Select Works of George Henry Gerberding (3 vols.)

by G. H. Gerberding

Publisher:

Lutheran Publication Society

, 1887–1910

Overview

As a writer and minister, George Henry Gerberding sought to write books that filled needs within the church. If pastors needed something they didn’t have access to, Gerberding wrote it himself. While there was an extensive selection of Lutheran texts and Christian writings for pastors, there were a number of essential topics, teachings, and methodological instructions only available in European languages, or else not available at all. He dedicated much of his work to the education of the church, and took joy in the knowledge that his contributions were effectively filling the gaps in English Lutheran literature.

Included in the Select Works of George Henry Gerberding are three of his most well-known texts—The Lutheran Pastor, The Lutheran Catechist, and The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church. These valuable texts were widely distributed within the Lutheran church and were even used and referenced by other denominations. They were each designed to equip the church with the educational materials it needed to guide and supplement life in the body of Christ. The three texts included here will be especially useful to pastors, professors, and seminary students—particularly, but not exclusively, those interested in catechetics or the scriptural basis of Lutheran beliefs and practices.

With the Logos edition of Select Works of George Henry Gerberding, these powerful reference tools automatically integrate with your Logos library, allowing you to cross-reference them and study these powerful teachings like never before. Consult other Lutheran theologians or bring different denominations into the conversation with the Topic Guide to instantly gather all related materials in your library. All Scripture references appear in your preferred translation on mouseover. Use the Logos mobile app to study and reference these texts wherever you go.

Key Features

• Lutheran guide to pastoral theology
• Textbook on catechetics and the science of catechizing
• Scriptural examination of salvation from a Lutheran perspective

Product Details

• Title: Select Works of George Henry Gerberding
• Author: George Henry Gerberding
• Publisher: The Lutheran Publication Society
• Volumes: 3
• Pages: 984

The Lutheran Pastor

• Edition: Second Edition
• Publisher: The Lutheran Publication Society
• Publication Date: 1910
• Pages: 302

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

The Lutheran Pastor was written to guide pastors in the differences of Lutheran theology and to provide the interpretive techniques, skills, and tools a Lutheran pastor needs to lead their congregation. George Henry Gerberding states that “the object of a pastoral theology is to enable men to be true pastors. They cannot learn it all from books. Neither can they afford to ignore the help of good books. Let them master the basic principles, learn from the experience of others, and then, especially, from their own experience, how to apply them. Right conduct and action should always grow from right principles.” This text draws from Gerberding’s experiences from his 20 years of ministry—his successes, his failures, the challenges he faced, and his reflections.

The differences in a pastor’s theology determines how he or she leads and ministers to a congregation. This text is intended to specifically guide Lutheran pastors through adherence to Lutheran theology and scriptural interpretations. Gerberding says “. . . while the Reformed Christian, like the Lutheran Christian, believes in the necessity and efficacy of divine grace for salvation, the latter has views and convictions different from the former as to the means and methods through which that grace works. This must necessarily affect his whole administration of these means.” The Lutheran Pastor provides an excellent guide for Lutheran pastors and scholars, and for the non-Lutheran it offers an informative examination of the specifics of Lutheran pastoral theology.

. . . the author treats with commendable thoroughness every important question pertaining to the duties of the Christian ministry. The call and office of the pastor; the pastor in society, in his study, and in his closet; the pastor in all his varied ministrations both public and private, are the subjects discussed with rare lucidity and common sense. . . Out of what he has seen and felt he has written in order to help pastors solve the practical problems that constantly arise in their work. . . And while the book is primarily designed only for Lutheran pastors, most of it will be of real service to other Protestant ministers. If the pastors of all our churches should strive earnestly to reach the high ideal here presented, the efficiency of their ministrations would be greatly enhanced.

—The American Journal of Theology

The Lutheran Catechist: A Companion to “The Lutheran Pastor”

• Edition: Fourth Revised Edition
• Publisher: The Lutheran Publication Society
• Publication Date: 1902
• Pages: 464

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

The Lutheran Catechist was written as a response to the lack of catechetic literature available to English-speaking Lutheran teachers and pastors. George Henry Gerberding believed that the best way to learn was to have a textbook on hand to consult and reference while listening to experienced teachers. While there was a wide selection of literature available to teach and learn about other key theological fields and topics, English-speaking catechetics teachers largely depended on their own lectures before The Lutheran Catechist was published. By the time the fourth edition of this text was produced, it was in widespread use by Lutheran ministers, nearly all Lutheran theological seminaries, and other divisions of the church. Based on 15 years of teaching prospective catechists and the best German and Scandinavian catechetic literature available, this text was the only book available in English on the science of catechizing.

This volume provides detailed discussions of the importance and role of the catechist in the past and present, catechisms before Luther, Luther’s catechisms, the value of the catechist’s textbook and the question and answer form, specifics about teaching a catechetic class, and “Helpful Hints on the Five Parts of the Catechism.” The Lutheran Catechist covers everything you need to know about catechisms and how to participate in the teaching method of catechizing. It’ll prove to be especially useful to seminary students, professors, leaders, teachers, and biblical scholars.

The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church

• Publisher: The Lutheran Publication Society
• Publication Date: 1887
• Pages: 218

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church was written in response to common misconceptions about the Lutheran Church’s beliefs, particularly those regarding salvation. The result is a text which presents a scriptural basis for Lutheran theological practices and beliefs, with an emphasis on Lutheran views on salvation.

The clearest available presentation of “Conversion” as taught by the Scriptures is undoubtedly Dr. Gerberding’s answer in The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church.

—Augustana Journal

The title tells the whole story. It is a plain, unadulterated, and unvarnished account of the theory and practices of the Lutheran church, written for the comfort and for the strengthening of the faith of the common people and of the Luther Leagues, adult Bible classes, and Catechistical classes of the church.

—Journal of Education

About George Henry Gerberding

George Henry Gerberding (1847–1927) was a pastor and missionary in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and North Dakota. He was the founder and first president of the Synod of the Northwest, president of the Chicago Synod, and a professor at Chicago Lutheran Seminary and Northwestern Lutheran Seminary. His works include Life and Letters of W. A. Passavant, DD, The Lutheran Church in the Country, and Lutheran Fundamentals.