Benjamin Kurtz - Why are you a Lutheran?

Ken McGuire
Ken McGuire Member Posts: 2,074 ✭✭✭
edited November 20 in English Forum

S.S. Schmucker was not the only figure in "American Lutheranism".  He was probably the major intellectual force for it, but the popular mouthpiece was Benjamin Kurtz.  In 1843 he released a book called Why are you a Lutheran? in which he explains his view of Lutheranism in largely non-technical, popular terms.  This book was a major seller, even after Kurtz himself died in 1865. 

At first glace, this is just an apology for Lutheranism.  The fact that so many significant figures endorsed the book (listed in the front) as well as how well it sold for over 20 years testifies to its historical significance. But the "Lutheranism" this book confesses is not what keeps me Lutheran. This editor is much more sympathetic to those figures who followed, like Mann and Krauth, as well as what Walther and others were doing in German at the time.  I have tried to not let my bias overflow into the edition.

Source for this edition is http://archive.org/details/whyareyouluthera00kurt Thanks to both the Internet Archive as well as Princeton for all the scanned books.

SDG

Ken McGuire

The Gospel is not ... a "new law," on the contrary, ... a "new life." - William Julius Mann

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Comments

  • Milford Charles Murray
    Milford Charles Murray Member Posts: 5,004 ✭✭✭

    Thanks very much, Ken!              Looking forward to perusing it and sharing it with my Pastor.               Peace to you!            and ...          Always Joy!         *smile*

    Philippians 4:  4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand..........

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