History of this Declaration

History

This Declaration has grown from two complementary sources.  The primary source is the ten-year-old Forgotten Luther project inspired by the research of the late Reformation scholar, Carter Lindberg. The Forgotten Luther theme has been expressed through a number of books (Fortress Press) and symposia. It highlights the little-known but far-reaching effects on society of Luther's central theological claim of God’s grace and faith active in love and how this claim is expressed concretely in programs for wealth-sharing, education, health care and financial security for the elderly. The most recent symposium was held in October 2024 under the theme, Discipleship in a Democracy: Responding to the Threat of Christian Nationalism.  (For further information see FLIV.US )

The second source is the international Radicalizing Reformation project that brought together several dozen internationally recognized theologians on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017. This project produced seven books that have been translated into a number of languages. The Radicalizing Reformation group recently issued a Declaration, modeled on the Barmen Declaration of 1934, that establishes a biblical-confessional foundation for the church's struggle against various forms of Christian nationalism. Theologians from Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America were encouraged to adapt the Declaration to their special circumstances. The Declaration on this website, Democracy at Risk: A Response of the Faith Community, is adapted to circumstances in the United States.