Jordan Ballor on the Vocational Theology of Luther

Jordan Ballor, ‘Get Your Hands Dirty: The Vocational Theology of Luther’, Cardus (8 June 2012).

Not, in the first place, the 16th-century Reformer, but the TV police detective character, John Luther, from the gritty BBC series Luther.

I know the two series that have run so far have been largely panned. Indeed, some of the characters are a bit ‘out there’ and many of the plot lines strain credibility. But I have been a fan of Luther – the character of John Luther, in particular. In particular, although he is deeply flawed and damaged, I’ve been struck by his determination to do ‘right’ for people even at personal risk to himself.

So, I was very interested to read this short article by Jordan Ballor which explores what he calls ‘the Lutheran theology of Luther’. In summary:

‘There is little overt religiosity in Luther, but in the vicarious representative action of John Luther on behalf of others, we see a broken and fragmentary expression of common grace, God’s preserving work in the world.’