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127-575: On October 2, 1930, the Lutheran Laymen's League began the weekly national broadcast of The Lutheran Hour with Walter A. Maier as the first speaker. Initially, the program was on 32 stations of the CBS network. Maier continued as the program's well-known speaker for the next twenty years (1930–1950). In 1940, The Lutheran Hour began a Spanish-language broadcast by Dr. Andrew Melendez. Beginning in 1955, Oswald Hoffmann became speaker for

254-652: A revival known as the Erweckung , or Awakening . In 1806, Napoleon's invasion of Germany promoted Rationalism and angered German Lutherans, stirring up a desire among the people to preserve Luther's theology from the Rationalist threat. Those associated with this Awakening held that reason was insufficient and pointed out the importance of emotional religious experiences. Small groups sprang up, often in universities, which devoted themselves to Bible study, reading devotional writings, and revival meetings. Although

381-1007: A 111-station Japanese Lutheran Hour to ongoing broadcasts in Spanish, Afrikaans , German, Chinese, Arabic , Slovak, Italian, Greek, Estonian, Latvian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Polish, Russian, and others. The broadcast could be heard in Australia , Latin America , throughout Africa, the Far East including much of Communist China , the South Pacific Islands and the West Indies, and all of Europe, including Soviet Eastern Europe and some of Asiatic Russia. The estimated weekly listening audience rose from 12,000,000 (Time, 1943), to 15,000,000 (Collier's, 1944), to 20,000,000 people (Saturday Evening Post, 1948). Mail count continued to exceed

508-564: A 1938 article by Time magazine, Maier's pulpit helped to preserve the heritage of liberty enjoyed by citizens of the United States. By its eighth season (1940–41) fifty-two foreign stations brought the Lutheran Hour ’s total to 310. This year the program received 200,000 communications, including as many as 5,000 items in a single day. The 1941/42 Lutheran Hour saw the entry of the United States into World War II . This year

635-591: A century of vitality, the Pietist theologians Philipp Jakob Spener and August Hermann Francke warned that orthodoxy had degenerated into meaningless intellectualism and formalism , while orthodox theologians found the emotional and subjective focuses of Pietism to be vulnerable to Rationalist propaganda. In 1688, the Finnish Radical Pietist Lars Ulstadius ran down the main aisle of Turku Cathedral naked while screaming that

762-402: A challenge on my behalf.” Despite further entreaty from the challenging institution, Darrow declined to enter the fray, much to the disappointment of Maier. During this period, Maier accepted speaking engagements nearly every weekend. Time magazine featured articles on his “Seven Fatal Follies” and “Back to Luther!” addresses at Ocean Grove (July 27, 1931 and Sept. 4, 1933 respectively). In

889-430: A chief spokesman for the vigorous reassertion of classic Christianity. A superb orator, with the educational background to support his positions, Maier possessed the ability to communicate traditional Christianity in an untraditional manner, (as one magazine writer quipped, “the soapbox delivery of a Harvard script”). His version of traditional Christianity was pure Protestant orthodoxy based on Scripture and mediated through

1016-545: A column published by the conservative LCMS group Concord, accused the LLL of waging "a massive, twisted PR battle" against Schulz, and of presenting him with "ultimatums that no pastor could agree to without denying his Ordination vows." Supporters of Schulz also argued that a drop in financial receipts at the ILLL, which led to layoffs and program cancellations in 2003, were attributable primarily to donor and listener dissatisfaction over

1143-432: A cost which had risen to $ 29,000 per program, or $ 1,500,000 per season, listeners continued to support the majority of the broadcast without being asked. These trends continued into Maier’s last year as Speaker. In 1949, ABC announced that they had decided to accept paid religious broadcasting. With this addition, the Lutheran Hour was now heard on 1236 stations worldwide. ABC and CBS also offered television facilities for

1270-464: A legacy to those of us that remain. At the time of his death, The Lutheran Hour that he founded had become the largest regular broadcast – secular or religious – in the history of radio. His books and transcriptions of those sermons are available online today. Maier was one of the pioneers of international broadcasting. Men such as Dr. Billy Graham credit Maier's work as inspirational for their own ministries. Maier fought for religious freedom and for

1397-437: A listening audience was estimated by counting each program's fan mail. 15,000 communications were received during the first few weeks of broadcasting. Within a few months, with the listening audience estimated at five million hearers, The Lutheran Hour was receiving more mail than such top secular shows as Amos ‘n’ Andy . The Lutheran Hour was featured in over eight-hundred newspapers nationwide and regularly selected by both

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1524-497: A manuscript whose text was completed before Maier's death, The Book of Nahum was a return to Maier's first love, Semitics. For many years, Maier had worked on this project in his leisure time, often stating his intention to fill his later years with such academic pursuits, once he retired from the limelight. This last work was an examination of the Biblical book of Nahum from the scholar's perspective. Maier's main interest lay in

1651-576: A newly constructed facility west of St. Louis in the suburb of Clayton. The Maier family moved into a house built on the Clayton campus, where Maier lived for the rest of his life. In March 1923 the Messenger featured a W.A.M. editorial entitled “Why not a Lutheran Broadcasting Station?” Its editor had long recognized the potential of radio to carry the gospel message to the masses, and dedicated numerous articles, editorials, conferences and addresses to

1778-619: A part of the program, the traditional conclusion of each broadcast with the speaker's offering of the Lord's Prayer continues. The show has had a number of speakers: In July 2002, weeks after his promotion from associate speaker to main speaker, Wallace Schulz was involved in an LCMS controversy that resulted in his leaving the broadcast. Acting in his capacity as LCMS Second Vice President, Schulz suspended LCMS Atlantic District president David Benke , ruling that Benke, by taking part in an inter-faith prayer event at Yankee Stadium to commemorate

1905-633: A particular emphasis on the Eucharist , or Lord's Supper, although Eastern Lutheranism uses the Byzantine Rite . Lutheran theology differs from Reformed theology in Christology , divine grace , the purpose of God's Law , the concept of perseverance of the saints , and predestination , amongst other matters. The name Lutheran originated as a derogatory term used against Luther by German Scholastic theologian Johann Maier von Eck during

