Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics

ONLINE FIRST

published on April 3, 2019

Rev. Justin Nickel

I Cannot Get It into My Heart So Strongly
Luther’s Moral Psychology Revisited

According to a common interpretation, Martin Luther holds that pride is humanity’s basic sin. This account of sin has occasioned numerous feminist critiques. In this paper, I argue against this reading. I contend that unbelief, which can take the form of either pride or despair, is the central issue in Luther’s moral psychology. This shift from pride to unbelief means that Luther’s moral psychology could be helpful to the work of Christian feminists.