Best Benjamin Phelps Podcasts (2025)

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TLHP 72 Pennsylvania’s “Youthful Daughter” the Early History of the Wisconsin Synod with Tim Grundmeier 55:03

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8d ago55:03

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In this episode of The Lutheran History Podcast, we talk with Dr. Timothy D. Grundmeier about his recent article, “Pennsylvania’s ‘Youthful Daughter’: Reexamining the Early History of the Wisconsin Synod,” featured in the Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly (Spring 2025). While many are familiar with the Wisconsin Synod’s early ties to German mission soci…

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TLHP 71 Who was Henry A. Koch? 50:58

1M ago50:58

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In this special episode, guest host Tim Grundmeier interviews historian and author Benjamin T. Phelps about his recent Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly article on Dr. Henry A. Koch—a pastor, professor, and editor who left a profound mark on confessional Lutheranism in both Germany and America. Phelps shares personal insights drawn from years of researc…

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TLHP 70 The Wisconsin Synod Prints in German 36:14

3M ago36:14

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This is a special episode of a presentation I prepared for the Society of German American Studies symposium in April in Milwaukee. -- The year 2025 marks the 175th anniversary of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Originally established in the Milwaukee area as the Die erste deutsch. evang.-luth. Synode von Wisconsin, this German immigrant e…

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TLHP 69 Christ Through Us- WELS 175th Pictorial History with Joel Otto 23:21

4M ago23:21

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In this WELS 175th episode, we talk with Joel Otto, the anniversary committee chairman, about the pictorial history book Christ Through Us, which he co-authored with John Braun. Support the show Confessional Languages Scholarship The Wauwatosa Diary (book) Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers) Facebook Web…

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TLHP 68 - 175 Years of Change in WELS Worship with Joel Otto 39:47

5M ago39:47

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In this WELS 175th episode, we talk with Joel Otto, the anniversary committee chairman, about what WELS worship has looked like in the past and how it has changed. Support the show Confessional Languages Scholarship The Wauwatosa Diary (book) Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers) Facebook Website Interview…

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TLHP 67 Who was Adolf Hoenecke? with James Danell 1:15:28

6M ago1:15:28

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image: Adolph Hoenecke from the host's family photo collection. In this WELS 175th episode, we talk with Prof. James Danell who teaches German at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN, about Adolph Hoenecke, who taught for many decades at the Wisconsin Synod's Seminary. Prof. Danell speaks in this episode about his significant influence on the spiri…

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TLHP 66 The Importance of Learning German for Lutheran History with James Danell 23:21

7M ago23:21

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This is part of a longer conversation I had with Prof. James Danell about the imperative need for scholars who know German to do Lutheran history. You can support the Confessional Language Scholarship at MLC to encourage this endeavor here. Support the show Confessional Languages Scholarship The Wauwatosa Diary (book) Youtube ( even more behind-the…

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TLHP 65 Brand Luther with Jared Natsis and Phil Moldenhauer 43:20

8M ago43:20

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This is a cross-over episode with The Shepherd's Study Podcast, where I was a guest of Jared Natsis and Phil Moldenhauer. We talked about the content and merits of the book Brand Luther which came out shortly before the Reformation 500th anniversary. The Shepherd’s Study podcast is produced by Grow in Grace to help pastors grow in the art and pract…

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TLHP 64 The Election Controversy Revisited with Peter Prange 1:07:41

8M ago1:07:41

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In this episode, we talk with Peter Prange about the third volume in his series, Wielding the Sword of the Spirit, in which he gets into the details and nuances of the Election Controversy that rocked the Synodical Conference. Support the show Confessional Languages Scholarship The Wauwatosa Diary (book) Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos…

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TLHP 63 Who was Johannes Muehlhaeuser? with Tim Grundmeier 48:27

9M ago48:27

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In this WELS 175th episode, Tim Grundmeier and I talk about who Johannes Muehlhaeuser was, Christmas trees, and the founding of the Wisconsin Synod. Support the show Confessional Languages Scholarship The Wauwatosa Diary (book) Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers) Facebook Website Interview Request Form e…

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Historic Diary Found in Grandpa's Basement! 1:47