2032-543: A radio sermon, he dealt with each subject exhaustively. The pica transcripts of his message were typically twenty-two to twenty-four pages long, with far more detail than he could include in a twenty-minute delivery. The complete messages were included in the published collections, which meant that a reader would get fresh information, even on a subject that he had already heard on the radio. The books averaged 350 - 400 pages each and served as resource materials for many Protestant ministers. The following excerpts are illustrative of

2159-543: A reform movement beginning in 1830. He also wrote about 1,500 hymns, including God's Word Is Our Great Heritage . In Norway , Hans Nielsen Hauge , a lay street preacher, emphasized spiritual discipline and sparked the Haugean movement, which was followed by the Johnsonian Awakening within the state-church as spearheaded by its namesake, dogmatician and Pietist Gisle Johnson . The Awakening drove

2286-462: A return to the orthodox theologians of the 17th century and opposed modern Bible scholarship. As editor of the periodical Evangelische Kirchenzeitung , he developed it into a major support of Neo-Lutheran revival and used it to attack all forms of theological liberalism and rationalism. Although he received a large amount of slander and ridicule during his forty years at the head of revival, he never gave up his positions. The theological faculty at

2413-530: A return to the show under condition that he accept stipulations for future conduct, but Schulz refused to accept these restrictions and thus did not return to the show. Schulz's removal, like the Benke case itself, proved controversial within the LCMS. His supporters argued that Schulz had a constitutional duty to rule in the case, and thus could not recuse himself upon the board of governors’ request. Eric Stefanski, in

2540-492: A rival of orthodoxy but adopted some devotional literature by orthodox theologians, including Arndt, Christian Scriver , and Stephan Prätorius . Rationalist philosophers from France and England had an enormous impact during the 18th century, along with the German Rationalists Christian Wolff , Gottfried Leibniz , and Immanuel Kant . Their work led to an increase in rationalist beliefs, "at

2667-454: A theological and historical defence against the historical criticism of the Bible. Dissenting Lutheran pastors were often reprimanded by the government bureaucracy overseeing them, for example, when they tried to correct Rationalist influences in the parish school. As a result of the impact of a local form of rationalism, termed Neology , by the latter half of the 18th century, genuine piety

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2794-643: Is a carrier of the "Word of God", or that only the communion of the Bishop of Rome has been entrusted to interpret the "Word of God". The Reformation in Sweden began with Olaus and Laurentius Petri , brothers who took the Reformation to Sweden after studying in Germany. They led Gustav Vasa , elected king in 1523, to Lutheranism. The pope's refusal to allow the replacement of an archbishop who had supported

2921-603: Is possibly an allusion to Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor , while the dog possibly refers to Peter Canisius . Another figure interpreted as a snail carrying a church tower is possibly a metaphor for the Protestant church. Also on the rock is the number 1599 and a phrase translating as "thus gets in the world". The historical period of Lutheran Orthodoxy is divided into three sections: Early Orthodoxy (1580–1600), High Orthodoxy (1600–1685), and Late Orthodoxy (1685–1730). Lutheran scholasticism developed gradually, especially for

3048-551: Is seen as God's Word because it has the same meaning as the original Hebrew and Greek. A mistranslation is not God's word, and no human authority can invest it with divine authority. Historically, Lutherans understand the Bible to present all doctrines and commands of the Christian faith clearly . In addition, Lutherans believe that God's Word is freely accessible to every reader or hearer of ordinary intelligence, without requiring any special education. A Lutheran must understand

3175-817: The Church Ordinance , should rest was "The pure word of God, which is the Law and the Gospel". It does not mention the Augsburg Confession . The priests had to understand the Holy Scripture well enough to preach and explain the Gospel and the Epistles to their congregations. The youths were taught from Luther's Small Catechism , available in Danish since 1532. They were taught to expect at

3302-749: The Federal Council of Churches petitioned the National Association of Broadcasters and the Federal Communications Commission formally requesting that all paid religious programs be barred from the air. The major radio networks at this time donated time to the three major divisions of organized religion in the United States: Protestant , Roman Catholic , and Judaism . Protestant programming had been placed under exclusive direction of

3429-739: The Inner Mission focused on renewing the situation home. Johann Gottfried Herder , superintendent at Weimar and part of the Inner Mission movement, joined with the Romantic movement with his quest to preserve human emotion and experience from Rationalism. Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg , though raised Reformed, became convinced of the truth of historic Lutheranism as a young man. He led the Neo-Lutheran Repristination School of theology, which advocated

3556-669: The Leipzig Debate in July 1519. Eck and other Roman Catholics followed the traditional practice of naming a heresy after its leader, thus labeling all who identified with the theology of Martin Luther as Lutherans. Martin Luther always disliked the term Lutheran , preferring the term evangelical , which was derived from εὐαγγέλιον euangelion , a Greek word meaning "good news", i.e. " Gospel ". The followers of John Calvin , Huldrych Zwingli , and other theologians linked to

3683-514: The Messenger through 1945. In 1922, Maier accepted the call to become Professor of Old Testament History and Interpretation at Concordia Seminary . At 29 years of age he was the youngest person to hold the rank of full professor in the institution's eighty-three year history. In order to take this post in St. Louis, Maier resigned as executive secretary of the Walther League, but retained

3810-515: The New York Herald Tribune and Post as a recommended program for Thursdays. The program ran for thirty-six weeks its first season, and received over 57,000 pieces of correspondence. Due to financial concerns, The Lutheran Hour was discontinued from June, 1931 through 1934. Discontinuation of the Lutheran Hour merely caused W.A.M. to redouble speaking efforts. He still had access to KFUO for local broadcasting; several times he

3937-688: The Prussian Union of Churches . The unification of the two branches of German Protestantism sparked the Schism of the Old Lutherans . Many Lutherans, called " Old Lutherans ", chose to leave the state churches despite imprisonment and military force. Some formed independent church bodies, or " free churches ", at home while others left for the United States, Canada and Australia. A similar legislated merger in Silesia prompted thousands to join

