Image: city of Brunswick (Braunschweig) in the 16th century In Becoming Lutheran, Dr. John Maxfield discusses several key aspects of Lutheran culture that shape the identity and practice of Lutherans as the Reformation grew and developed outside of the center of Wittenberg. The story of Brunswick engages with Reformation historiography in a way tha…

We welcome back Pastor Scott Henrich, a WELS pastor serving in Knoxville, Tennessee. His experiences reading historic Lutheran sermons inspired him to research Lutheranism's homiletical heritage in a way that may challenge some contemporary assumptions about the historic perception of Lutheran preaching. (See TLHP 39) You can contact him here: scot…

Heather R. Darsie lives in the United States. She has a Bachelor of Arts in German Languages and Literature, and a Juris Doctorate. During her time at university, she had the privilege of studying in Costa Rica and France, with visits to Germany and other countries. Ms. Darsie first became interested in the Renaissance time period when she read a b…

Image: Martin Luther by Lucas Cranach the Younger "Wittenberg Uses of Law and Gospel" Our guest today Dr. Robert A. Kolb is a professor emeritus of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. See the emeritus faculty page at Concordia Lutheran Seminary: Kolb retired in 2009 after 16 years of distinguished service as missions professor of …

Image: Wittenberg c. 1530 from the host's personal collection. In May 1536 several prominent Reformed reformers traveled to Wittenberg to confess their understanding of what is received in the sacrament of Holy Communion and who receives it. Luther, Melancthon, and other Lutheran reformers readily signed on in agreement concerning this contentious …

In this episode, translator Michael Holmen takes us through J. W. F. Höfling's How the Lutheran Church is Constituted (Grundsätze evangelisch-lutherischer Kirchenverfassung). In his book Höfling describes how the Lutheran church should be constituted according to the principles given in the Lutheran Confessions and in Martin Luther's writings. Höfl…

Image: Carl and Gottlieb Damler. These brothers immigrated to Manitowoc County, WI from the principality of Lippe-Detmold in the early 1850s. Although confirmed Reformed, they worshiped first in a union congregation, but then joined the Lutheran church under the leadership of Pastor Koehler. Carl is the host's g-g-g-grandfather. Our returning guest…

Image: Right wing of the Altar Triptych in St. Peter und Paul, Weimar by Cranach - Lutheran princes of the House of Wettin in worship Worship of the triune God has always stood at the center of the Christian life. That was certainly the case during the sixteenth-century Reformation as well. Yet amid tremendous social and theological upheaval, the c…

Image: The Account of How Two Men of the Augustinian Order Were Martyred in Brussels in Brabant for the Sake of the Gospel (Erfurt, 1523) Five hundred years ago, on July 1, 1523, two observant Augustinian monks from Antwerp, Hendrik Voes and Jan van den Esschen, were degraded, condemned, and burned at the stake by Roman Catholic authorities in the …

Image:Johann Gerhard In this episode, our guest Rev. Caauwe gives a detailed overview of various forms of Lutheran devotional piety developed in the 16th and 17th centuries as well as a discussion on how that devotional heritage has been transferred through the generations. Support the show Lutheran History Shop Youtube ( even more behind-the-scene…

(Image: Synodical Conference founders from Lutherans in All Lands, 1896) Dr. C.F.W. Walther worked tirelessly to realize his dream of a Lutheran Zion in North America that would combine and coordinate ministry efforts of faithful Lutherans in the United States and Canada to proclaim the gospel primarily in German, English, and Norwegian. He took ce…

Listen to this tribute to Alaska's Lutheran history as I prepare to say goodbye to the wonderful 49th state with deep and unique Lutheran roots! Support the Show. Lutheran History Shop Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers) Facebook Website Interview Request Form email: thelutheranhistorypodcast@gmail.com A…

"For Midwestern Lutheran synods, the 20th century was especially dramatic and even traumatic. ..In his article, Dr. Braun describes some of the tensions within two predominantly Midwestern Lutheran bodies, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), as these Lutherans struggled to adapt to change w…

Image: Reinhold L. Pieper (1850-1920) Isaac Johnson graduated from Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI with a degree in Latin in 2011 and attended Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN. During his time at seminary he spent two years studying at the Lutheran theological seminary (Evangelisch-Lutherische Hochschule) in Oberursel, Germany. H…

Image: Three generations of Franks and Kerlers in Greenfield 1889. "I prefer America," one German Lutheran immigrant wrote. Letters of German Lutheran immigrants in 19th century America give under-analyzed perspectives of lay members and their views of church establishment and denominational selection. Support the show Lutheran History Shop Youtube…

Image: Regina, Veronica and Frank Kerler "I prefer America," one German Lutheran immigrant wrote. Letters of German Lutheran immigrants in 19th century America give under-analyzed perspectives of lay members and their views of church establishment and denominational selection. Support the show Lutheran History Shop Youtube ( even more behind-the-sc…