9M ago1:47

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Image: JP Koehler at Wauwatosa Seminary, candid photo taken by a student. While going through some old boxes in my grandfather's basement, I stumbled upon something truly remarkable: my great-grandfather’s diary. He was a student at the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary from 1910 to 1912 and had the unique opportunity to learn from the famous Wauwatosa t…

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TLHP 62 Achtliederbuch-The First Lutheran Hymnal: Details Less Often Told with Nathaniel Biebert 59:14

9M ago59:14

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Link to the service and hymns: https://trinitylutheransd.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Reformation-Hymn-Festival-2024.pdf The first evangelical hymnal—which in retrospect we can also call the first Lutheran hymnal—rolled off the presses around the middle of January 1524. But interestingly, it did not roll off the presses in Wittenberg, even though…

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TLHP 61 The Evangelical Lutheran Confessional Forum and Its Role in Founding the CELC with Timothy Plichta 33:33

11M ago33:33

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Timothy Plichta is a WELS homeschooled high school student living in Germantown, WI. He loves Lutheran history in general and is especially enthralled with anything related to the CELC. Support the show Confessional Languages Scholarship The Wauwatosa Diary (book) Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers) Face…

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TLHP 60 Wyneken in Baltimore: Contesting Lutheran Identity 1845-1850 1:17:51

11M ago1:17:51

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This episode is a fuller version of my presentation given at the 2024 Lutheran Historical Conference in Baltimore. Link to the full video of this episode. One church historian observed that “ It would require pages and pages to report Wyneken's work during his pastorate [in Baltimore].” This episode will examine one specific topic- how Wyneken cont…

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TLHP 59 Johannes Bugenhagen and Poor Relief with Jason Oakland 1:04:02

12M ago1:04:02

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Image: Johannes Bugenhagen During the Reformation Martin Luther restored many Christian teachings to its proper biblical understanding. One of the men who worked with Luther in communicating those teachings was Johannes Bugenhagen. This episode explores one specific way Bugenhagen communicated the doctrine of the Two Kingdoms in The Christian Order…

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TLHP 58 U.V. Koren and C.F.W. Walther’s views on American Government with Andrew Soule 53:08

12M ago53:08

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Image U.V. Koren “How is our America doing?” That is the poignant question that C.F.W. Walther (1811 1887), the President of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, asks in his Synod’s theological journal, “Lehre und Wehre” in 1863. In a series of articles written in the Spring of that year, on the eve of the Civil War, Walther addressed topics such as slav…

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TLHP 57 Becoming Lutheran: The Community of Brunswick from Evangelical Reform to Lutheran Culture with John Maxfield 1:05:01

1y ago1:05:01

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Image: city of Brunswick (Braunschweig) in the 16th century In Becoming Lutheran, Dr. John Maxfield discusses several key aspects of Lutheran culture that shape the identity and practice of Lutherans as the Reformation grew and developed outside of the center of Wittenberg. The story of Brunswick engages with Reformation historiography in a way tha…

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TLHP 56 Lutheran Sermons and Walther's Pastoral Theology with Scott Henrich 1:14:54

1y ago1:14:54

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We welcome back Pastor Scott Henrich, a WELS pastor serving in Knoxville, Tennessee. His experiences reading historic Lutheran sermons inspired him to research Lutheranism's homiletical heritage in a way that may challenge some contemporary assumptions about the historic perception of Lutheran preaching. (See TLHP 39) You can contact him here: scot…

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TLHP 55 Sassy Lutherans, the House of Cleves and the Reformation with Heather Darsie 1:00:11

1+ y ago1:00:11

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Heather R. Darsie lives in the United States. She has a Bachelor of Arts in German Languages and Literature, and a Juris Doctorate. During her time at university, she had the privilege of studying in Costa Rica and France, with visits to Germany and other countries. Ms. Darsie first became interested in the Renaissance time period when she read a b…

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TLHP 54 Did Luther have a 3rd Use of the Law? With Bob Kolb 54:08

1+ y ago54:08

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Image: Martin Luther by Lucas Cranach the Younger "Wittenberg Uses of Law and Gospel" Our guest today Dr. Robert A. Kolb is a professor emeritus of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. See the emeritus faculty page at Concordia Lutheran Seminary: Kolb retired in 2009 after 16 years of distinguished service as missions professor of …