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4064-642: The Reformed tradition also used that term. To distinguish the two evangelical groups, others began to refer to the two groups as Evangelical Lutheran and Evangelical Reformed . As time passed by, the word Evangelical was dropped. Lutherans themselves began to use the term Lutheran in the middle of the 16th century, in order to distinguish themselves from other groups such as the Anabaptists and Calvinists . In 1597, theologians in Wittenberg defined

4191-780: The University of Erlangen in Bavaria became another force for reform. There, professor Adolf von Harless , though previously an adherent of rationalism and German idealism , made Erlangen a magnet for revival oriented theologians. Termed the Erlangen School of theology, they developed a new version of the Incarnation , which they felt emphasized the humanity of Jesus better than the ecumenical creeds. As theologians, they used both modern historical critical and Hegelian philosophical methods instead of attempting to revive

4318-532: The higher critical method. The 2008 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey conducted by the Pew Research Center surveyed 1,926 adults in the United States that self-identified as Lutheran. The study found that 30% believed that the Bible was the Word of God and was to be taken literally word for word. 40% held that the Bible was the Word of God, but was not literally true word for word or were unsure. 23% said

4445-696: The state religion of many parts of Northern Europe , starting with Prussia in 1525. In 1521, the split between Lutherans and the Roman Catholic Church was made public and clear with the Edict of Worms , in which the Diet condemned Luther and officially banned subjects of the Holy Roman Empire from defending or propagating Luther's ideas, facing advocates of Lutheranism with forfeiture of all property. Half of it would be then forfeited to

4572-603: The state religion of numerous states of northern Europe , especially in northern Germany , Scandinavia , and the then- Livonian Order . Lutheran clergy became civil servants and the Lutheran churches became part of the state. Lutheranism spread through all of Scandinavia during the 16th century as the monarchs of Denmark–Norway and Sweden adopted the faith. Through Baltic-German and Swedish rule, Lutheranism also spread into Estonia and Latvia . It also began spreading into Lithuania Proper with practically all members of

4699-477: The Americas usually agree to teach in harmony with the entire Lutheran confessions. Some Lutheran church bodies require this pledge to be unconditional because they believe the confessions correctly state what the Bible teaches. Others allow their congregations to do so "insofar as" the confessions are in agreement with the Bible. In addition, Lutherans accept the teachings of the first seven ecumenical councils of

4826-486: The Benke case in order to avoid alienating members holding differing views on the issue. When Schulz accepted the Benke case, the board relieved him of his duties while keeping him on the payroll, stating that the radio program had been "compromised" by Schulz's participation in church politics, and that it might serve to "polarize" the International Lutheran Laymen's League. The LLL offered Schulz

4953-401: The Bible was the written Word of God, and the only infallible guide for faith and practice. He held that every passage of Scripture has one straightforward meaning, the literal sense as interpreted by other Scripture. These teachings were accepted during the orthodox Lutheranism of the 17th century. During the 18th century, Rationalism advocated reason rather than the authority of the Bible as

5080-518: The Bible was written by men and not the Word of God. 7% did not know, were not sure, or had other positions. Although many Lutherans today hold less specific views of inspiration , historically, Lutherans affirm that the Bible does not merely contain the Word of God, but every word of it is, because of plenary, verbal inspiration, the direct, immediate word of God. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession identifies Holy Scripture with

5207-709: The Federal Council of Churches, but no single denomination had ever produced a nationwide radio show dedicated to spreading the gospel. Having persuaded the Missouri Synod of the validity of this project, Maier contacted the National Broadcasting Company early in 1930. He was disappointed to find that NBC would not donate air time to the Lutheran Church, or any other single denomination. Worse still, they would not even allow

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5334-585: The Icelandic government granted the Lutheran Hour use of 100,000-watt Radio Reykjavic for programs in English and Icelandic. For the first time, the Lutheran Hour would be heard in Europe. A mail count of 260,000 corroborated other means of audience measurement in creating an estimate of 10,000,000 listeners worldwide. The tenth season (1942/43) was the first to run for 52 weeks. The eleventh season (1943/44)

5461-609: The League's executive board was to discontinue funding of the Wheat Ridge Tuberculosis Sanatorium, an expensive facility maintained largely through League support. The young League executive visited the clinic himself, planning to deliver the bad news in person. But after seeing the need of the patients and the vision of the Wheat Ridge staff, and without consulting his board, Maier ended up pledging

5588-501: The League's support for capital expansion of the hospital. Amazingly, the young people of the Walther League were able to raise more than $ 200,000 in the following months to keep this promise. Today the Sanatorium is no longer needed, but a viable Wheat Ridge Ministries is still about "Lutherans seeding new ministries of health and hope in the name of the healing Christ." The new editor of The Walther League Messenger also enhanced

5715-711: The Lithuanian nobility converting to Lutheranism or Calvinism , but at the end of the 17th century Protestantism at large began losing support due to the Counter-Reformation and religious persecutions . In German-ruled Lithuania Minor , however, Lutheranism remained the dominant branch of Christianity. Lutheranism played a crucial role in preserving the Lithuanian language . Since 1520, regular Lutheran services have been held in Copenhagen . Under

5842-547: The Lutheran Church to purchase air time. NBC's policy, Maier was told, precluded putting religious time on a commercial basis. Maier then approached the Columbia Broadcasting System . CBS accepted paid religious programs but would the charge full commercial rate of $ 4500 per half-hour to broadcast over its thirty-four city network. An expense of over $ 200,000 annually seeming too much for the Synod during

5969-480: The Lutheran Day Festival at Ocean Grove, New Jersey. On Sunday, June 23, 1929, some 70,000 people attending the quadricentennial celebration of Luther's Catechism listened attentively to the event's featured speaker, Walter A. Maier. From this time onward, the eloquent Semitics Professor was destined to speak before audiences numbering in the tens of thousands. Soon after the Lutheran Hour went off

