In The Self-Donation of God, Jack Kilcrease argues that the speech-act of promise is always an act of self-donation. A person who unilaterally promises to another is bound to take a particular series of actions to fulfill that promise. Being that creation is grounded in God's promising speech, the divine-human relationship is fundamentally one of divine self-donation and human receptivity. Sin disrupts this relationship and therefore redemption is constituted by a reassertion of divine promise of salvation in the face of the condemnation of the law (Gen 3:15). As a new and effective word of grace, the promise of a savior begins the process of redemption within which God speaks forth a new narrative of creation. In this new narrative, God gives himself in an even deeper manner to humanity. By donating himself through a promise, first to the protological humanity and then to Israel, he binds himself to them. At the end of this history of self-binding, God in Christ enters into the condemnation of the law, neutralizes it in the cross, and brings about a new creation through his omnipotent word of promise actualized in the resurrection. "In this study, Jack Kilcrease offers a masterful, panoramic approach to Christology, thoroughly grounded in the Scriptures and in constant debate with the christological reflection of fellow Lutherans, the wider Catholic tradition, and modern and contemporary voices. All in all, this book testifies to the gospel as God's triumph of grace in the world." --Mark Mattes, Grand View University "Jack Kilcrease writes with clarity and precision; he is clearly at home in the classical primary sources (patristic writers, creedal and confessional documents, Luther, and the fathers of Lutheran orthodoxy). His methodology is marked by careful exegetical work and analysis, systematic exposition, and apologetic engagement. . . . Kilcrease writes as a classical and confessional Lutheran but with ecumenical awareness. The Self-Donation of God is comprehensive in scope and substance, dealing with all the loci associated with traditional christological discussions." --John T. Pless, Concordia Theological Seminary Jack Kilcrease (PhD Marquette University) is a layperson in the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. He currently serves as an adjunct professor at Aquinas College and the Institute for Lutheran Theology.

Though most of the Protestant world can trace its roots back to the Reformation, many people today have only a vague knowledge of Martin Luther's writings. "Didn't he write the Ninety-Five Theses?" Jack Kilcrease and Erwin Lutzer step into this vacuum with a carefully selected collection of Luther's works. Centered around the five solas of the Reformation (sola Scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, sola Christus, soli Deo gloria), the selections offer readers an accessible primer on works that are foundational to the theology of Protestantism in all its forms. Introductions to each writing include an explanation of the historical context and the theological significance of the piece. Students of the Bible, pastors, teachers, and seminary students will find this collection an enlightening introduction to Luther in his own words and a useful addition to their libraries.