In 1929, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) was a small church body serving primarily German immigrants with congregations in twelve states, mostly in the Midwest; the only “foreign” work was a mission on the Apache reservation in Arizona. By 1961, WELS was still only in sixteen states, but WELS missionaries were working in Japan and C…

In this episode, we welcome back Rev. Nathaniel Biebert to continue his mini-series on lesser-known details of 500th anniversaries of the Reformation. Here, we focus on the 500th anniversary of the "September Testament." In this case, almost any detail will be a “detail less often told.” Most Lutherans familiar with Luther’s life are aware that he …

Today's guest is Pastor Scott Henrich, a WELS pastor serving in Knoxville, Tennessee. His experiences reading historic Lutheran sermons inspired him to research Lutheranism's homiletical heritage in a way that may challenge some contemporary assumptions about the historic perception of Lutheran preaching. Support the show Lutheran History Shop Yout…

From his earliest memories to his final legacy, Wyneken’s life story can be told in connection with the catechism. It is a story of Lutheran catechesis on both sides of the Atlantic. It is a story of centuries of Lutheran catechesis practices in German lands. It is a story that highlights the impact of catechesis upon those who immigrated in the 19…

Image: Albrecht Dürer The Annunciation Today's guest is Dr. Beth Kreitzer was raised in California and has degrees from Stanford and Duke Universities. Her graduate study in the Program of Religion at Duke focused upon the history of the Church from the patristic era through the early modern period. Her dissertation, upon the images of Mary in Luth…

Image: The Wartburg Castle taken during my trip there in 2016. In this episode, we continue our series with Pastor Nathaniel Biebert where he digs into the lesser-known details of important milestones in the life of Luther and the Reformation. Here we look at Luther's "capture" on his way back from the Diet of Worms and his time at the Wartburg Cas…

A must-know topic for understanding 19th-century Lutheranism! Order online at www.oup.com/academic with promotion code AAFLYG6 to save 30%! Historians of modern German culture and church history refer to "the Awakening movement" (die Erweckungsbewegung) to describe a period in the history of German Protestantism between the end of the Napoleonic Wa…

A must-know topic for understanding 19th-century Lutheranism! Order online at www.oup.com/academic with promotion code AAFLYG6 to save 30%! Historians of modern German culture and church history refer to "the Awakening movement" (die Erweckungsbewegung) to describe a period in the history of German Protestantism between the end of the Napoleonic Wa…

James is the pastor of First Lutheran Church of El Cajon, CA where he lives with his wife, Kristan and their two cats. He is a graduate of Concordia University Wisconsin and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. A writer, photographer, and independent historian, James focuses on the history of Chicago Lutheran ministry and black Lutheran ministry, hoping …

James is the pastor of First Lutheran Church of El Cajon, CA where he lives with his wife, Kristan and their two cats. He is a graduate of Concordia University Wisconsin and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. A writer, photographer, and independent historian, James focuses on the history of Chicago Lutheran ministry and black Lutheran ministry, hoping …

In celebration of the commencement of plans to publish my biography of FCD Wyneken with the help of the Concordia Historical Institute, I am releasing an audio version of a presentation I prepared four years ago, covering the main points of my research as it stood then. While I would change a few things today and add a lot more, it will hopefully s…

Today we welcome back Pastor Beibert to discuss his research and presentation on Luther at Worms in 1521, one of the most iconic and significant events in the history of the Church. Support the Show. Lutheran History Shop Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers) Facebook Website Interview Request Form email: …

Image: Kenneth Wyatt – Circuit Rider. Today's guest author is pastor Justin Dauk. A native of northeastern Wisconsin, he is a 2011 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. He has served a dual parish in northcentral South Dakota for 7-1/2 years. Since January 2021, he has been serving as associate pastor at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Plymouth, N…

Stephen Gurgel is a 2011 graduate from Martin Luther College: Bachelor of Science in Education and a 2012 graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: Master of Arts in History. His 2012 thesis, a War to End All Germans, Wisconsin Synod Lutherans and the First World War, offers a detailed account and analysis of the social and political for…

Image: Haugianere by Adolph Tidemand (1852) Thomas Jacobson currently serves part-time as pastor of Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lindy, Nebraska, and as an adjunct instructor of historical theology at the Institute of Lutheran theology in Brookings, South Dakota. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Augustana University (SD) …

Image: Hans Nielsen Hauge Thomas Jacobson currently serves part-time as pastor of Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lindy, Nebraska, and as an adjunct instructor of historical theology at the Institute of Lutheran theology in Brookings, South Dakota. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Augustana University (SD) in 2002, his Maste…

Image FCD Wyneken in old age Wielding the Sword of the Spirit recounts the history surrounding the doctrine and practice of church fellowship in the Missouri Synod, especially under the leadership of Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther. Volume One of this two-part history covers the years from the Saxon immigration to Missouri in 1838-1839 until 1867, j…