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TLHP 53 The Wittenberg Concord of 1536 36:09

1+ y ago36:09

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Image: Wittenberg c. 1530 from the host's personal collection. In May 1536 several prominent Reformed reformers traveled to Wittenberg to confess their understanding of what is received in the sacrament of Holy Communion and who receives it. Luther, Melancthon, and other Lutheran reformers readily signed on in agreement concerning this contentious …

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TLHP 52 How the Lutheran Church is Constituted with Michael Holmen 55:01

1+ y ago55:01

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In this episode, translator Michael Holmen takes us through J. W. F. Höfling's How the Lutheran Church is Constituted (Grundsätze evangelisch-lutherischer Kirchenverfassung). In his book Höfling describes how the Lutheran church should be constituted according to the principles given in the Lutheran Confessions and in Martin Luther's writings. Höfl…

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TLHP 51 The Formation of the Wisconsin Synod with Peter Prange 54:37

1+ y ago54:37

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Image: Carl and Gottlieb Damler. These brothers immigrated to Manitowoc County, WI from the principality of Lippe-Detmold in the early 1850s. Although confirmed Reformed, they worshiped first in a union congregation, but then joined the Lutheran church under the leadership of Pastor Koehler. Carl is the host's g-g-g-grandfather. Our returning guest…

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TLHP 50 Worshiping with the Reformers with Karin Maag 1:05:24

1+ y ago1:05:24

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Image: Right wing of the Altar Triptych in St. Peter und Paul, Weimar by Cranach - Lutheran princes of the House of Wettin in worship Worship of the triune God has always stood at the center of the Christian life. That was certainly the case during the sixteenth-century Reformation as well. Yet amid tremendous social and theological upheaval, the c…

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TLHP 49 Lutherans Burned in Brussels: Details Less Often Told with Nathaniel Biebert 57:18

2y ago57:18

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Image: The Account of How Two Men of the Augustinian Order Were Martyred in Brussels in Brabant for the Sake of the Gospel (Erfurt, 1523) Five hundred years ago, on July 1, 1523, two observant Augustinian monks from Antwerp, Hendrik Voes and Jan van den Esschen, were degraded, condemned, and burned at the stake by Roman Catholic authorities in the …

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TLHP 48 Devotional Life in the Reformation Era with Johann Caauwe 1:05:35

2y ago1:05:35

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Image:Johann Gerhard In this episode, our guest Rev. Caauwe gives a detailed overview of various forms of Lutheran devotional piety developed in the 16th and 17th centuries as well as a discussion on how that devotional heritage has been transferred through the generations. Support the show Confessional Languages Scholarship The Wauwatosa Diary (bo…

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TLHP 47 Finding Fellowship: The Formation of the Synodical Conference with Peter Prange 58:28

2y ago58:28

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(Image: Synodical Conference founders from Lutherans in All Lands, 1896) Dr. C.F.W. Walther worked tirelessly to realize his dream of a Lutheran Zion in North America that would combine and coordinate ministry efforts of faithful Lutherans in the United States and Canada to proclaim the gospel primarily in German, English, and Norwegian. He took ce…

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TLHP 46 A History of Lutheranism in Alaska! 46:50

2+ y ago46:50

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Listen to this tribute to Alaska's Lutheran history as I prepare to say goodbye to the wonderful 49th state with deep and unique Lutheran roots! Support the show Confessional Languages Scholarship The Wauwatosa Diary (book) Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers) Facebook Website Interview Request Form email…

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TLHP 45 "Black Geneva Piety" Changing Views of the Relationship of Doctrine and Liturgy with Mark Braun 42:45

2+ y ago42:45

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"For Midwestern Lutheran synods, the 20th century was especially dramatic and even traumatic. ..In his article, Dr. Braun describes some of the tensions within two predominantly Midwestern Lutheran bodies, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), as these Lutherans struggled to adapt to change w…

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TLHP 44 Pieper's Preaching (Or, How Lutheran Preaching Has Changed Part II) with Isaac Johnson 1:02:03