6096-578: The Lutheran Hour Chorus. The Lutheran Hour offered a tuition-free Correspondence Course entitled, “The Fundamentals of the Christian Faith.” The materials for this study series were also written by Maier – thirty lessons (with test sheets). In addition, Maier published five paperback Lenten devotionals from 1945- 1949. Culminating Maier's literary career was the long-researched The Book of Nahum . Published posthumously in 1959 from

6223-423: The Lutheran confessional traditions. In 1948, when Eleanor Roosevelt labeled him as a "fanatic fundamentalist," he replied with a sermon entitled, "You, Too, Should be a Fundamentalist!" (Roosevelt later retracted her charge and apologized to W.A.M.) From the time that The Lutheran Hour went off the national air in 1931, Maier never stopped working for its return. To avoid the prohibitive costs associated with

6350-483: The Lutheran young people's organization known as the Walther League was in need of a national director. Among other responsibilities, this office included editorship of the organization's monthly journal, The Walther League Messenger . Forsaking his cherished New England for this position in Milwaukee, Maier was installed as executive secretary on October 7, 1920. One of the first tasks suggested to Secretary Maier by

6477-538: The Old Lutheran movement. The dispute over ecumenism overshadowed other controversies within German Lutheranism. Despite political meddling in church life, local and national leaders sought to restore and renew Christianity. Neo-Lutheran Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe and Old Lutheran free church leader Friedrich August Brünn both sent young men overseas to serve as pastors to German Americans , while

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6604-502: The Pietist movement's drive to right social wrongs and focus on individual conversion. The Neo-Lutheran call to renewal failed to achieve widespread popular acceptance because it both began and continued with a lofty, idealistic Romanticism that did not connect with an increasingly industrialized and secularized Europe. The work of local leaders resulted in specific areas of vibrant spiritual renewal, but people in Lutheran areas became increasingly distant from church life. Additionally,

6731-399: The Reformation era. The doctrinal positions of Lutheran churches are not uniform because the Book of Concord does not hold the same position in all Lutheran churches. For example, the state churches in Scandinavia consider only the Augsburg Confession as a "summary of the faith" in addition to the three ecumenical creeds. Lutheran pastors, congregations, and church bodies in Germany and

6858-407: The Rocky Mountains. Commencing on Sunday, February 10, 1935, the Lutheran Hour proclaimed its second season from Epiphany Church in Detroit. Brace Beemer , the voice of WLW's original Lone Ranger, was the announcer and the noted Maier returned as Speaker. Over a thousand letters from sixteen states and Canada were received after the first broadcast, providing some gauge of the program's reach. During

6985-427: The Roman Catholic Church with regard to the authority of the institutional church , ex opere operato effectiveness of the sacraments, and the divine authority of clergy. Unlike Catholics, however, they also urged complete agreement with the Book of Concord . The Neo-Lutheran movement managed to slow secularism and counter atheistic Marxism , but it did not fully succeed in Europe. It partly succeeded in continuing

7112-435: The Word of God and calls the Holy Spirit the author of the Bible. Because of this, Lutherans confess in the Formula of Concord , "we receive and embrace with our whole heart the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the pure, clear fountain of Israel". The prophetic and apostolic Scriptures are confessed as authentic and written by the prophets and apostles. A correct translation of their writings

7239-722: The ability to read ancient cuneiform . The study of Semitics also led to his deep understanding of the history, literature, and culture of the ancient societies associated with these languages. In 1917, Harvard Divinity School awarded Maier the Billings Prize for oratory . He received an M.A. in Semitic language, literature and history from Harvard University in 1920; and in 1929 became the twentieth person to ever receive his doctorate from Harvard in Semitics. Since America's oldest college had been founded in 1636, an average of one successful candidate every fifteen years had received this degree. But academics were not Maier's only pursuit during these years at Harvard. Having been ordained into

7366-514: The acceptance of its teaching. This teaching produces faith and obedience. Holy Scripture is not a dead letter, but rather, the power of the Holy Spirit is inherent in it. Scripture does not compel a mere intellectual assent to its doctrine, resting on logical argumentation, but rather it creates the living agreement of faith. As the Smalcald Articles affirm, "in those things which concern the spoken, outward Word, we must firmly hold that God grants His Spirit or grace to no one, except through or with

7493-448: The air unless they are willing to pay prohibitively high prices....” Having overcome the disadvantage of providing its own financing, the Lutheran Hour was now the largest religious broadcast in radio. But the Federal Council sought to end all such endeavours, allowing no viewpoint except its own. Championing the cause of religious freedom and freedom of speech, Maier was a strong voice against such “totalitarian tendencies.” As portrayed in

7620-439: The air, Maier presented one of his most significant essays, “The Jeffersonian Ideals of Religious Liberty,” before the Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia . For this highly publicized conference on church-state relationships, W.A.M. was to share the rostrum with such notables as President Herbert Hoover and Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd . Maier's presentation was given a standing ovation, made headlines across

7747-492: The beginning of this Awakening tended heavily toward Romanticism, patriotism , and experience, the emphasis of the Awakening shifted around 1830 to restoring the traditional liturgy, doctrine, and confessions of Lutheranism in the Neo-Lutheran movement. This Awakening swept through all of Scandinavia except Iceland . It developed from both German Neo-Lutheranism and Pietism. Danish pastor and philosopher N. F. S. Grundtvig reshaped church life throughout Denmark through

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7874-452: The clergy. While this effectively granted official sanction to Lutheran ideas, Lutheranism did not become official until 1593. At that time the Uppsala Synod declared Holy Scripture the sole guideline for faith, with four documents accepted as faithful and authoritative explanations of it: the Apostles' Creed , the Nicene Creed , the Athanasian Creed , and the unaltered Augsburg Confession of 1530. Mikael Agricola 's translation of

8001-417: The completion of course requirements for both Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees, and the creation of a first draft of his doctoral dissertation, Slavery in the Time of the Hammurabi Dynasty . His perspicacity concerning Biblical Hebrew led to the mastery of other Semitic languages such as Arabic , Assyrian , and Babylonian , as well as the Hittite and Sumerian languages; and included

