The Lutheran Handbook II

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 304 pages
• Published by: Augsburg Fortress Publishers May 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0806670371
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0806670379
• Book Dimensions: 6.9 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Weighs: 12 ounces

Dr. Rich Bimler, President, Wheat Ridge Ministries
"This is a fun book that affirms that Lutherans can (and must!) continue to laugh at themselves!"

Karen Herzog, Bismarck Tribune
"Lutheran Theology and history is explained with a light touch, and Lutheran idosyncrasies are explored."

Reader Reviews
`The Lutheran Handbook II' by a large list of contributors, under the auspices of the Augsburg Fortress Press, the publishing arm of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) provides evidence that even if we can't say that God has a sense of humor (if you doubt this, read Jonah in the Old Testament) or Martin Luther had a sense of humor, at least contemporary Lutherans certainly have one, in spades. This is a follow-up to the first volume dedicated to contemporary church culture. This sequel is devoted to a brisk and somewhat lighthearted look at Lutheran theology, a subject about which it is far more difficult to take lightly than `church culture'. I confess that while this the stated object of the book, the contents do not `religiously' follow that objective. Thankfully, the book is so full of good humor and great information about all sorts of miscellaneous things Lutheran that I can't in good conscience dock it any stars. For the sake of full disclosure, I must tell you I'm a full-blooded, Sunday School teaching Lutheran, so you can take my rating with a grain of salt if you wish. To be sure, this book is far more valuable to a practicing Lutheran than it is to a practicing Catholic or practicing Baptist or other non-liturgically minded Christian. Oddly, it may have a greater interest to a professed atheist or agnostic than to some non-Lutheran. By far the most interesting thing about the book is the information it gives on all the various flavors of Lutherans in the United States. Up to now, I was familiar with only the ELCA, the Missouri Synod Lutherans and the Canadian branch. It turns out, there are literally 26 different `Lutheran' church organizations, although all the smaller US churches combined are less than 1/20 the size of the ELCA (over 10,000 congregations) plus the more conservative Missouri Synod (over 6,000 congregations). Thankfully, the book keeps already familiar material, such as Luther's smaller catechism to a minimum, although I suspect most adult Lutherans have long forgotten this stuff, and can stand having a reminder. The most useful non-theological material is simple but thorough instructions on how to carry out some of the basic lay participatory roles in a typical service, such as ushering, being an acolyte, being a greeter, and reading the lessons. It's amazing how some smaller congregations seem to believe you are born with this knowledge. Much of the fun comes in the `lists of', including lists of the pagan gods in the Bible, lists of famous Lutherans, lists of great Lutheran musicians (a very important part of Lutheran services. Bach was a Lutheran!!!!), lists of important Lutheran doctrines, and most interestingly, the list of books of the Bible which are most important to Lutheran doctrine (Luther was very big on Paul's letters and the Gospel of John.) While this book takes Lutheran doctrines very seriously, and never quite approaches the playful irreverence of Kevin Smith's movie `Dogma', the icons of the winking Luther are remarkably similar to Smith's `Buddy Christ'. This book is a great casual read and enormously helpful for parents who happen to have children in a Lutheran Sunday School. It's exceptionally well bound and in a very nice size for reading at the beach or on a plane, and oh so easy to pick up now and again, since all the sections stand on their own, very similar to the format of the `Worst Case Scenario' books, to which the publishers give credit for their `borrowing' the style. Comment (1) | | (Report this)