Disagreement on ethical issues overlays a lack of consensus today on even deeper issues of method and authority in ethics. Yet a major ecumenical resource and model for Christian social ethics lies in Martin Luther's use of Scripture as ethical source and norm.

Lazareth rescues Luther's christocentric reading of Scripture and his ethics from largely quietistic interpretations current through the Nazi period and sets his sights on how Luther's principles of biblical interpretation fueled his understanding of the church's life and mission. From this base Lazareth reinterprets the much-contested "two kingdoms" teaching, the twofold rule of God in creation and redemption, the function of law and justification, and sanctification in individuals and society.

Larzareth's informative historical theology also challenges contemporary Christians to affirm common biblical ground for theological ethics and to facilitate more public social witness.