The Hammer of God

[Sheva]

I'm not sure what percentage of you guys have made an effort to read specifically Lutheran based books. But I've been on an Amazon.com binge this summer and was seeing if their were any opinions out there on what books are the best. I'm not too specific where genre is concerned but besides The Hammer of God which I highly recommend, I'm guessing Lutheran literature is almost entirely theology. I've started reading The Bondage of Will, Luther's Galatians Commentary and am waiting for Chemnitz's Two Natures in Christ and Here I Stand, the Luther biography. I also just recieved The Foolishness of God. Everything was highly rated on Amazon but I came here to see if anyone had any comments to make regarding any Lutheran based books. Any hidden gems?

Anything is better than Utilitarianism. It's mandatory reading for my philosophy class and its boring:sleep: . The whole book attempts to make the point everyone's goal in life should be to improve the happiness of others... ironically, after reading it, I doubt my happiness shall ever return.

[tschenks]

I read Hammer of God back in February. Good book.

Try something by C.F.W. Walther.

[C.F.W. Walther]

Yea I was just going to mention Law and Gospel and CHurch and ministry by Walther to.

[tschenks]

The new Walther devotional God Grant It (http://www.cph.org/cphstore/product.asp?category=&part%5Fno=124261&find%5Fcategory=&find%5Fdescription=&find%5Fpart%5Fdesc=God+Grant+It) is a fine book! I just got it from CPH.

It's a modern language translation of an earlier CPH work originally published in German. Daily devotions are based on the one-year lectionary*, every day of the week, with a sermon from C.F.W. Walther to go with the day's bible reading. The sermon is followed by a related hymn stanza taken from The Lutheran Hymnal or the earlier Evangelical Lutheran Hymn Book. CPH used ESV, NIV, KJV and AAT at various points in the sermons (but mostly ESV) to replace Walther's original German Holy Scripture references.

There is also a long book mark ribbon sewn into the spine of the book.

*It's not the entire daily (Matins/Vespers) lectionary from TLH but follows the Sunday Gospel reading from the TLH One-Year lectionary for an entire week of devotions. It even sticks to # after Trinity, instead of # after Pentecost.

The website also has a downloadable pdf excerpt.

[C.F.W. Walther]

The new Walther devotional God Grant It (http://www.cph.org/cphstore/product.asp?category=&part%5Fno=124261&find%5Fcategory=&find%5Fdescription=&find%5Fpart%5Fdesc=God+Grant+It) is a fine book! I just got it from CPH.

It's a modern language translation of an earlier CPH work originally published in German. Daily devotions are based on the one-year lectionary*, every day of the week, with a sermon from C.F.W. Walther to go with the day's bible reading. The sermon is followed by a related hymn stanza taken from The Lutheran Hymnal or the earlier Evangelical Lutheran Hymn Book. CPH used ESV, NIV, KJV and AAT at various points in the sermons (but mostly ESV) to replace Walther's original German Holy Scripture references.

There is also a long book mark ribbon sewn into the spine of the book.

*It's not the entire daily (Matins/Vespers) lectionary from TLH but follows the Sunday Gospel reading from the TLH One-Year lectionary for an entire week of devotions. It even sticks to # after Trinity, instead of # after Pentecost.

The website also has a downloadable pdf excerpt.Now that really sound instructional for a daily devotion. Thanks for a heads up on this one. I'll need to order this one.

They have a forty+ page excerpt from the book and it is really powerfull.

[Qoheleth]

but I came here to see if anyone had any comments to make regarding any Lutheran based books. Any hidden gems?

gems?...yes...

Johann Gerhard, Sacred Meditiations

http://www.christsaginaw.com/webdocs/Sacred%20Meditations%20-%20John%20Gerhard%20-%20Johnston.pdf#search=%22gerhard%20sacred%20meditations%22


and an informative excellent read...


Carl E. Braaten, Union with Christ

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802844421/102-3484405-9971323?v=glance&n=283155

Q

[filosofer]

Others worth reading:

Salt, Light, and Signs of the Times by Ron Stelzer ("An Intimate Look at the Life and Times of Alfred (Rip) Rehwinkel")

The Congregation's Right to Choose Its Pastor CFW Walther

Theology of the Lutheran Confessions Edmund Schlink

C. F. W. Walther: The American Luther: Essays in Commenoration of the 100th Anniversary of Carl Walther's Death edited by John Drickamer

Postmodern Times Gene Veith

A New Look at the Lutheran Confessions (1529-1537) by Holsten Fagerberg

Just Words by J. A. O. Preus, III

The Oracles of God Andrew Steinmann


Pastoral Theology by CFW Walther ("Answering Questions on: The Call, Preaching, Holy Communion, Funerals, Visitations, baptism, Marriage, Discipline"), translated by John Drickamer

Eucharist and Church Fellowship in the First Four Centuries by Werner Elert

Here We Stand by Hermann Sasse (written in 1936 as the pressure of Nazi rule and church compromise was coming to a head in Germany)

The Quest for Holiness by A. Koeberly

and I have more... :D

In Christ's love,
filo

[tschenks]

The Church and Her Fellowship, Ministry, and Governance by Rev. Dr. Kurt Marquart (Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics #9)