2+ y ago1:02:03

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Image: Reinhold L. Pieper (1850-1920) Isaac Johnson graduated from Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI with a degree in Latin in 2011 and attended Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN. During his time at seminary he spent two years studying at the Lutheran theological seminary (Evangelisch-Lutherische Hochschule) in Oberursel, Germany. H…

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TLHP 43 “Our Synod is Evangelical-Lutheran"- Early Laity WELS Perspectives Part II 1:06:53

2+ y ago1:06:53

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Image: Three generations of Franks and Kerlers in Greenfield 1889. "I prefer America," one German Lutheran immigrant wrote. Letters of German Lutheran immigrants in 19th century America give under-analyzed perspectives of lay members and their views of church establishment and denominational selection. Support the show Confessional Languages Schola…

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TLHP 42 "We have joined the Synod of Muehlhaeuser"- Early Laity WELS Perspectives Part I 1:06:40

2+ y ago1:06:40

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Image: Regina, Veronica and Frank Kerler "I prefer America," one German Lutheran immigrant wrote. Letters of German Lutheran immigrants in 19th century America give under-analyzed perspectives of lay members and their views of church establishment and denominational selection. Support the show Confessional Languages Scholarship The Wauwatosa Diary …

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TLHP 41 Mission Expansion In The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, 1929-1983 with Joel D. Otto 1:01:25

3y ago1:01:25

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In 1929, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) was a small church body serving primarily German immigrants with congregations in twelve states, mostly in the Midwest; the only “foreign” work was a mission on the Apache reservation in Arizona. By 1961, WELS was still only in sixteen states, but WELS missionaries were working in Japan and C…

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TLHP 40 Luther’s New Testament Translation: Details Less Often Told with Nathaniel Biebert 57:01

3y ago57:01

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In this episode, we welcome back Rev. Nathaniel Biebert to continue his mini-series on lesser-known details of 500th anniversaries of the Reformation. Here, we focus on the 500th anniversary of the "September Testament." In this case, almost any detail will be a “detail less often told.” Most Lutherans familiar with Luther’s life are aware that he …

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TLHP 39 Has Lutheran Preaching Changed? with Scott Henrich 52:38

3y ago52:38

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Today's guest is Pastor Scott Henrich, a WELS pastor serving in Knoxville, Tennessee. His experiences reading historic Lutheran sermons inspired him to research Lutheranism's homiletical heritage in a way that may challenge some contemporary assumptions about the historic perception of Lutheran preaching. Support the show Confessional Languages Sch…

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TLHP 38 Wyneken and the Catechism 1:00:53

3y ago1:00:53

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From his earliest memories to his final legacy, Wyneken’s life story can be told in connection with the catechism. It is a story of Lutheran catechesis on both sides of the Atlantic. It is a story of centuries of Lutheran catechesis practices in German lands. It is a story that highlights the impact of catechesis upon those who immigrated in the 19…

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TLHP 37 Reforming Mary:Images of the Virgin Mary in Lutheran Sermons of the 16th Century with Beth Kreitzer 1:10:22

3+ y ago1:10:22

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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 Luth…

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TLHP 36 Luther at the Wartburg-Details Less Often Told with Nathaniel Biebert 56:51

3+ y ago56:51

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Image: The Wartburg Castle taken during my trip there in 2016. In this episode, we continue our series with Pastor Nathaniel Biebert where he digs into the lesser-known details of important milestones in the life of Luther and the Reformation. Here we look at Luther's "capture" on his way back from the Diet of Worms and his time at the Wartburg Cas…

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TLHP 35 The German Awakening (Erweckungsbewegung) with Andrew Kloes Part II 41:42

3+ y ago41:42

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A must-know topic for understanding 19th-century Lutheranism! Order online at www.oup.com/academic with promotion code AAFLYG6 to save 30%! Historians of modern German culture and church history refer to "the Awakening movement" (die Erweckungsbewegung) to describe a period in the history of German Protestantism between the end of the Napoleonic Wa…

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TLHP 34 The German Awakening (Erweckungsbewegung) with Andrew Kloes Part I 48:57

