Martin Luther and the Seven Sacraments: A Contemporary Protestant Reappraisal by Brian C. Brewer (review)

Brewer offers a fascinating blend of historical and practical theology in order to strengthen Protestant appreciation for and appropriation of the seven ecclesial practices recognized as sacraments by the Catholic Church at the time of the Reformation. He devotes a chapter to each of the seven traditional sacraments, examining the history of each one from the early church, through the Middle Ages, and into the Reformation, noting at what point the rite was first labeled a sacrament. One might expect that such a study by a Protestant theologian would begin with baptism and eucharist, the two sacraments or ordinances most widely accepted. Instead, Brewer chooses to begin with penance, since the indulgence controversy considered to mark the beginning of the Protestant Reformation focused on the appropriate role of penance in the life of Christians.

The chapters follow a similar structure: the rite in the early church, the rite in the middle ages, Luther's critique of the rite, Luther's positive understanding of the rite, subsequent Reformation perspectives on the rite, and a proposal for a contemporary Protestant appropriation of the rite. Brewer highlights the value that Luther found even in those rites that he concluded were not sacraments. He considers a wide range of other Reformation perspectives on each rite, including those of Zwingli, Calvin, Bucer, Cranmer, Hubmaier, and others. The result is an ecumenical appreciation of the best insights and pressing concerns of each theological tradition concerning each rite.

An excellent example of this approach is Brewer's treatment of confirmation, a practice he uses to demonstrate how the theological emphases of infant baptism and believer's baptism can complement each other. Another example is the chapter on extreme unction, or anointing of the sick, in which he argues for the value of the laying on of hands and anointing with oil as an embodied expression of pastoral care in a religious culture that often devalues the material.

One clear error in the book is the statement that in The Babylonian Captivity, "Luther called . . . for the laity to seize both kinds by force" (205). In fact, Luther insists that even when the sacramental wine is withheld from the laity by force, they should not seize it by force but should endure the tyranny of the church in faith. The statement is such a clear misreading of Luther by an otherwise thorough scholar that one wonders if perhaps it is the result of an editorial error rather than the author himself.

Expressing the nuances of Luther's sacramental theology is not always easy even for Lutherans. In the effort to steer clear of a quasi-magical view of the sacraments functioning ex opere operato, Brewer emphasizes the role of faith in Luther's understanding of the sacraments. Unfortunately, he often does this by saying that for Luther faith effects the sacraments. While he by no means minimizes Luther's central understanding of the power of the Word in the sacraments, Brewer's choice of the verb "effects" is unfortunate. Given his assertion that Luther's mature sacramental theology is found in the catechisms, he would have done well to use the catechetical language of faith receiving the benefits of the sacraments.

The book reads easily, with minimal use of jargon. It is equally appropriate for parish pastors and as a text in a course on worship or sacramental theology.