Wielding the Sword of the Spirit recounts the history surrounding the doctrine and practice of church fellowship in the Missouri Synod, especially under the leadership of Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther (shown in episode thumbnail) Volume One of this two-part history covers the years from the Saxon immigration to Missouri in 1838-1839 until 1867, ju…

Anna Hoppe was born on May 7, 1889 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She left school after the eighth grade and worked as a stenographer. She began writing patriotic verses when she was very young and by the age of 25 she was writing spiritual poetry. After some of her poems appeared in the Northwestern Lutheran, a periodical of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lu…

Anna Hoppe was born on May 7, 1889 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She left school after the eighth grade and worked as a stenographer. She began writing patriotic verses when she was very young and by the age of 25 she was writing spiritual poetry. After some of her poems appeared in the Northwestern Lutheran, a periodical of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lu…

Tim Grundmeier and I talk about the purpose, arguments, and significance of this work in Lutheran history. Lutheran History Shop Support the show Lutheran History Shop Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers) Facebook Website Interview Request Form email: thelutheranhistorypodcast@gmail.com About the Host Ben…

Tim Grundmeier and I discuss the purpose, arguments, and significance of this work in Lutheran History. Lutheran History Shop Support the show Lutheran History Shop Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers) Facebook Website Interview Request Form email: thelutheranhistorypodcast@gmail.com About the Host Benjam…

Mark Braun returns to talk about the book for which he is most known, A Tale of Two Synods. The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod can look back on the 1961 split with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod as a defining moment for its little, conservative church body. From that time on, the Wisconsin Synod has assumed a new profile and distinction i…

Today's guest is Pastor Craig A. Ferkenstad, the author of Proclaim his Wonders- a pictorial history has been published in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the reorganization of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. This 312-page volume includes more than 400 photographs from the history of the synod. These books of Evangelical Lutheran Synod hi…

Today's guest is Pastor Craig A. Ferkenstad, the author of Proclaim his Wonders- a pictorial history has been published in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the reorganization of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. This 312-page volume includes more than 400 photographs from the history of the synod. These books of Evangelical Lutheran Synod hi…

The subject of this discussion can be found in the 2021 summer article of the CHIQ. Image: Rev. "Colonel" John Jacob Lehmanowsky. Note the scar on his face supposedly from the battle of Austerlitz. The small Lutheran Synod called the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of the West existed for barely more than a decade (1835-1846). In Tennessee, Kentucky, Oh…

In what ways is theology a science? Should theology be approached the same empirical way as other areas of studies? August Vilmar had a lot to say about that. Today’s guest is James Ambrose Lee II. Dr. Lee has earned his BA - Concordia University Chicago; River Forest, IL, MDiv - Concordia Theology Seminary; Fort Wayne, IN, STM, Liturgical Theology…

David Zersen is president emeritus of Concordia University Texas. He has written 25 articles, chapters, and books on Wendish subjects and is proud to have been designated by the Texas Wendish Heritage Society an “Honorary Wend.” Today, we’ll be discussing one of his articles which was the lead article of the 2018 summer issue of the Concordia Histo…

Photo: St. Olaf's altar-pulpit in Cranfills Gap, Texas. Today’s guest is Alex Aakre, a master of divinity student at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN. He is a graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. His paper, Lift High the Word of God, received an honorable mention from the 2020 Abdel Ross Wentz prize of the Lutheran Historical Society of the Mi…

Normally I interview a professional or independent historian, so far all men, who have conducted original research on some aspect of Lutheranism and have presented it in some way, usually a book or an article. Today we’ll talk to a person whose job is to help researchers do their work so they can share their findings with the rest of us. Today’s gu…

Normally I interview a professional or independent historian, so far all men, who have conducted original research on some aspect of Lutheranism and have presented it in some way, usually a book or an article. Today we’ll talk to a person whose job is to help researchers do their work so they can share their findings with the rest of us. Today’s gu…

Pastor Ben Schaefer's master's thesis discusses a collision of two important historic entities. One, a Lutheran church body called the Synodical Conference, the other the 19th amendment, a piece of legislation that is still part of the US Constitution. Pastor Schaefer presented his reasearch in 2019 to the WELS Historical Institute. His paper is ti…

Check out the Lutheran Historical Conference, where I first presented this material. My article will soon appear in the conference's journal. German Lutheran immigrant Friedrich Schmidt began a German-language Lutheran newspaper in August 1838. Initially, Schmidt and his Lutherische Kirchenzeitung got along quite well with Benjamin Kurtz and the we…

Music has always been a big part of Christianity, and especially Lutheranism ever since the Reformation. If I were to ask Lutherans to name Lutheran composers, Martin Luther would probably be on that list. In the intro to The Lutheran Podcast, I remarked how Lutheran composers like J.S. Bach are still popular centuries after their deaths. Did you k…