Roger Whittall is an honorary postdoctoral associate at the University of Divinity, Melbourne.
Whittall brings a perceptive analytical review of the current scholarly debate and a careful contextual assessment of Luther’s own utterances on the complex of ideas involved in the calling of the baptized as priests who bring the gospel to others. Whittall’s careful chronological tracing of the development of Luther’s views of this calling of the baptized and the church’s public ministry in several literary genres not only illuminates the historical witness of the reformer but also provides resources for encouraging all Christians to take seriously both the role of the shepherds of Christ’s people and believers’ responsibility to witness to Christ in daily life. -- Robert Kolb, professor emeritus, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis