Symposium on Dennis Ngien's God's Most Earnest Purpose

Abstract

The newly released book of our colleague, Dr. Dennis Ngien, God’s Most Earnest Purpose: Luther on Fearing, Trusting, and Loving God, is a scholarly synthesis of the nature and purpose of theology as knowledge of God in Martin Luther. Dr. Ngien is one of our Distinguished Professors and a Research Associate. Recently the Institute of Lutheran Theology formally established the Center for Reformational Theology and Spirituality under his leadership, an affiliation which deepens our confessional and intellectual commitments and provides an additional locus for scholarly and ecclesial outreach.

This symposium on his new Luther book provides a wonderful introduction of Dr. Ngien to Promissio’s readership. An untimely circumstance prevented him from responding to the contributions to the symposium, but we plan to publish his reflections on it in the Summer issue. Enjoy this intellectual feast with Dr. Jon Sorum lifting up that "most earnest purpose" to be that God succeeds in becoming our God; with Christ School of Theology PhD candidate Rev. Drew Christiansen highlighting the Trinitarian organization of Luther’s theology according to our author; and Dr. Erik Herrmann setting God’s "most earnest purpose" today against our incipient culture of nihilism.