Dr. Eric W. Gritsch

• In 1978 the American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church in America adopted a Joint Statement on Communion Practices that “precluded” the communion of baptized infants. This statement shut the door on a practice that the Western Church had observed for a thousand years and had not previously categorically precluded, that the Episcopal Church was reconsidering, and that the Eastern Churches still practiced. Eric Gritsch saw the ecumenical, biblical, and theological inappropriateness of this statement and was one of a handful of Lutheran theologians who spoke up for a reconsideration of the practice. Pastor Larry Recla has gathered papers of Dr. Gritsch that were disseminated for discussion purposes at the time of the debate, but have not previously been published. Their publication now is timely when churches are considering the inclusion even of the unbaptized in Holy Communion — a line Dr. Gritsch would not have crossed in his thesis that the Lord’s Supper is the meal of the baptized, but all the baptized.

                 

This book is a collection of seven Good Friday homilies by the late Rev. Dr. Eric W. Gritsch. Due to the fact that this respected historian, writer, teacher and preacher rarely wrote his sermons, this book of printed meditations will be a treasured addition to the library shelves. Here Gritsch captures the essence of Christian theology, highlighting the concepts with his understanding of human history and human foibles. The insights and wit for which this beloved teacher is known abound in this small volume. In this collection, the Seven Last Words of Christ from the Cross are made relevant for those in the twenty-first century who live the daily experiences of their lives trying, at all times, to be faithful Christians. Page by page the good news of Good Friday is made real.  

  An audio version is also be available.  One can also purchase the book and/or audio by contacting Bonnie Brobst at bonbmore@comcast.net 

This book offers a swift trek through two millennia of Christendom told with wit, spiked by satire and a gallows humor. There are three chapters (symbolizing the Trinity), each encompassing seven centuries (symbolizing the seven days of creation), with four parts in each chapter (symbolizing the four Gospels). Chapter headings and subtitles are eye-catchers, such as "Edifice Complex" for the Middle Ages with its zeal for architectural and sacramental edification. Idiosyncratic features are highlighted, like the "pillar saints," monks who spent their lives on pillars in the desert; "castrated believers," who experienced the procedure as a refinement of penance; and competing popes, who succumbed to secular pleasures. Word plays, the wisdom of proverbs, and "dumb" Christian ways prevent readers from getting bored.

 Here Dr. Gritsch faces Martin Luther's anti-semitism head-on. This comprehensive text describes Luther's journey from initial attempts to proselytize Jews to an increasingly hostile position, which he apparently held to his death. Gritsch's unflinching analysis also describes the impact of Luther's egregious words on subsequent generations and places Luther within Europe's long history of anti-semitism. This book neither demonizes nor exonerates Luther, but shows the man's mistakes and their tragic consequences.

   Dr. Gritsch’s account of six decades of graduate education and the many memorable academics met and studied along a journey. Scholars such as Viktor Frankl in Vienna, Karl Barth in Basel, Carl Jung in Zurich, Reinhold Niebuhr in New York, Paul Tillich at Harvard, the ‘doctor father” Roland Bainton at Yale. The references are mixed with has-beens, upstarts, and other special professional characters.

This book offers Christianity a reality check, exposing four historical movements that have weakened and abused the core of the Christian tradition. Anti-Semitism, fundamentalism, triumphalism, and moralism represent wayward views on the relationships between Christians and Jews; between the authority of Scripture and tradition; between the church and worldly power; and between faith and morals. These toxic traditions represent the enduring temptation of Christian faith to be "like God" (Gen. 3:5).
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  At a deeper level Luther's wit and witticisms reflected his keen appreciation of human frailty and the unknowability of things divine. Ultimately humor in the face of mortality is a gauge of human freedom; a "lightening up" that makes of life a divine comedy.

    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 addresses these issues in this concise guide to the challenges and goals of modern Christianity. 

  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.

  This carefully selected anthology strives to supply hands-on knowledge of this man who would change history. It emphasizes Luther's work as theologian, exegete, and pastor. This book serves as an excellent introduction to Martin Luther's ecumenical spirituality. Selected writings are prefaced by an ample introduction, giving a biographical sketch of Luther and highlighting his hopes and goals for the Church. It also speaks to the difficulties that arose between Luther and the Catholic Church of his time, leading to schism.

  Some Lutherans 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. Part One is an overview of Lutheran history from The Book of Concord to the present, while Part Two is a distillation of its teachings as challenges to the reader. A helpful and accessible guide to Lutheranism’s history and central tenets, with numerous photos and illustrations.

  Rejected in the sixteenth century by both Protestants and Catholics, yet hailed by Marxist historians as a forerunner of the Marxist revolution, this volume tells Müntzer's story and offers a critical assessment in light of his extant works, with particular attention to the religious foundations of his revolutionary program.
"This is a volume that will be appreciated by the non-specialist as well as the specialist. It reads like a novel while ... carrying on a critical dialogue with the latest Müntzer scholarship." – Carter Lindberg, Boston University.

  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 anfechtungen, 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 insights, and he made grave mistakes. But he always clung to the God who, in Jesus Christ, woos his estranged creatures back to child-like trust.

  What are the origins of the born-again movement? How does the born-again experience relate to Baptism? Why do fundamentalists argue the literal inspiration of the Bible? Answers to these questions and many more emerge from the story of the born-again movement. Born Againism places the born-again phenomenon in historical perspective, beginning in the late eighteenth century as a movement propelled by speculations about the end time (millennialism). When millennialists merged with fundamentalists and charismatics, a powerful movement was born.

  What are the origins of the born-again movement? How does the born-again experience relate to Baptism? Why do fundamentalists argue the literal inspiration of the Bible? Answers to these questions and many more emerge from the story of the born-again movement. Born Againism places the born-again phenomenon in historical perspective, beginning in the late eighteenth century as a movement propelled by speculations about the end time (millennialism). When millennialists merged with fundamentalists and charismatics, a powerful movement was born.