8128-450: The council, an organization which represented about thirty denominations but less than half of American Protestantism. Overtly liberal in its theology, the Federal Council would not sponsor a conservative, Christ-centered program such as the Lutheran Hour. Jealous of its privilege, the council's general secretary was on record as having said in 1929, “in the future, no denomination or individual church will be able to secure any time whatever on

8255-612: The depths of the Great Depression , the project was turned over to the Lutheran Layman's League. The L.L.L. had already shown enthusiasm for religious broadcasting, and had great respect for Maier. In the end, the L.L.L. and Walther League were able to raise commitments of $ 94,000 by late summer – enough to sign the contract with CBS and commence broadcasting. With Maier as Speaker, The Lutheran Hour premiered on Thursday, October 2, 1930, at 10:00 (Eastern) or 7:00 (Pacific); immediately following CBS's hit mystery, The Shadow . Polling systems for ratings had not yet been invented. The size of

8382-431: The disgrace of Finnish clergymen would be revealed like his current disgrace. The last famous orthodox Lutheran theologian before the rationalist Aufklärung , or Enlightenment , was David Hollatz . Late orthodox theologian Valentin Ernst Löscher took part in the controversy against Pietism . Medieval mystical traditions continued in the works of Martin Moller , Johann Arndt , and Joachim Lütkemann . Pietism became

8509-402: The doctrine that scripture is the final authority on all matters of faith. This contrasts with the belief of the Roman Catholic Church, defined at the Council of Trent , which contends that final authority comes from both Scripture and tradition . Unlike Calvinism , Lutheranism retains many of the liturgical practices and sacramental teachings of the pre-Reformation Western Church, with

8636-401: The end of life: "forgiving of their sins", "to be counted as just", and "the eternal life". Instruction is still similar. The first complete Bible in Danish was based on Martin Luther's translation into German . It was published in 1550 with 3,000 copies printed in the first edition; a second edition was published in 1589. Unlike Catholicism, Lutheranism does not believe that tradition

8763-437: The end of the Thirty Years' War , the compromising spirit seen in Philip Melanchthon rose up again in the Helmstedt School and especially in theology of Georgius Calixtus , causing the syncretistic controversy . Another theological issue that arose was the Crypto-Kenotic controversy. Late orthodoxy was torn by influences from rationalism , philosophy based on reason, and Pietism , a revival movement in Lutheranism. After

8890-531: The expense of faith in God and agreement with the Bible". In 1709, Valentin Ernst Löscher warned that this new Rationalist view of the world fundamentally changed society by drawing into question every aspect of theology. Instead of considering the authority of divine revelation, he explained, Rationalists relied solely on their personal understanding when searching for truth. Johann Melchior Goeze (1717–1786), pastor of St. Catherine's Church in Hamburg , wrote apologetical works against Rationalists, including

9017-426: The fact that Nahum predicted the fall of the Assyrian empire at around 650 BC, some forty years before the event actually occurred. Many modern higher-critical studies have assumed that Nahum must have been written after the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC, based upon the preconceived bias that prophecy is impossible or unscientific. Maier's work demonstrated that such predictions were in fact given many years in advance of

9144-561: The fairness of Jeffersonian policies toward church-state relations. Lutheran Bible Translators Theologians Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that identifies primarily with the theology of Martin Luther , the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 1517. Lutheranism subsequently became

9271-622: The fall of 1932, he and Michigan Governor Wilber M. Brucker addressed 11,000 at the Motor City's State Fair Coliseum to honor the bicentennial of George Washington ’s birth. Maier spoke before 16,000 at Olympia Stadium in Detroit in 1933, over 25,000 at Belle Isle in 1934. When the Lutheran Hour resumed in 1935, Maier continued to speak before capacity crowds, deeming the message more important than his own well-being. Maier became

9398-705: The family farm near Canaan, New Hampshire . Maier planned to enter the ministry from an early age. His family supported his goals by arranging for him to attend the Concordia Collegiate Institute in New York, an academy combining both high school and junior college in the fashion of a European Gymnasium . Here, young Maier learned Greek , Latin , and German , along with other background materials suitable for an aspiring Lutheran minister. And here he first developed his love for studies in Hebrew ,

9525-570: The final source of knowledge, but most of the laity did not accept this Rationalist position. In the 19th century, a confessional revival re-emphasized the authority of the Scriptures and agreement with the Lutheran Confessions. Today, Lutherans disagree about the inspiration and authority of the Bible. Theological conservatives use the historical-grammatical method of Biblical interpretation, while theological liberals use

9652-400: The fine arts, science and medicine, society and entertainment, business and labor. His object was to provide thinking church people with spiritual insights into current topics, a perspective not addressed in secular periodicals. During the quarter century under Maier as Editor Messenger circulation grew from 7,000 to 80,000, indicating that his target audience appreciated this approach. When

9779-638: The first Finnish New Testament was published in 1548. After the death of Martin Luther in 1546, the Schmalkaldic War started out as a conflict between two German Lutheran rulers in 1547. Soon, Holy Roman Imperial forces joined the battle and conquered the members of the Schmalkaldic League , oppressing and exiling many German Lutherans as they enforced the terms of the Augsburg Interim . Religious freedom in some areas

9906-470: The first network season, Maier and the radio committee of The Detroit Lutheran Pastoral Conference decided to recommence operations on the newly formed Mutual Broadcasting System . Although the reinstituted Lutheran Hour would broadcast on only eight stations, it included heavyweight WLW of Cincinnati. Broadcasting at 500,000 watts, or ten times the maximum output allowed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today, WLW could be heard anywhere east of

10033-416: The fledgling station, but repeatedly promised, “This is only the beginning!”. Although KFUO was well received and well supported, Maier envisioned a broader audience than could be reached by constructing local radio stations. By 1929, with the goal of spreading the gospel from coast-to-coast, he was investigating the logistics of network broadcasting. At this time, the major radio networks donated air time to

10160-489: The fulfillment. His work highlights twenty-two separate details in Nahum's prophecies which were literally fulfilled in the fall of Nineveh. Prof. George V. Schick finished the bibliography and edited the manuscript for publication. He died on January 11, 1950. Maier “returned to his Creator for entry into life everlasting” at 12:25 a.m. on January 11, 1950. He left behind a bereaved widow and two sons. But he also left

