The Lutheran History Podcast

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  Celebrating 500 Years of Luther's Deutsche Messe with Daniel Baker 02.10.2026 1Std.

  Return to Wittenberg Conference In this episode (TLHP 82), we are joined by Daniel G. Baker to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Luther's "German Mass." We discuss Baker's article, “The False Dichotomy of Formula Missae and Deutsche Messe.” Luther’s two major orders of service are often treated as representing competing liturgical traditions: the Formula Missae preserving the historic Latin Mass and the Deutsche Messe representing a distinctly German alternative. Baker challenges that interp...
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  "Warning!" The Case of Ludwig Nietmann 04.09.2026 47Min.

  Image: Ludwig Nietmann This episode (TLHP 81) welcomes returning guest, Pastor Justin Dauck, to examine the complex and often overlooked figure of Ludwig Nietmann, a 19th-century Lutheran pastor whose life and ministry intersect with the early development of the Wisconsin Synod. Beginning with Nietmann’s background prior to his arrival in America, the conversation traces his path into the synod and situates his ministerial work within the broader context of immigrant Lutheranism on the Ameri...
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  Special Update: Podcast IN PERSON Event 29.08.2026

  Click here for registration and more information! Support the show Podcast Meet and Greet October 8 Confessional Languages ScholarshipThe Wauwatosa Diary (book)YouTubeWebsite email: [email protected] the Host: Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College (BA with a German emphasis) and a graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018. Ben has been a regular writer and presenter on various Lutheran history topics. His 2018 thesis on W...
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  "The Lutheran Hymnal" (TLH) and Americanization in the Synodical Conference with Elisabeth Urtel 01.05.2026 1Std. 7Min.

  In this episode (TLHP 80), we explore the story behind The Lutheran Hymnal (1941) and the remarkable collaboration that brought it into existence. Drawing on Elisabeth J. Urtel’s recent dissertation, the conversation traces how the Missouri, Wisconsin, Norwegian, and Slovak synods of the Synodical Conference worked together to produce a shared English-language hymnal during a time of profound cultural change. The discussion examines how the shift from German and other immigrant languages to E...
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  The Reformation of Suffering with Ronald Rittgers 03.04.2026 38Min.

  In this episode (TLHP 79), we talk with Dr. Ronald Rittgers about his book The Reformation of Suffering: Pastoral Theology and Lay Piety in Late Medieval and Early Modern Germany. Join us for a fascinating discussion of what was retained from the Late-Medieval focus on human suffering in the Reformation, and what was incompatible with the renewed focus on the biblical doctrine of salvation. Finally, we discussed how our current age seeks to distance itself from questions and acknowledg...
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  Lutherans and the American Revolution: God on Three Sides with Jonathan Wilson PART II 06.03.2026 31Min.

  Image: Mythic depiction of PETER MUHLENBERG AT WOODSTOCK, VIRGINIA Note: the guest wishes to clarify that he meant a $10 bill, not $100, in reference to Hamilton. In God on Three Sides, Jonathan M. Wilson explores how German Pietist communities experienced and interpreted the American Revolution, a war that forced believers to wrestle with loyalty, violence, and obedience to God in a time of political upheaval. Drawing on sermons, letters, and personal writings, Wilson shows how Pietists on a...
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  Lutherans and the American Revolution: God on Three Sides with Jonathan Wilson PART I 06.02.2026 48Min.

  Image: German and British officers with a chaplain in 1777. In God on Three Sides, Jonathan M. Wilson explores how German Pietist communities experienced and interpreted the American Revolution, a war that forced believers to wrestle with loyalty, violence, and obedience to God in a time of political upheaval. Drawing on sermons, letters, and personal writings, Wilson shows how Pietists on all sides of the conflict—Patriot, Loyalist, and neutral—understood the war through a shared theol...
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  Lutheranism and American Culture in the Civil War Era with Tim Grundmeier 16.01.2026 1Std. 2Min.

  In this episode (TLHP 76), we welcome back Dr. Tim Grundmeier from MLC to talk about his newly published book. Lutheranism and American Culture examines the transformation of the nation’s third-largest Protestant denomination over the course of the nineteenth century. In the antebellum era, leading voices within the church believed that the best way to become American was by modifying certain historic doctrines deemed too Catholic and cooperating with Anglo-evangelicals in revivalism and soci...
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  Full Citation:Utilizing an Archival Storehouse with Nathan Ericson 12.12.2025 43Min.

