The Lutheran History Podcast

Today's guest is Pastor Craig A. Ferkenstad, the author of Proclaim his Wonders- a pictorial history has been published in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the reorganization of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. This 312-page volume includes more than 400 photographs from the history of the synod.
These books of Evangelical Lutheran Synod history are available in print from the Bethany Lutheran College bookstore or electronically for Kindle and iBooks:

• Grace for Grace
• Faith of Our Fathers
• Let’s Look at Our Synod
• Our Great Heritage
• A City Set on a Hill
• Built On The Rock
• A Blessing in the Midst of the Land (print edition not available)
• Proclaim His Wonder: A Pictorial History of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod

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• About the Host
  • Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018.
    Ben loves all things history and enjoys traveling. A descendant of over a dozen Lutheran pastors, Ben has an interest in his family roots, especially 19th-century Lutheranism, and has written several papers and journal articles on the topic. His 2018 thesis on Wyneken won the John Harrison Ness award and the Abdel Ross Wentz prize. He is also the recipient of two awards of commendation from the Concordia Historical Institute.
    Ben is currently a doctoral student in historical theology through Concordia Seminary's reduced residency program in St. Louis.

According to one opinion article in the New York Times, Johann Sebastian Bach is the greatest composer of all time. Bach topped a competitive list for his “combination of masterly musical engineering and profound expressivity.” But did you that Bach was a hardcore Lutheran? Not surprisingly, the article also noted that Bach found success by “digging deeper into his way of doing things.” The amount of work he did for his Lutheran Church dwarfs the relatively smaller pieces for orchestra or chamber music. So, what do you know about Lutheran history? Did you know that some historians estimate that around a century ago, roughly 10% of the population in the United States was Lutheran? Odds are, if you have Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Icelandic, or Danish ancestry, you without a doubt had ancestors in the Lutheran Church, odds are pretty good for most people with German ancestry too. Did you know that Martin Luther not only altered the course of Christianity, but was he likely the first to understand and use mass media? Think about that as you contemplate how you are able to listen to this right now!

Hi, I’m Ben Phelps. I’m a Lutheran pastor, a husband, a father, a sinner-saint, and more, but I’m here to share my passion for history. I find Lutheran history to be more varied, more impactful, and more important than most people (whether they are Lutheran or not) realize. Hopefully my introduction helped to clearly illustrate that. I’ve personally presented on Lutheran history at a few conferences and gatherings, written a handful of articles for various Lutheran history publications, and am in the final stages of my work on a major figure in 19th-century Lutheranism.

But I’m starting this podcast to interview professional and independent historians on their work, covering over 500 years of Lutheranism. On the Lutheran History Podcast, or TLHP, We’ll hear new stories, examine old heroes of faith, and also dig into the who, how, what, and why of history-making.
Lutheran History Shop

• Lutheran History Shop
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• Interview Request Form
• About the Host
• email:[email protected]

Image: Albrecht Dürer The Annunciation
Today's guest is Dr. Beth Kreitzer was raised in California and has degrees from Stanford and Duke Universities. Her graduate study in the Program of Religion at Duke focused upon the history of the Church from the patristic era through the early modern period. Her dissertation, upon the images of Mary in Lutheran sermons of the 16th century, was also her first book, "Reforming Mary."
Kreitzer's work looks at Lutheran sermons between 1520 and 1580 and the various occasions on the church calendar where Mary is the main or at least a major focus.
While some aspects of reforming the Church’s view and use of Mary focused on key concepts like salvation through faith alone through Christ alone, other aspects of reforming Mary seem less doctrinally central but were just as impactful to the life of everyday Christians.
You can purchase the book here:https://www.amazon.com/Reforming-Mary-Changing-Sixteenth-Historical/dp/019516654X

Support the show

• Lutheran History Shop
• Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers)
• Facebook
• Website
• Interview Request Form
• email: [email protected]
• About the Host
  • Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018.
    Ben loves all things history and enjoys traveling. A descendant of over a dozen Lutheran pastors, Ben has an interest in his family roots, especially 19th-century Lutheranism, and has written several papers and journal articles on the topic. His 2018 thesis on Wyneken won the John Harrison Ness award and the Abdel Ross Wentz prize. He is also the recipient of two awards of commendation from the Concordia Historical Institute.
    Ben is currently a doctoral student in historical theology through Concordia Seminary's reduced residency program in St. Louis.

In celebration of the commencement of plans to publish my biography of FCD Wyneken with the help of the Concordia Historical Institute, I am releasing an audio version of a presentation I prepared four years ago, covering the main points of my research as it stood then. While I would change a few things today and add a lot more, it will hopefully serve to peak your interest in this topic before the book comes out.
Video version here

Support the show

• Lutheran History Shop
• Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers)
• Facebook
• Website
• Interview Request Form
• email: [email protected]
• About the Host
  • Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018.
    Ben loves all things history and enjoys traveling. A descendant of over a dozen Lutheran pastors, Ben has an interest in his family roots, especially 19th-century Lutheranism, and has written several papers and journal articles on the topic. His 2018 thesis on Wyneken won the John Harrison Ness award and the Abdel Ross Wentz prize. He is also the recipient of two awards of commendation from the Concordia Historical Institute.
    Ben is currently a doctoral student in historical theology through Concordia Seminary's reduced residency program in St. Louis.

In what ways is theology a science? Should theology be approached the same empirical way as other areas of studies? August Vilmar had a lot to say about that. Today’s guest is James Ambrose Lee II. Dr. Lee has earned his BA - Concordia University Chicago; River Forest, IL, MDiv - Concordia Theology Seminary; Fort Wayne, IN, STM, Liturgical Theology - Yale Divinity School & Yale Institute of Sacred Music; New Haven, CT, PhD, Historical Theology - Saint Louis University; Saint Louis, MO. Dr. Lee currently teaches classes at Concordia University Chicago on various topics in Church History, including, Christianity and the Modern World, Women in the History of Christianity, and Martin Luther. He also teaches Encountering Religion In America and Introduction to Christianity. Today, we’ll discuss his research on August Vilmar and the German Theological Wissenschaft which he presented in an article in the Lutheran Quarterly last year.
Lutheran History Shop

Support the show

• Lutheran History Shop
• Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers)
• Facebook
• Website
• Interview Request Form
• email: [email protected]
• About the Host
  • Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018.
    Ben loves all things history and enjoys traveling. A descendant of over a dozen Lutheran pastors, Ben has an interest in his family roots, especially 19th-century Lutheranism, and has written several papers and journal articles on the topic. His 2018 thesis on Wyneken won the John Harrison Ness award and the Abdel Ross Wentz prize. He is also the recipient of two awards of commendation from the Concordia Historical Institute.
    Ben is currently a doctoral student in historical theology through Concordia Seminary's reduced residency program in St. Louis.