10287-640: The growth of foreign missions in Norway to non-Christians to a new height, which has never been reached since. In Sweden, Lars Levi Læstadius began the Laestadian movement that emphasized moral reform. In Finland, a farmer, Paavo Ruotsalainen , began the Finnish Awakening when he took to preaching about repentance and prayer. In 1817, Frederick William III of Prussia ordered the Lutheran and Reformed churches in his territory to unite, forming

10414-578: The holy ministry on May 20, 1917, Maier also served as assistant pastor for the Zion Lutheran Church in Boston from 1917 to 1920. To these duties he added service as a United States Army chaplain from 1918 onward. Much of his work in the chaplain corps was spent working with German prisoners of World War I being held in the Boston area. For his ministry to these captured Germans, Chaplain Maier

10541-428: The imperial government and the remaining half to the accusing party. The divide centered primarily on two points: the proper source of authority in the church , often called the formal principle of the Reformation, and the doctrine of justification , the material principle of Lutheran theology. Lutheranism advocates a doctrine of justification "by Grace alone through faith alone on the basis of Scripture alone",

10668-494: The invading forces opposing Gustav Vasa during the Stockholm Bloodbath led to the severing of any official connection between Sweden and the papacy in 1523. Four years later, at the Diet of Västerås  [ sv ] , the king succeeded in forcing the diet to accept his dominion over the national church. The king was given possession of all church properties, as well as the church appointments and approval of

10795-679: The language of the Christian Old Testament . After graduating as valedictorian of the Concordia Institute, Maier obtained his B.A. from Boston University in 1913. From there, he went directly to Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri , where he supported himself by selling Oliver typewriters . Here, once again, it was the Hebrew language and Old Testament studies that engrossed Maier. And once again, his love for

10922-488: The language that scriptures are presented in, and should not be so preoccupied by error so as to prevent understanding. As a result of this, Lutherans do not believe there is a need to wait for any clergy, pope, scholar, or ecumenical council to explain the real meaning of any part of the Bible. Lutherans confess that Scripture is united with the power of the Holy Spirit and with it, not only demands, but also creates

11049-572: The middle of the 16th century. These finally ended with the resolution of the issues in the Formula of Concord . Large numbers of politically and religiously influential leaders met together, debated, and resolved these topics on the basis of Scripture, resulting in the Formula, which over 8,000 leaders signed. The Book of Concord replaced earlier, incomplete collections of doctrine , unifying all German Lutherans with identical doctrine and beginning

11176-468: The name of Hulda Augusta Eickhoff. Impressed by the solid message and zestful writing style of the articles signed only with the initials “W.A.M.”, Miss Eickhoff decided to join the Walther League and become a part of their vision. Soon Hulda was elected secretary of the Indianapolis chapter. Her program material had to be approved by “W.A.M.” in Milwaukee, who became as smitten with her writing as she

11303-748: The nation the next morning, and was later published. Later in 1930, Maier was challenged by the Chicago Chapter of the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism to a debate with the renowned atheist, Clarence Darrow . The matter reached the newspapers, igniting strong sentiments from both Atheists and Christians . Clarence Darrow issued a statement to the Associated Press : “I never issued any challenge of this nature and no one has been authorized to issue such

11430-529: The national Lutheran Hour went off the air in 1931, many listeners wrote to express interest in continuing its message. Its speaker's first book, The Lutheran Hour , was a collection of broadcast sermons from that first season, intended to alleviate these concerns until a second season could be developed. When the Lutheran Hour broadcast resumed in 1935, the radio public continued to request sermons in printed form. This led to twenty volumes of published W.A.M. sermons during his years as Speaker. When Maier prepared

11557-449: The national reviews: …sober, sensible, and fervent talks on religion…that have moved many people to serious thinking…–Boston Globe, January 23, 1932 …a clarity unusual in this day of foggy verbiage. – Dallas Times-Herald, January 24, 1932 …earnest, evangelical, and absolutely sound…–The Christian Century, XLIX, 258 In 1934 Maier published For Better, Not for Worse: A Manual of Christian Matrimony . W.A.M. honestly believed that no one

11684-479: The next thirty-three years (1955–1988), heard on 1,200 stations in the U.S. and in thirty other nations. In 1992, the Lutheran Laymen's League selected "Lutheran Hour Ministries" as the overall identity for its media outreach programs. By 2012, The Lutheran Hour was heard on 800 stations in the U.S. and on the American Forces Network , consisting of organ and choral music preceding

11811-402: The noted Professor added detail and clarification. By the sixth printing, the matrimonial tome had reached 598 pages in length. The consensus of newspaper and magazine reviews was overwhelmingly favourable, although the work was regarded as academic and “ponderous” by some. Time devoted half of a 1935 article towards its review, and the following excerpt from Christianity Today is indicative of

11938-452: The obscuring of the Gospel teaching of justification by grace through faith alone. The Book of Concord , published in 1580, contains 10 documents which some Lutherans believe are faithful and authoritative explanations of Holy Scripture. Besides the three Ecumenical Creeds , which date to Roman times , the Book of Concord contains seven credal documents articulating Lutheran theology in

12065-430: The only presently available sources of divinely revealed knowledge, and the only infallible source of Christian doctrine. Scripture alone is the formal principle of the faith, the final authority for all matters of faith and morals because of its inspiration, authority, clarity, efficacy, and sufficiency. The authority of the Scriptures has been challenged during the history of Lutheranism. Martin Luther taught that

12192-566: The orthodoxy of the 17th century. Friedrich Julius Stahl led the High Church Lutherans . Though raised Jewish, he was baptized as a Christian at the age of 19 through the influence of the Lutheran school he attended. As the leader of a neofeudal Prussian political party, he campaigned for the divine right of kings , the power of the nobility , and episcopal polity for the church. Along with Theodor Kliefoth and August Friedrich Christian Vilmar , he promoted agreement with

