Exploring Justification: Faith, Grace, and Human Agency

Professor Michael Root delves into the theological debate surrounding justification by grace, a pivotal issue during the Protestant Reformation, emphasizing the differing interpretations between Protestant reformers like Martin Luther and Catholic theologians. After examining the historical perspectives and highlighting the differences he also discusses efforts to reconcile these views such as the 1999 Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification signed by Lutherans and Catholics.

This lecture was given on February 3rd, 2024, at The Dominican House of Studies.

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About the Speaker:

Michael Root is Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. Earlier in life, he was a Lutheran, teaching at various Lutheran seminaries and serving ten years as a Research Professor at the Institute for Ecumenical Research in Strasbourg, France. He was received into the Catholic Church in 2010. His particular theological interests lie in grace and justification, eschatology (death, heaven, hell, etc.), and Protestant-Catholic relations.