In October 1999, representatives of the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation met in Augsburg, Germany, and signed the historic Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, ending centuries of disagreement and conflict over the crucial subject of justification, the original point of disagreement between Catholicism and Lutheranism.
As the representatives signed the Joint Declaration, they committed themselves to continue their dialogue on the central tenets of their faith. Widening the circle of dialogue, the signatories of the Joint Declaration brought in Methodist and Reformed scholars to contribute their insights on the scriptural bases of the doctrine of justification.
This volume is the fruit of that dialogue and the fulfillment of that promise, an exploration by biblical scholars and systematic theologians from four Christian traditions, striving to achieve mutual understanding in a spirit of listening and sharing.