  The most important WELS history resource might not sit on a shelf — it’s already in your browser. In this episode (TLHP 75), we sit down with Professor Nathan Ericson, Library Director at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and Editor of the Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, to explore the quiet engine behind much of modern WELS scholarship: Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Digital Library. We discuss how thousands of digitized papers—from convention essays to rare historical documents—form an indispensable r...
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  Martin and Katherina's Marriage: Details Less Often Told with Nathaniel Biebert 31.10.2025 53Min.

  What was it like to witness Martin Luther’s wedding—and even his bridal chamber? In this episode (TLHP 74), we explore Justus Jonas’s vivid letter announcing Luther’s marriage to Katharina von Bora, complete with tears, friends, and ancient wedding customs that may shock modern ears. Along the way, we’ll uncover the surprising role of the best man, the significance of Luther’s marriage for Reformation theology, and why vocation and family life became so central to his legacy. Meet and Greet R...
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  Who was Siegbert Becker? with John Brenner 03.10.2025 39Min.

  In this episode (TLHP 73) of The Lutheran History Podcast, Dr. John M. Brenner joins to share insights from his recent article on Professor Siegbert W. Becker, a major voice in confessional Lutheran theology during the 20th century. Listeners will be introduced to Becker’s life, teaching, and legacy, and gain a better understanding of the challenges he faced—and the convictions he held—in a time of great theological unrest. Becker’s story spans some of the most critical decades in American L...
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  Pennsylvania’s “Youthful Daughter” the Early History of the Wisconsin Synod with Tim Grundmeier 05.09.2025 56Min.

  In this episode (TLHP 72) 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 societies and eventual fellowship with the Missouri Synod, Dr. Grundmeier highlights an often underappreciated chapter in WELS history: its f...
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  Who was Henry A. Koch? 08.08.2025 51Min.

  In this special episode (TLHP 71), 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 research, including access to Koch’s letters, diary, and unpublished materials preserved by his family. Together, they trace Koch’s theological ...
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  The Wisconsin Synod Prints in German 06.06.2025 37Min.

  This is a special episode (TLHP 70) 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 ecclesiastical organization, immediately needed printed materials in its native language that would serve the needs of its people in a new...
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  Christ Through Us- WELS 175th Pictorial History with Joel Otto 02.05.2025 23Min.

  In this WELS 175th episode (TLHP 69), 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 Podcast Meet and Greet October 8 Confessional Languages ScholarshipThe Wauwatosa Diary (book)YouTubeWebsite email: [email protected] the Host: Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College (BA with a German emphasis) and a graduate from Wisconsin L...
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  175 Years of Change in WELS Worship with Joel Otto 05.04.2025 40Min.

  In this WELS 175th episode (TLHP 68), we talk with Joel Otto, the anniversary committee chairman, about what WELS worship has looked like in the past and how it has changed. Meet and Greet Registration Support the show Podcast Meet and Greet October 8 Confessional Languages ScholarshipThe Wauwatosa Diary (book)YouTubeWebsite email: [email protected] the Host: Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College (BA with a German emphasis) and a graduate f...
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  Who was Adolf Hoenecke? with James Danell 07.03.2025 1Std. 16Min.

  image: Adolph Hoenecke from the host's family photo collection. In this WELS 175th episode (TLHP 67), 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 spirit and theology of the Wisconsin Synod. Not only does Danell teach the German language, but his advanced classes read through Germ...
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  The Importance of Learning German for Lutheran History with James Danell 07.02.2025 23Min.

  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. Episode TLHP 66. Support the show Podcast Meet and Greet October 8 Confessional Languages ScholarshipThe Wauwatosa Diary (book)YouTubeWebsite email: [email protected] the Host: Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Lut...
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  Brand Luther with Jared Natsis and Phil Moldenhauer 28.01.2025 44Min.

  This is a cross-over episode (TLHP 65) 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 practice of pastoral ministry. Each episode features Lutheran pastors discussing a book that is salient to their work. The views, thou...
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  The Election Controversy Revisited with Peter Prange 10.01.2025 1Std. 8Min.

  In this episode (TLHP 64), 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. Meet and Greet Registration Support the show Podcast Meet and Greet October 8 Confessional Languages ScholarshipThe Wauwatosa Diary (book)YouTubeWebsite email: [email protected] the Host: Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Mar...