What do slogans like “grace alone,” “faith alone,” and “scripture alone” mean?
The meaning of the slogans of the Reformation as revealed by a leading theologian of modern America,
And reflections on the legacy of the Reformation

There are slogans that have been frequently used in Protestantism since the Reformation.
'Grace alone', 'faith alone', 'Scripture alone', 'law and gospel', 'justification by faith not works', 'theology of the cross', 'righteous and sinner at the same time', etc.
This slogan is like a symbol that shows that someone is a Protestant and has inherited the legacy of the Reformation.
Whether in friendly, critical, or offensive conversations with people from other Christian denominations, Protestants frequently use these slogans as symbols of their identity.
But does that slogan actually have that meaning? What were the intentions of Luther and his followers during the Reformation when they created it? How can it be used correctly today? Or how can it be misused?

In this book, Robert Jensen, a leading theologian of 20th-century Anglo-American theology and Lutheranism, analyzes representative slogans of the Reformation.
In doing so, he demonstrates that the language of the Reformation is not a stuffed language, but rather possesses a real power to revive and shake the church here and now. He also reveals that how we understand and use those slogans determines whether we appropriately embrace the legacy of the Reformation and whether we continue to live the church's life properly today.

Discourses that have continued for a long time are difficult to maintain without slogans.
This is especially true if the discourse develops into a debate.
As related history accumulates, it becomes burdensome to unravel everything in detail, so a shortcut is needed.
As time goes by, the need becomes more urgent.

What if, instead of proposing the motto "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" when drafting the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson had argued for the human desire for life, refuting those who, ignorant of the Creator, treated life as a burden? Or what if he had examined the struggles throughout history over who has the freedom to do what? Or what if he had argued for the "pursuit of happiness" rather than "property" (which some consider a fundamental right) in the Declaration of Independence? Had he done so, the Declaration's cause would not have garnered "public opinion."

A slogan is not a proposition.
Of course, if it takes the form of a sentence, it can appear like a proposition in some contexts.
But a slogan is not a concept.
It is not a name, metaphor, or trope that refers to a certain practice.
A slogan is a sign that stands for and points to something that is complexly intertwined with all of these.
In that sense, the word "liberty" in Jefferson's motto calls up all the knowledge or misunderstanding that readers of the Declaration of Independence have about the history of the struggle for political participation.
It also brings to mind the theological or philosophical ideas that he presupposes or develops on the subject of freedom, whether consciously or unconsciously.
Furthermore, it brings to mind specific demands in the political struggles that the Declaration of Independence influenced.
This kind of thing goes on and on.
The problem with slogans is that they become more and more necessary over time, yet at the same time they become independent, living and moving on their own.
Slogans can easily become detached from the context of the ideas and practices that shaped them.
Once you have that floating word in the air, you can use it for all sorts of things.
It can even be used unconsciously in a way that is the exact opposite of its original meaning.

--- pp.7-9

For truly we are justified by faith and not by works.
When God judges us righteous, the final thing He looks at is not 'the works we can say we have done' but 'the works of God that have become ours through faith'.
When used correctly, this Reformation watchword instructs preachers, teachers, and ministers to preach, teach, and structure worship so that their hearers are opened to the righteousness that comes not through our own works but through God's.
And these very guidelines were desperately needed in the Western Church in the late Middle Ages.

--- p.17

Since the 19th century, the slogan "the priesthood of all believers," or "the universal priesthood," has become a favorite slogan among Protestants.
However, the origin of this saying is unclear.
The closest expression to the universal priesthood in the Lutheran confessions is that of Philip Melanchthon:
He said that the true priesthood belongs to the Church that follows Christ and that the Church represents its members before God.
But if we read these words carefully, we can see that they are saying something completely different from what Protestants often think today.

Priesthood is essentially a position to stand before God on behalf of others.
If the priesthood is accepted in this sense, no denomination will oppose the slogan of the "universal priesthood," and it will not even be a matter of controversy.
Because all Christian confessions take for granted that believers should intercede for and represent one another, and that they should do so before God.
In that respect, the assertion that all baptized persons are priests does not contradict the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church on the special priesthood.

--- pp.41-42