Sacred Storytelling: The Autobiography of Johannes Strieter (1829–1920) and Related Sources
Ebook
Overview
After emigrating from Germany to Michigan at age seven, Johannes Strieter (1829-1920) served as a confessional Lutheran pastor in Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana amid almost unbelievable hardships. Though not a well-known person himself, his life’s path intersected with that of numerous distinguished persons--August Cramer, Friedrich Wyneken, J. C. W. Lindemann, C. F. W. Walther, and John C. Pritzlaff, just to name a handful. Through his recollections, we also encounter firsthand the Ojibwa; the Civil War; the establishment and founding of roads, cities, churches, and schools; and we travel by sea, lake, river, canal, railroad, horseback, buggy, stagecoach, and on foot. We accompany him as he nearly kills his sister; is spared in a terrible accident; falls in love; navigates difficult pastoral situations and decisions; gets drafted into the Union Army; buries some of his children; ministers to the troubled, misguided, sick, and dying; and finally retires to Michigan on account of deafness. Translated afresh from Strieter’s original manuscript and presented with twelve appendices to supplement his autobiography, Sacred Storytelling is a treasure trove of adventure, perspective, entertainment, courage, and conviction.
“Johannes Strieter doesn’t strike one as a normal pastor. From
growing up on the frontier with Indians to becoming a seminary
student and a pastor, his is a life of twists and turns. Nathaniel
Biebert provides a fresh translation of the original German
autobiography, along with insights into the life and times of
Strieter. Although it reads like a novel, this is real life.”
—James F. Korthals, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
“Pastor Biebert’s painstaking scholarship and historian’s
thoroughness honor both God and the man our family has always
called simply ‘Johannes.’ This edition of my
great-great-grandfather’s autobiography brings him to life as an
intensely practical and devout servant of Christ, with a heart for
the lost: a true pastor. He tells us his story in plain,
matter-of-fact language. But his is no ordinary story; it is a
lifelong adventure of proclaiming his Savior’s love.”
—Winfried Strieter, great-great-grandson of Johannes Strieter
“Johannes Strieter was a pioneer pastor ministering to scattered
German immigrants on the frontier of the upper Midwest. He was a
master storyteller with the ability to bring to life the everyday
challenges faced by the people he served and the vicissitudes of
the pastoral ministry in nineteenth-century America. His stories
are not only entertaining, but they also offer insights into human
nature and life in times past. Sacred Storytelling is a good
read for those who enjoy a good story and for those who are eager
to gain firsthand information about a bygone era. Pastor Nathaniel
Biebert is to be commended for putting Strieter’s lively German
into contemporary English for a new generation of readers.”
—John M. Brenner, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
- Title: Sacred Storytelling: The Autobiography of Johannes Strieter (1829–1920) and Related Sources
- Authors: Johannes Strieter, Nathaniel J. Biebert
- Publisher: Resource Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2020
- Logos Release Date: 2021
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781725277441, 9781725277427, 9781725277434, 1725277441, 1725277425, 1725277433
- Resource ID: LLS:9781725277441
- Resource Type: text.monograph.autobiography
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-29T20:25:31Z
Nathaniel J. Biebert is a Lutheran pastor in Austin, Texas. A
graduate of Martin Luther College (BA, 2005) and Wisconsin Lutheran
Seminary (MDiv, 2009), he is the author and translator of Luther
at the Manger (2017) and Heaven Is My Fatherland (2020)
and has contributed articles and translations to the WELS
Historical Institute Journal, Wisconsin Lutheran
Quarterly, and Forward in Christ. He is a 2018 recipient
of the Concordia Historical Institute’s Award of
Commendation.