Pierhard, Richard V.2019-09-252019-09-252017-01-221986http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12424/162686A debate has raged during the past few decades whitin german Protestant and particulary lutheran circles over the "doctrine of the two king- doms." It has, as Heinrich Bornkamm aptly puts it, "produced an almost un- manageable quantity of literature."' In such a brief space it is not possible to deal with the manifold aspects of the debate,2 but this essay will examine the doctrine as it was formulated in early twentieth-century Lutheranism and point out ways in which it reinforced the concept of authoritarian government. It must be emphasized that the traumatic experiences of the Third Reich forced theologians to rethink their understanding of the teaching.engWith permission of the license/copyright holderLutheranismChurchDoctrineModern GermanyChristian denominationsLutheranGlobal Church History and World ChristianityWorld ChristianityDogmaticsArticle