Dear fellow servants of the Word,
When Chris Cordes, the Vice President of Publishing at Northwestern Publishing House, asked me if I would write a letter to pastors announcing the release of the latest NPH professional book, The Wauwatosa Theology, Volume IV, I happily agreed to do it. I had served as the compiling editor for The Wauwatosa Theology, Volumes I-III, and again now for Volume IV. Like its predecessor volumes, this fourth volume is a collection of writings by the three Wauwatosa theologians from the first part of the 20th century: J. P. Koehler, August Pieper, and John Schaller. (I assume that everyone reading this email letter has some familiarity with the authors and that they need no further introduction from me.)
The Wauwatosa Theology, Volume IV contains a collection of 19 writings originally composed in German and translated into English for publication, six each by Koehler and Pieper, and seven by Schaller. Only one of the essays chosen for this volume was previously translated and published in the Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly: Pieper’s “Our Transition into English,” translated and condensed by John C. Jeske. Here is a link to the “Look Inside” webpage for the book, which includes the table of contents and the first 20 pages of the first essay.
Leading off the essays in this collection is Koehler’s exquisite book-length essay, “Faith, the Quintessence of Christian Life on Earth.” Instead of trying to summarize what the entire essay is about in only a few sentences, I will simply invite you to read the sample 20 pages, where Koehler begins to develop his grand theme.
As you scan the rest of the titles in the table of contents, you will see a variety of topics covered: Scripture study and exegesis, Christian doctrine, church practice, and church history. In all of these writings, the aim of the authors is evident: to feed pastors’ souls that they might grow in their faith in Jesus Christ and in their understanding of his saving gospel. I heartily commend this latest volume of writings of the Wauwatosa theologians to you for your reading, study, and reflection.
With you in Christ,
Curtis A. Jahn
Compiling Editor for The Wauwatosa Theology, Volume IV