3+ y ago48:57

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A must-know topic for understanding 19th-century Lutheranism! Order online at www.oup.com/academic with promotion code AAFLYG6 to save 30%! Historians of modern German culture and church history refer to "the Awakening movement" (die Erweckungsbewegung) to describe a period in the history of German Protestantism between the end of the Napoleonic Wa…

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TLHP 33 Black Man in a White Pulpit- The Life and Ministry of Marmaduke Carter with James Huenink Part II 40:51

3+ y ago40:51

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James is the pastor of First Lutheran Church of El Cajon, CA where he lives with his wife, Kristan and their two cats. He is a graduate of Concordia University Wisconsin and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. A writer, photographer, and independent historian, James focuses on the history of Chicago Lutheran ministry and black Lutheran ministry, hoping …

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TLHP 32 Black Man in a White Pulpit- The Life and Ministry of Marmaduke Carter with James Huenink Part I 42:46

3+ y ago42:46

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James is the pastor of First Lutheran Church of El Cajon, CA where he lives with his wife, Kristan and their two cats. He is a graduate of Concordia University Wisconsin and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. A writer, photographer, and independent historian, James focuses on the history of Chicago Lutheran ministry and black Lutheran ministry, hoping …

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TLHP 31 Special Episode- Friedrich Wyneken-Awakened to Confessional 32:38

3+ y ago32:38

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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 s…

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TLHP 30 Luther at Worms-Details Less Often Told with Nathaniel Biebert 1:08:54

3+ y ago1:08:54

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Today we welcome back Pastor Beibert to discuss his research and presentation on Luther at Worms in 1521, one of the most iconic and significant events in the history of the Church. Support the show Confessional Languages Scholarship The Wauwatosa Diary (book) Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers) Facebook…

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TLHP 29 Our Dwelling Place For Generations, a Centennial History of the WELS Dakota Montana District with Justin Dauck 57:55

3+ y ago57:55

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Image: Kenneth Wyatt – Circuit Rider. Today's guest author is pastor Justin Dauk. A native of northeastern Wisconsin, he is a 2011 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. He has served a dual parish in northcentral South Dakota for 7-1/2 years. Since January 2021, he has been serving as associate pastor at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Plymouth, N…

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TLHP 28 The War to End All Germans with Stephen Gurgel 1:11:45

3+ y ago1:11:45

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Stephen Gurgel is a 2011 graduate from Martin Luther College: Bachelor of Science in Education and a 2012 graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: Master of Arts in History. His 2012 thesis, a War to End All Germans, Wisconsin Synod Lutherans and the First World War, offers a detailed account and analysis of the social and political for…

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TLHP 27 The Continuation of the Haugean Spirit in Twentieth Century American Lutheranism with Thomas Jacobson 41:45

4y ago41:45

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Image: Haugianere by Adolph Tidemand (1852) Thomas Jacobson currently serves part-time as pastor of Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lindy, Nebraska, and as an adjunct instructor of historical theology at the Institute of Lutheran theology in Brookings, South Dakota. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Augustana University (SD) …

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TLHP 26 Hauge's Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Synod in America with Thomas Jacobson 46:29

4y ago46:29

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Image: Hans Nielsen Hauge Thomas Jacobson currently serves part-time as pastor of Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lindy, Nebraska, and as an adjunct instructor of historical theology at the Institute of Lutheran theology in Brookings, South Dakota. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Augustana University (SD) in 2002, his Maste…

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TLHP 25 Development of Fellowship Practices in the Missouri Synod with Peter Prange Part II 1:16:05

4y ago1:16:05

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Image FCD Wyneken in old age Wielding the Sword of the Spirit recounts the history surrounding the doctrine and practice of church fellowship in the Missouri Synod, especially under the leadership of Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther. Volume One of this two-part history covers the years from the Saxon immigration to Missouri in 1838-1839 until 1867, j…

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TLHP 24 Development of Fellowship Practices in the Missouri Synod with Peter Prange Part I 1:11:25

4y ago1:11:25

1:11:25

Wielding the Sword of the Spirit recounts the history surrounding the doctrine and practice of church fellowship in the Missouri Synod, especially under the leadership of Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther (shown in episode thumbnail) Volume One of this two-part history covers the years from the Saxon immigration to Missouri in 1838-1839 until 1867, ju…