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BOOK REVIEWS
Nestingen, James and Gerhard Forde. Free to Be: A Handbook to Luther’s Small Catechism. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Augsburg Publishing House, 1975.
“God has made a decision about you.” This is the way Forde and Nestingen begin this invaluable resource, Free To Be. Used primarily as a confirmation resource, in truth, this is a theological reference book upon which countless pastors have relied.
It was not surprising or accidental that with these same words, Dr. Steven Paulson began his sermon at Jim Nestingen’s recent funeral: “God has made a decision about you.” I would submit that the source of the quote was easily detected by most who heard it. It is significant that the sermon also ended with the words, “free to be.” Scattered throughout the sermon were recognizable phrases from this classic book. Of all the lectures, publications and books from the late Dr. Jim Nestingen, why would this book receive so much attention? It is important to reflect on why this might be. First and foremost, it is important to note that Free To Be is “a handbook to Luther’s Small Catechism.” The book is specifically tied to a resource that has shaped Lutheran history and theology. The staying power and influence of Luther’s Small Catechism cannot be overstated. It would follow that a ‘handbook’ on Luther’s Small Catechism might also have such an impact. Although, by comparison, Free To Be has only served the church a short period of time (nearly a half century), one can imagine the impact of this book remaining strong for years to come for at least two reasons; its accessibility and its relevance. Although designed for readers of confirmation age, Free To Be is accessible to people of all ages. And regardless of age, it strikes a chord of relevance, or better, truth. And here, one must probe deeper as to why this is true.
It would be a monumental task to ferret out, name and document all the theological themes that arise from Luther’s Small Catechism. For the purposes of this review, it seems one could lift two, which fall under Luther’s overarching conviction known as the “bondage of the will.”
Free To Be is accessible and relevant because of two key Lutheran categories that persist throughout the book: the law/gospel distinction and the Word alone.
Luther was adamant that the true preacher and teacher of the Christian faith must be able to distinguish law and gospel. Both the grammar and the functions of law and gospel constantly go to work on sinners of all stripes. How law and gospel affect people who are simul justus et peccator is a thread and theme throughout the book. Whether referencing the “Old Adam/Eve” and the “New Adam/Eve,” or the “two yous in you,” Forde and Nestingen drive home both the grammar and function of law and gospel on hearers of the Word. Regardless of the content (Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer or the Means of Grace), the importance and impact of the law/gospel distinction is driven home for all humanity who have this universal reality of being simul justus et peccator. Free To Be is accessible to all because it names and describes this universal human reality and condition.
One hesitates to even offer up the word ‘relevance’ as a reason for the impact and power of Free To Be. Both Forde and Nestingen are clear in this book and in their faithful witness, that the gospel does not need a new context for a new time to make it “more relevant.” On the contrary, in their life’s witness and in their book, they detest even the hint that the gospel needs to be given relevance in a new context and time in history. After all, the scripture interprets us. Their resistance to any and all attempts to make the gospel “relevant” is simply the flip side of their conviction throughout the book, that the “Word alone” is sufficient. The word “…shall not return, empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in this thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). One cannot read Free To Be and not conclude two things about the nature of the Word: 1) The Word of God does not need to be bolstered or propped up or given “relevance” or validity by us or tradition, new teachings, personal charisma, personal experience or office. It cuts its own course in the world and in the believer’s life, and 2) All attempts to “prop the Word up” or “make it more relevant” are the work of our great enemies, “sin, death and the devil.” The reason why the book is relevant is because it speaks to the timeless truth of the Word’s power to create life, the Church and faith itself.
All of this might explain why this catechetical resource reads more like a sermon than a theological reference book. This is to say, much like a Forde or Nestingen lecture, each chapter ends in some form of proclamation. One should not be surprised by this. Both men confessed that “theology is for proclamation.” Free To Be bears witness to this conviction. It is what makes it a timeless theological resource like none other.
The book ends as it begins. “God gives us all that we need: his Word, the sacraments, and the company of others. They are gifts. It’s for certain. It’s his promise. He’s decided. He keeps his word” (p. 205). Because God is going to make us who we are intended to be, we have a new identity, given to us in the promises of baptism. “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life” (Romans 6:4). In other words, “God has made a decision about you.” Here, true freedom begins.
