiate the wrath of God toward men.

Now, forty years since its original publication, Hans Kung's groundbreaking study--acclaimed as a model for ecumenical discussion--has become a classic work. Looking at the doctrine of justification as understood by the Protestant theologian Karl Barth in comparison to classic Roman Catholic theology, Kung found that the two had similar ideas about the main elements of justification. He argued there is fundamental agreement between Catholicism and Barth's doctrine and that the somewhat divergent viewpoints "would not warrant a division in the Church." This anniversary edition now features a new essay assessing Kung's work in light of contemporary ecumenical dialogues between Roman Catholics and Protestants.