Front cover image for Problems of Authority in the Reformation Debates

Problems of Authority in the Reformation Debates

G. R. Evans (Author)
During the Reformation period many of the fiercest debates centred on the nature of authority, covering every aspect of Christian faith and life. Here, Dr Evans aims to piece together underlying connections in the theology of the Reformation period, as a contribution to ecumenical dialogue.
eBook, English, 1992
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1992
1 online resource (348 pages)
9780511598135, 9780521416863, 9780521892469, 0511598130, 0521416868, 0521892465
1167283268
Preface; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Principal collections of articles and theses mentioned in the text; Introduction; Part I. Authority For the Truth of the Faith: 1. The authority of the text; 2. Authoritative testimony; 3. Authoritative proof; Part II. Saving Authority: 4. Powerlessness before sin; 5. Justification; 6. The empowering of the will for good; Part III. Authority in the Church to Reconcile: 7. The saving power of the sacraments; 8. The penitential system and 'power to bind and loose'; 9. The Eucharist and authority to forgive; Part IV. Authority in the Visible Community: 10. Visible and invisible; 11. The two swords and the political analogy; 12. Making ministers; 13. Higher authority; Part V. The Authority of Common Sense: 14. A decision-making body; 15. Decision-making in a divided Church; Conclusion: the unity we seek; Select bibliography; Index.