Northwoods Seelsorger

Gifted to me by my daughter and son-in-law at Christmas, this was my first book of the new year.  Given that my father was a WWII veteran, and possibly present at the Nuremberg War Trials as an MP, this book held special interest for me from the beginning.  However, what captivated me most was the central character of the story: Pastor Henry Gerecke.  Pastor Gereke, a product of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, became one of the chaplains assigned to minister to high ranking Nazi war criminals, chief among them being Herman Goering (who later committed suicide before being executed.)  Reaction to the Nazis even today is often one of revulsion and disgust, and for good reason.  They were responsible for the systematic execution and slaughter of countless people, primarily a significant numbers of Jews.  Their brutality ranks as among the highest in history.  One can only imagine the challenge of a man sent to be the pastor of those responsible for ...

I just finished reading a fascinating biography of a great Lutheran teacher: SALT, LIGHT, AND THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES: AN INTIMATE LOOK AT THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ALFRED (RIP) REHWINKEL by Ronald W. Stelzer. Again, a book I picked up for a steal at a mere $5 at the recent Symposia in Ft. Wayne. It is published by Christian News and can be found here if you would like to order and read for yourself: http://www.christiannewsmo.com/Salt_Light_an…/4010000350.htm . Rehwinkel, as s ome will remember, was the author of the very popular book THE FLOOD, originally published in 1951 by CPH, but has been reprinted many times over the decades (17 times when I purchased my copy several years ago.) In fact, it is still offered by CPH both in paperback and as an ebook: https://www.cph.org/p-261-the-flood.aspx . Dr. Rehwinkel (1887-1979) lived well into his 90's. Ordained in 1910 he lived through a history of the LCMS that stretched from the early frontier days, when we were sti...