Lutheran Scholars Writing About Luther You Should Know: J.M Reu + My Two Cents on Academia

If I recall, there used to be meaningful search hits to J.M. Reu's Luther and the Scriptures via Google. Now they're gone. That's weird. J.M. Reu was an excellent trustworthy twentieth Century Lutheran scholar that I've utilized often. Back in 2011 I noted that I spent a lot of money purchasing this book on the left only to have it eventually appear online for free (this loss of money for old books that eventually come online has happened to me many times!). If you're interested in a clear and simple approach to Luther, Reu is good author to have in your library. His book, Luther's German Bible is one of the best books in English on the subject. Also, I just discovered a tribute book to J.M. Reu on the Internet Archive. J.M. Reu is the type of scholar I gravitate toward.

As of the writing of this entry, Wikipedia has a fairly innocuous short biography on him (Wiki is subject to change at the whims anonymous miscreants). Biola provides a decent bio. This bio states,

 He was criticized by some professional theologians because he was not coming up with some original nuance of theology. His answer was that he was not that kind of theologian. His calling was to collate and systematize the teachings of all the Lutheran theologians and communicate this to the lay members of Lutheran congregation by way of the students he was teaching in the seminary.

Higher Education and Publishing

If this anecdote is accurate, I can only channel my inner Wayne's World and say, "Not Worthy!" The current zeitgeist of higher education is fixated on publishing something "new" and original in order for someone to climb the ladder of higher education. I've had discussions with two friends involved in Philosophy. One earned his doctorate many years ago, and I've watched him struggle to earn a living with his degree. The other is working on his doctorate now. I listened to his struggle in putting together an original dissertation. My heart was breaking for him as I listened to him attempt to present something "new."   

True, I think there are gifted people out there that do achieve the goal of "new" and "groundbreaking," but they are not the majority. This scholastic goal has led to the influx of... junk, in all fields. For instance, I think there's a lot of junk in Luther studies particularly. Every year a new batch of books, studies, journal articles, etc. dedicated to Luther are released. They often present complicated arguments subject to the presuppositions and worldview of the author. Sifting through them sometimes is futile. Even understanding some of them is often futile. They seem to write books for the ivory towers of academia that only a small minority can comprehend. Many of the books / articles are also far too expensive to purchase... and quickly go out of print. Those of us in the trenches are unfortunately reliant on those that can sift out the main points from these expensive scholarly expeditions and spoon feed the main points to the rest of us. Hopefully, they get it right. 

Personal Stuff
Sometimes people wonder if I have any pedigree to be writing what I do. They're asking for credentials. Sure. I did my undergraduate work in Philosophy at a reputable college (I was double major in Philosophy and Communications), and I have two post graduate theological degrees from two respected conservative theological seminaries. I have been a member in good standing of a reputable conservative denominational church for over two decades and have served as an elder and teacher. I do have a Martin Luther book that's supposed to be published, but I have no control over what the publisher's timeline is. It is not a money-making venture.  I have also served as a researcher for this book. Granted, I don't agree with every conclusion this author makes, but I agree with many of them! 

Are these respectable credentials for me to write blog entries? For some people, yes, for others no. I get it... and I don't really care. Beggars All is a hobby for me. It is not a source of income. I write primarily for me about the topics I like. If someone benefits from them, that gives me a greater joy than what I already have in writing them for me. I'm fine with not creating anything new or original. If I were to have had an opportunity to interact with J.M. Reu, I would repeatedly thank him for avoiding the ivory towers of academia and providing good historical overviews that are practical and helpful.