"In this book, Samuel Torvend shows that Martin Luther was keenly aware of the needs of the poor. Along with all major interpreters, he too finds the center of Luther's theology in the concept of God's "alien righteousness," the justification of the sinner by God's sheer grace through faith. But he demonstrates that this conviction had profound implications for Luther's understanding of the Christian life. The baptized were made free to live in this world as the "sacrament" of the living Christ, to engage this world as Christ had engaged the world of his time." "In the introductory chapters, Torvend offers a compelling account of Jesus' words on hunger. The book concludes with reflections on our need to implement "structured generosity" in our society, with its growing incidence of hunger and homelessness in the midst of astounding wealth. In this book, history, theology, and ethics converge."--BOOK JACKET.