The Freedom of the Christian

During the turmoil in the years that immediately followed the posting of his 95 theses, Dr. Martin Luther wrote one of the most significant documents in the history of the Christian church entitled The Freedom of the Christian. After his Small Catechism, it is considered by many to be his greatest work. He sent it as an attachment to a letter to Pope Leo X. Whether the pope personally ever read it is unknown, but it certainly would have shocked him if he had. It completely trashed the Roman Catholic system of work righteousness.

That most Lutherans are unfamiliar with this document is a tragedy for the church because the document clearly explains how Christians should live their lives as a result of their faith in Christ’s redemption. To give its members a chance to study this treasure of the Lutheran church, Eastside will present a 4-week class on The Freedom of the Christian as part of the preparation for the 500th celebration of the Reformation. The classes will be taught by Dr. Arthur Eggert on Sunday evenings beginning September 11 and will be held from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.

A copy of The Freedom of the Christian will serve as the textbook for the course and be available to those taking the course prior to the first session. Further handouts for studying the material will be available at each session.

Sunday, September 11th
Sunday, September 18th
Sunday, September 25th
Sunday, October 2nd