12319-408: The overall response: This volume is a needed protest against the pagan, despiritualized conceptions of courtship, marriage and family relations that find such wide-spread expression today….It is more than a protest, however. It sets forth the constructive contributions which Christianity makes to married happiness. In 1931, Maier wrote the essay, “The Jeffersonian Ideals of Religious Liberty,” which

12446-561: The people shouted; "We will stand by the holy Gospel, and do not want such bishops anymore". Frederick's son was openly Lutheran, which prevented his election to the throne upon his father's death in 1533. However, following his victory in the civil war that followed, in 1536 he became Christian III and advanced the Reformation in Denmark–Norway . The constitution upon which the Danish Norwegian Church, according to

12573-528: The period of Lutheran Orthodoxy. In lands where Catholicism was the state religion, Lutheranism was officially illegal, although enforcement varied. Until the end of the Counter-Reformation , some Lutherans worshipped secretly, such as at the Hundskirke (which translates as dog church or dog altar), a triangle-shaped Communion rock in a ditch between crosses in Paternion , Austria. The crowned serpent

12700-634: The preceding outward Word". Lutherans are confident that the Bible contains everything that one needs to know in order to obtain salvation and to live a Christian life. There are no deficiencies in Scripture that need to be filled with by tradition, pronouncements of the Pope , new revelations, or present-day development of doctrine . Lutherans understand the Bible as containing two distinct types of content, termed Law and Gospel (or Law and Promises). Properly distinguishing between Law and Gospel prevents

12827-416: The program. Several such telecasts were produced beginning with a local show over St. Louis’ KSD-TV on New Year's Day, 1948. By end of year, 1949, the Lutheran Hour was broadcast from 55 countries to a potential listening audience of 450,000,000 in 120 different lands. Programming was translated into thirty-six languages, and plans were in motion to raise that tally to fifty. An agreement had been reached to add

12954-416: The publishing arm of the League. Editor Maier increased the size of the magazine, added features and pictures, wrote stirring editorials, and wrapped it all in a new, more appealing format. Through these improvements and the rapid growth of League membership under Maier's direction, the circulation of the Messenger doubled in a few months. One of these new readers was a young suburban Indianapolis teacher by

13081-608: The purpose of arguing with the Jesuits , and it was finally established by Johann Gerhard . Abraham Calovius represents the climax of the scholastic paradigm in orthodox Lutheranism. Other orthodox Lutheran theologians include Martin Chemnitz , Aegidius Hunnius , Leonhard Hutter , Nicolaus Hunnius , Jesper Rasmussen Brochmand , Salomo Glassius , Johann Hülsemann , Johann Conrad Dannhauer , Johannes Andreas Quenstedt , Johann Friedrich König , and Johann Wilhelm Baier . Near

13208-781: The rate which had produced 450,000 items in the previous season, culminating in a record of 17,000 letters received in one day. All of this indicated success for Maier's vision of “Bringing Christ to the Nations.” Maier was editor of the Walther League Messenger for twenty five years, from 1920 -1945. Once a month this magazine addressed timely issues, secular and religious, within an illustrated format which averaged sixty-four pages in length. Each issue included at least three editorials and articles authored by “W.A.M.” In over nine-hundred essays W.A.M. explored subjects ranging from archaeology, literature and education, music and

13335-537: The realization of this goal. Funded by appropriations from the Walther League, Lutheran Layman's League, friends, and seminary students, a 500 watt transmitter was purchased and the first Christian radio station was born at Concordia Seminary. The new station, designated KFUO by the Federal Radio Commission, first proclaimed “The Gospel Voice” upon a 545.1 meter wavelength on Sunday, December 14, 1924, at 9:15 p.m. Maier had two weekly programs on

13462-534: The reign of Frederick I (1523–1533), Denmark–Norway remained officially Catholic. Although Frederick initially pledged to persecute Lutherans, he soon adopted a policy of protecting Lutheran preachers and reformers, the most significant of which was Hans Tausen . During Frederick's reign, Lutheranism made significant inroads in Denmark. At an open meeting in Copenhagen attended by King Christian III in 1536,

13589-523: The responsibility of editor for the Messenger . Here Maier was known as “a bear in the classroom, but a prince at home,” by the generation of young seminarians to whom he expounded the Hebrew language and Old Testament exegesis . The same Professor Maier who kept impeccably high standards in the classroom was also known for inviting entire classes of students – sometimes over 100 strong – into his home for meals and entertainment. In 1926 Concordia Seminary moved from southern St. Louis on Jefferson Avenue into

13716-659: The revival movements were divided by philosophical traditions. The Repristination school and Old Lutherans tended towards Kantianism, while the Erlangen school promoted a conservative Hegelian perspective . By 1969, Manfried Kober complained that "unbelief is rampant" even within German Lutheran parishes. Traditionally, Lutherans hold the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the only divinely inspired books,

13843-495: The season, KFUO; WTJS , Jackson, Tenn.; and KLCN, Blytheville, Ark. joined the stations covering the Lutheran Hour. By the end of the fourteen broadcasts, over 16,000 letters had arrived from thirty-five states and several provinces of Canada. From its third season onward, the Lutheran Hour originated from KFUO on the Concordia Campus, a welcome relief from the 450 mile weekly commute to Detroit endured by Maier during

13970-657: The second season. By the fourth season, the Lutheran Hour was reaching west of the Rockies again with the addition of nine stations of California's Don Lee Network and KFEL in Denver. The total number of outlets was now thirty-one, almost as many as the original network contract provided for in 1930. This series received over 90,000 pieces of correspondence from every state of the Union as well as provinces of Canada and Mexico. The fifth season (1937–38) broadcast over sixty-two stations;

14097-628: The sixth (1938–39) sixty-six; and with the advent of electronic transcription, the seventh Lutheran Hour (1939–40) was aired on 171 radio stations. The Spanish Lutheran Hour was also added in 1939, originating with short-wave radio station HCJB (“The Voice of the Andes”) in Quito, Ecuador. Soon stations were added in Puerto Rico, Panama, Columbia, Venezuela, Bolivia, and the Philippines. In 1938

