Coming soon…
Feed: Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed
Posted on: Monday, November 22, 2010 12:13 PM
Author: Paul T. McCain
Subject: First Full-Length Biography of Wilhelm Löhe Coming Soon
'Next to God, it is Pastor Loehe to whom our Synod is indebted for its happy beginning and rapid growth in which it rejoices; it may well honor him as its spiritual father. It would fill the pages of an entire book to recount even briefly what for many years this man, with tireless zeal in the noblest unselfish spirit, has done for our Lutheran Church and our Synod in particular.' —Quoted by Erich H. Heintzen in Love Leaves Home: Wilhelm Loehe and the Missouri Synod (CPH, 1973), p 73. Believe it or not, there never has been a full-length biography of Wilhelm Löhe published in English before. But now, coming soon from Concordia Publishing House, is such a book, a translation of a very well done biography published in Germany a few years back. You can pre-order the book on the CPH web site. You can also view a sample from the book. More information on the book: The best biography of a father of confessional Lutheranism in North America. Loehe, who never visited the United States, sent missionaries, founded seminaries, established deaconess training, studied doctrine and liturgy, and fought with church officials. Geiger sets forth Loehe's life, and the divided opinions about him, in a compelling and authoritative narrative. Dr. Erika Geiger lived in Neuendettelsau, Germany (1953-55) where Loehe and his work made an enduring impression on her. In 1956 she served as a deaconess in a hospital of the Neuendettelsau Deaconess Institute. She later served as an associate professor in Korntal bei Stuttgart, at the Friedrich-Oberlin-Fachoberschule and at the Fachhochschule for Religionspadagogik, Munich. Translator Dr. Wolf Knappe (1926– ) comes from a family of German pastors. In 1951 St. Peter's Lutheran Church called him to serve in Wine Hill, IL. He has also served as a guest lecturer and as a translator for Luther Digest. Praise for "The Life, Work and Influence of Wilhelm Loehe (1808-1872)" Erika Geiger narrates Pastor Wilhelm Loehe's story with accuracy, sympathy, and vigor. Avoiding hagiographic impulses she paints a picture of Loehe that allows readers to see his humanity in the multiple scenes of his life: a boy saddened by the premature death of his father, a struggling student of theology, a disenchanted pastor wondering if he had a place in the church, a grieving widower, an energetic preacher, a caring shepherd, a determined organizer of missions, and an aging and somewhat broken old man yet living in Christian hope. This first, full length biography of a key player in Lutheran history is accessible to lay audiences and appreciated by scholars. —Prof. John T. Pless, MDiv Those looking for a model for pastoral ministry with integrity do well to emulate Loehe. Few pastors have mobilized their congregations for mission as he. Steady, patient preaching and teaching, combined with scholarship, zeal for outreach, and all from a "pastor's heart," placed Loehe to move his congregation and ministry to have both a local and an international impact. Loehe's work was guided by a thorough commitment to Jesus Christ and a love for the church—the center of a vibrant service grounded in Scripture and guided by the Confessions—leading to liturgical renewal, social mercy, diaconal ministry, and missional outreach. May this fine translation help shape and inspire a new generation to do ministry in the spirit of Loehe. —Prof. Mark Mattes, PhD Erika Geiger's masterful biography breathes new life into Wilhelm Loehe and his legacy for the mission of the contemporary church. —Prof. Craig L. Nessan, ThD While there is precious little in this book about the LCMS, it is a must read for every LCMS Pastor and a strongly recommended read for the LCMS layman. The author is able to capture the essence of the theological formation of Loehe. His catechesis as a Confessional Lutheran had as much to do with the struggles in his life as much as it did with formal training at the University. From his lonely school days to his frustration with raising children as a widower, from his love for the Ministry to the struggles with sinful parishioners, from his love for the Lutheran Confessions to his position that the Confessions were not yet complete, from his care for the hurting and the lack of support for his deaconate; you can walk through his life and see how the "theology of the cross" was his only hope and stay. Loehe clearly was a man who understood the connection between faithful adherence to the Word and God and the Mission of the Church proclaiming the Cross of Christ. —Pres. Brian Saunders, MDiv Until now, Loehe has been known to English readers primarily through his Three Books about the Church. Now, Erika Geiger's biography adds another important dimension to Loehe's witness to the Gospel of Christ: Loehe's own life as pastor, father, friend and teacher! —Prof. David Ratke, PhD |
Enclosures:
