Northwoods Seelsorger

This review is personal and in no way exhaustive.  It simply seemed like an interesting thing to do as the old year winds to a close. Looking back at the first post on this blog back in January, I noticed that after years of concerns and tensions surrounding the teaching of Dr. Matthew Becker (part of which is documented in this blog), we went from an exoneration of his theology (and the frustration that it would never be dealt with properly), to his final departure from the LCMS .  All this within a span of six months.  Amazing. As one of my more recent posts indicates, I am finally in the last stages of my degree, begun way back in 2010.  I had hoped, originally, to have finished it before now.  However, the life of a pastor, husband, father, chaplain, firefighter and circuit visitor is full, and the thesis received attention as I was able.  I made a final push this summer and by summer's end the last page of the last chapter was reached. A post in Febr...

In the conviction of adding to my knowledge of Luther and the Reformation, I embarked on a reading of Heiko Oberman's book Luther - Man Between God and the Devil (1982).  As I had intended in previous years, the book was started around the Reformation this past Fall (I often wanted to read something about Luther and the Reformation each Fall around the time of the Festival of the Reformation.)  With 330 pages to work through, it took me longer than expected to finish (Which was complicated by the lure of other books read and reviewed while I worked on this one.)  That is not to say that it was heavy or overly technical.  The truth is, this book was a joy to read.  It provided a wealth of insights into Martin Luther, and having now completed the book I realize I'll need to reread it again to truly absorb many of the author's points.  Given that this was a translation from the original German, I was impressed that the text did not read in a wooden way, but ...

A full and complete draft of my thesis has now been sent to my readers for review and suggested revisions as of December 21.  Within a day my first reader had completed his review and responded by email.  I await anything from the second.  Hopefully by the end of January I can make the necessary revisions and schedule a defense.  The final word count as of December 21 was 38,618, totaling 120 pages with 385 footnotes.  Without footnotes it is 30,167. 

For months now I have been working, on and off, to finish a book by Luther as an attempt to include something about the great Reformer as part of the Reformation season.  Once again, however, I was distracted by another fascinating book.  As many are aware, Bill O'Reilly, with Marin Dugard, has authored a whole series of books in the "Killing..." series.  I now own and possess a few of these.  This book, Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault that Changed a Presidency (2015) is a brief but informative treatment not only of Reagan's earlier past, but especially of his presidency, and then of his eventual physical and mental decline leading to his death in 2004.  It was interesting to read about a history of events that took place mainly while I was in college and seminary, but in which I apparently took only passing interest. Many names sounded familiar, as did numerous events, but I never looked deeply into them.  Only now, well into my middle years, am I cat...

This past winter and spring I read Tim Townsend's book Mission at Nuremberg: An American Army Chplain and the Trial of the Nazis. My review is here .  It was good to see that this exceptional book was recognized by the Concordia Historical Institute at its annual banquet in November.  Also up for commendation was Carl F. Schalk: A Life in Song, by Nancy Raabe, a book I have read in part, but worthy of recommendation for those interested in the history of liturgy and song in the LCMS.  The story of the banquet and awards can be found here . The picture to the right is of  author Tim Townsend, right, poseing alongside Col. (Ret.) “Hank” Gerecke, son of Chaplain Rev. Henry Gerecke — the subject of Townsend’s award-winning book.

Sometimes a book both moves and humbles you.  This was that kind of book.  Considered the definitive biography of Pastor Bob Childress (1890-1956), a man who grew up in abject poverty to become a well known minister in the backwoods regions of Virginia.  He was an unlikely success story with his initial struggles to complete the formal education necessary to be a minister in the Presbyterian church.  Nevertheless he demonstrated both great potential and intelligence, as well as a tremendous love for people.  Throughout his career he preached to several churches on a regular rotating basis traveling thousands of miles a year on nearly impassable roads, but also spent a lot of energy and time assisting people with other basic needs.  The world in which he ministered was rife with alcohol abuse and violence, held back by isolation and ignorance.  Childress worked tirelessly to bring not only the Gospel to the area, but also education, roads, bridges an...