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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 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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