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THE BOY FROM THE BURGENLAND
The book offers a brief biography (Part I) and collected
writings (Part II). The biography highlights unusual experiences in two
decades before, during and after World War II in Europe: early years in
Austria and Hungary; a stint as a teenage soldier in the German army;
and formal education in Austria and Switzerland. A number of photographs
illustrate the memoir. The collected writings consist of research
papers, essays, editorials, sermons and a playlet, reflecting long-range
scholarship, involvement in current issues, and specific interests. They
are in chronological order, mixed with a number of books, authored,
edited and translated.
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THE WIT OF MARTIN LUTHER
Eric Gritsch ties Luther's wit and humor to his sharp polemical
exploitation of the absurd or incongruous in service to his Reform. At a
deeper level Luther's wit and witticisms reflected his keen appreciation
of human frailty and the unknowability of things divine. Luther, Gritsch
shows, especially relished humor in his interpretation of the Bible, in
his pastoral relationships, and in his encounters with death. Ultimately
humor in face of mortality is a gauge of human freedom, a
"lightening up" that makes of life a divine comedy.
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A
HANDBOOK FOR CHRISTIAN LIFE IN
THE 21st CENTURY
What
are the characteristics of a Christian in the twenty-first century?
How are Christians
called to witness in this confusing period of time? Dr. Gritsch
address these issues in this concise guide to the challenges and goals
of modern Lutheranism.
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From Fortress Press |
FORTRESS INTRODUCTION TO LUTHERANISM
A helpful and accessible guide to Lutheranism’s history
and central tenents, with numerous photos and illustrations.
Small wonder that many are confused about Lutheranism’s historical
origins, doctrinal affirmation, and ethical directives. Even
Lutherans themselves—maintains, Eric Gritsch, a leading authority
on the Lutheran tradition—are not clear about their identity. Some
Lutheran consider themselves heirs to a reform movement, others see
themselves as members of a denomination or ecclesial institution,
and still others are confounded by the tension and miss the
tradition’s thrust.
Fortress Introduction to Lutheranism offers in Part One a concise,
well-written overview of this group’s history from The Book of
Concord to the present and in Part Two a distillation of its
teachings as challenges to the reader.
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MARTIN- GOD'S COURT JESTER
From the Author:
I wrote this book to offer an introduction to and retrospective of
Luther with particular attention to his enduring significance in the
light of Luther scholorship. Although some reviewers have been
apprehensive about my application of the tern "court jester"
to Luther (his self-designation in 1520), I still defend its use as a
means to capture what i hold to be the real Luther. Court jesters
have played a significant role in transcending ego power-- be it in
religion or politics. George Bernard Shaw captured their function
well when he wrote, "If you want to tell people the truth, make
them laugh or they will kill you.". Luther championed the
truth of the Word of God as it judges and comforts sinners. In the
face of papal and imperial power, and in the face of his own spiritual
turmoil, his anfectungen, the Wittenberg professor never lost his sense
of the intimate connection between faith and humor, which are both
anchored in him "Who sits in the heavens and laughs". (Psalm
2:4) Luther had great insites, and he made gave mistakes.
But he always clung to the God who, in Jesus Christ, woos his estranged
creatures back to child-like trust. |
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A HISTORY OF LUTHERANISM
A unique and ambitious enterprise, Gritsch’s A History of
Lutheranism is the first-ever attempt at a history of global
Lutheranism.
In a clear, nontechnical way, noted Reformation historian Gritsch tells
the story of how the Christian reforming and confessional movement
sparked and developed by Martin Luther survived its first battles with
religious and political authorities to become institutionalized in its
religious practices and teachings. Gritsch then traces the emergence of
genuine consensus at the end of the sixteenth century, followed by the
age of Lutheran Orthodoxy, the great Pietist reaction, Lutheranism’s
growing diversification during the Industrial Revolution, its North
American expansion, and its increasingly global and ecumenical ventures
in the last century. From Wittenberg to Tanzania, from Spalatin to
Spener to Schmucker, Gritsch not only tells a good story; he conveys a
clear notion of what is at issue and at stake in the many controversies
and battles that have marked Lutheran history and offers a sympathetic
presentation of the theological insights that emerged along the way.
Enhanced with illustrations, photos, maps, bibliography, and
chronologies. |
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LUTHERANISM: THE THEOLOGICAL MOVEMENT
AND IT'S CONFESSIONAL WRITINGS
Authors Eric W. Gritsch (church historian) and Professor Robert
W. Jenson (systematic theologian) have created a useful guide, giving a
critical appraisal of the theological movement that took place within
the Catholic Church. Together they describe Lutheranism as centered in
the fundamental principle of the Reformation, that "justification
is by faith apart from works of law."
From about.com's list of The
Top10 Books on Lutheranism. |
