Reminiscent Reflections of a Youthful Octogenarian by George Henry Gerberding
“I fear those ministers among us who seem to be terribly afraid of Pietism. They do not explain the distinction between a false and a true Pietism. To have ever a greater and deeper measure of the latter is surely one of our greatest needs. It fits so beautifully into our Lutheran system that it ought to be a part of its warp and woof. Indeed it is the very essence, the heart and life of true Lutheranism. God give us more of it!
4 Nov 2021
Abraham Lincoln The Christian by William Jackson Johnstone
The Rev. Phineas D. Gurley, D.D., Mr. Lincoln’s pastor while President, writes: “I have had frequent and intimate conversations with him [Lincoln] on the subject of the Bible and the Christian religion, when he could have had no motive to deceive me, and I considered him sound, not only on the truth of the Christian religion, but on all its fundamental doctrines and teachings. And, more than that, in the latter days of his chastened and weary life, after the death of his son Willie, and his visit to the battlefield of Gettysburg, he said, with tears in his eyes, that he had lost confidence in everything but God, and that he now believed his heart was changed and that he loved the Saviour, and, if he was not deceived in himself, it was his intention soon to make a profession of religion."
29 Sep 2021
Martin Luther: The Hero of the Reformation by Henry Eyster Jacobs
“Professor Jacobs is an exceptionally sympathetic and competent biographer… (He) has availed himself of all the latest sources of information, and done the needful work of selection and condensation with excellent judgment and skill.” — Christian Intelligencer.
13 Apr 2021
Between Two Captains – The Autobiography of John Jacob Lehmanowsky
John Lehmanowsky was born in Warsaw in 1773 to a Jewish family, and as a young man he converted to Christianity. Through a series of events he became known to Napoleon, and took part in many campaigns including the destruction of the Inquisition at Madrid. He escaped from Austerlitz, and later prison. As an immigrant to the US, he served the church in many ways, and was a friend to Lafayette, Henry Clay, and others. Lehmanowsky explains:
7 Apr 2021
The Life and Letters of William Passavant D.D. by George Henry Gerberding
“The Life of Dr. Passavant should have been given to the Church at least a decade ago… Such lives are lived for others. They are not over when those who lived them are gone, but being dead they yet speak. The stories of these saints are written for our inspiration, for our warning and for our comfort. If posterity is to have the benefit of such lives, their story must be written. It ought to be written while the memory of the heroes is still fresh and the heart still warm towards them.”
6 Apr 2021
Great Cats I Have Met by William Thomson
“In throwing these various adventures together, I have followed as nearly as possible the actual course of my journeying from one country to another, so as to form the whole into a sort of continuous narrative, though in one case I jump from Brazil to Texas in order to bring in some relevant incidents which occurred long after the one related in the first part of the Brazilian story.
5 Apr 2021
My Dogs in the Northland by Egerton Ryerson Young
Jack London credited My Dogs in the Northland as inspiration for his novel The Call of the Wild. “For years, with great dogs, I toiled and often with them was in great perils. Much of my work was accomplished by their aid. So I believe in dogs, and here in this book I have written of some of them and their deeds.” – Rev. Egerton R. Young
4 Apr 2021
Revere Franklin Weidner: A Character Sketch, Appreciation, and Tribute by George Henry Gerberding
“Dr. Weidner was never affected by the wanderings and vagaries of liberal Theology. He stood four-square and firm on the old foundations of orthodox Lutheranism. He wanted every point proved by Scripture. He brought in a wealth of learning from collateral literature. He knew the trends and tendencies of the theological thinking of the day. He knew how to compare the new wine with the old. He was convinced and he could convince his students that the old is better. The old is better not because it is old, but because it is what God gave us, and it satisfies the deepest wants of the soul. Not every user of Weidner’s Dogmatics will agree with every detail that he worked out. Neither will every one agree always that his way of putting things is the best or the only way. But on the whole his teaching will be accepted as sound and Scriptural by loyal Lutherans.”
24 Feb 2021
Fifty Years in America by Nils Nilsen Ronning
“This introduction business is seldom a satisfactory affair. Once when I was introduced as the main speaker, it was not much of an occasion, I was wondering what a remarkable man the chairman was talking about. When it dawned on me that I was the man, I realized with a pang what I might have been; now it was too late.
18 Dec 2020
Abraham Lincoln: An Oration Delivered Before the Lincoln Union by Henry Watterson
“Twice we heard Henry Watterson deliver his classical lecture on Abraham Lincoln. At the most dramatic point in the address the speaker discussed the problem, how to account adequately for the great president. After analyzing his ancestry and all his environments in a keen and discerning way, Mr. Watterson exclaimed: ‘The only explanation of Abraham Lincoln is’ — then pausing solemnly and impressively, lifting his hand and pointing upward, he repeated, ‘The only explanation of Abraham Lincoln is — God!’ It was a most thrilling moment in the address. No hearer could doubt that God raised up this great and good man for the time and exigency in which he lived.” — Leander Keyser. In The Apostles’ Footsteps: Sermons on the Epistle Lessons for the Church Year.
20 Nov 2020