The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church

This is the perfect book for those who want to know and understand the belief's of the Lutheran church. Written in clear and concise language, this book will give a thorough understanding of the belief's and practices of the Lutheran church. Well recommended for the serious student of theology as well as those who are curious about Lutheranism.

This is a beautiful exposition of the Holy Bible and Christian doctrine. It's outlined in well-organized articles, and contains English translations of both the original Latin and German versions of the Augsburg Confession. This also contains the Small and Large Catechisms, which were written by Martin Luther for teaching Christians about God's Word and Sacraments. Included amongst the other sections is the Formula of Concord, which is the most extensive of the Lutheran Confessions of faith. Although this edition lacks the footnotes and other resources of the newer Kolb edition, this translation is definitely the most accurate. For those not familiar with the Book of Concord, I would highly recommend reading the Small Catechism section first, followed by the Smalcald Articles.

For those of you who are on the more conservative end of the Lutheran spectrum, I would recommend picking up this translation of the Book of Concord. The newer "blue cover" version has been PC'ed and "inclusified". Let's stick with tradition, and get a copy of the Tappert translation - still the most widely used translation of the BoC.

The Book of Concord is, apart from scripture, the central basis on which the Lutheran Church forms its beliefs. It contains many of the chief works of Martin Luther, guiding the church in most areas of life. While the book can be heavily theological, it is required reading of anyone who wishes to know what Lutherans believe.