14224-522: The speaker's sermonette and a recitation of the Lord's Prayer . Michael Zeigler has been The Lutheran Hour 's speaker since October 2018. An engineering graduate of the Air Force Academy , he served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force until 2006, when he entered Concordia Seminary to become a Lutheran minister. He holds Master of Divinity and PhD degrees. Although music is no longer

14351-436: The speaker's removal. Opponents of Schulz's actions praised the decision to suspend the speaker, with many arguing, as a column published by the liberal LCMS organization Jesus First stated, that those who disagreed with Schulz's actions were "working hard to present views more representative of this church". Walter A. Maier Bible Translators Theologians Walter Arthur Maier (October 4, 1893 – January 11, 1950)

14478-479: The subject caused him to excel in it. Upon graduation in 1916, and in recognition of his proficiency in the field, young Maier was awarded a graduate fellowship in Old Testament studies at Harvard Divinity School . Due to the breadth of his academic goals, Maier studied at Harvard Divinity School from 1916 to 1918, and at Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences from 1918 to 1920. These four years saw

14605-451: The text of a new format of home devotional literature. The work consisted of calendar leaflets for each day of the year with a Scripture text, and a 200-word devotional printed on one side and a prayer and hymn verse on the other. W.A.M. produced twelve years of this series, entitled Day by Day ; with sales eventually rising to 50,000 annually. Phonograph record albums entitled Day by Day were also produced, with Maier meditations and hymns by

14732-414: The time that W.A.M. received the coveted Billings prize, he had received acclaim for remarkable gifts as a public speaker. In 1917, whilst attending Harvard, young Maier's addresses at Clinton, Massachusetts garnered glowing reviews from the local newspaper. By 1920, Executive Secretary Maier was addressing audiences numbering in the thousands. In 1925, he was keynote speaker before an audience of 10,000 for

14859-555: The title Lutheran as referring to the true church. Lutheranism has its roots in the work of Martin Luther , who sought to reform the Western Church to what he considered a more biblical foundation. The reaction of the government and church authorities to the international spread of his writings, beginning with the Ninety-five Theses , divided Western Christianity . During the Reformation, Lutheranism became

14986-559: The victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks , had engaged in syncretism and unionism , practices prohibited by the LCMS. (Benke's suspension was later overturned on appeal.) The show's board of governors, shortly following Schulz's elevation to main speaker, had requested that he recuse himself from the Benke adjudication to avoid "a conflict of interest" in his duties to the Lutheran Laymen's League, which operates Lutheran Hour Ministries and had not taken an official position on

15113-605: Was a noted radio personality, public speaker, prolific author, university professor, scholar of ancient Semitic languages and culture, Lutheran theologian and editor . He is best known as the speaker for The Lutheran Hour radio broadcast from 1930 to 1950. Maier was born in Boston , Massachusetts on October 4, 1893, the fourth of five children to German immigrants Emil William and Anna Katherine 'Grossie' Maier. Maier grew up in Boston as an integral part of this large, close-knit, devoutly Christian family, spending his summers at

15240-491: Was carried on 540 stations; the twelfth (1943/44) on 609; and the thirteenth (1944/45) on 809 stations. During the twelfth season the Mutual Broadcasting System enacted a new policy that prohibited solicitation of funds on the broadcast. Up to this time, contributions from radio listeners had supported about 75% of program costs, with Lutheran agencies and friends of the ministry providing the rest. Despite

15367-406: Was eventually presented with a Luther Bible , 2nd edition, 1541. Upon receipt of his M.A. degree in 1920, Maier was offered a number of university teaching positions which would have facilitated his preparation for the doctorate. Although the opportunity to continue his academic career obviously held great appeal, Maier chose to first answer the call of the church. Founded the year of Maier's birth,

15494-435: Was found almost solely in small Pietist conventicles. However, some of the laity preserved Lutheran orthodoxy from both Pietism and rationalism by reusing old catechisms, hymnbooks, postils , and devotional writings, including those written by Johann Gerhard , Heinrich Müller and Christian Scriver . Luther scholar Johann Georg Hamann (1730–1788), a layman, became famous for countering Rationalism and striving to advance

15621-491: Was invited to speak on The Lutheran Hour of Faith and Fellowship , a Detroit-based program which broadcast on a seven station network in Michigan and Indiana; he could reach the public through Messenger editorials; and he taught scores of young seminarians Semitic languages and culture, and how to apply this knowledge to a better understanding of Scripture. But Maier could also reach vast audiences through public speaking. From

15748-431: Was later published by Concordia. During World War II Maier wrote the well-known Wartime Prayer Guide . The sixty-six page booklet measured less than 3 X 5 inches, and was designed to fit in the uniform pockets of those in service. Several hundred thousand of these were printed by Concordia and distributed to those engaged in the war. Ernst Kaufmann Publishers of New York approached the eminent Professor in 1940 to author

15875-459: Was more happily married than he, and the intentions of many supposed experts to redefine the institution troubled him. Maier hoped that such a book, based upon a thorough study of the problem, would enable others to also obtain wedded bliss as a reality in their lives. ‘Thorough’ being the keyword, For Better, Not for Worse , included 504 pages of small type in its first edition. The book sold out five printings more quickly than expected, and each time

16002-718: Was secured for Lutherans through the Peace of Passau in 1552, and under the legal principle of Cuius regio, eius religio (the religion of the ruler was to dictate the religion of those ruled) and the Declaratio Ferdinandei (limited religious tolerance ) clauses of the Peace of Augsburg in 1555. Religious disputes among the Crypto-Calvinists , Philippists , Sacramentarians , Ubiquitarians , and Gnesio-Lutherans raged within Lutheranism during

16129-416: Was with his. It was just a matter of time before the handsome twenty-seven-year-old national secretary met the secretary of the Indianapolis chapter; a slender brunette with expressive brown eyes and sparkling smile who was destined to become his bride. Married in 1924, they eventually had two sons: Walter A. Maier II, born in 1925; and Paul L. Maier , born in 1929. Maier continued in his capacity as editor of

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