Hermann Sasse (1895–1976)

I will first and foremost admit that I have not read the entire book as it is a fairly hefty book, but since it is a book of letters, I think being more than halfway done I have a good enough impression of the book.

I have to say that I have really enjoyed what I have been reading. It is both challenging, fun to read (for theology letters), and it gives a good insight into the man Hermann Sasse. Sasse has a way of writing that is filled with insight, has some strong Lutheran theology (even though it may be different from today's theology), but shows a wonderful insight into history.

The book is divided into really two parts. The first are contributions from people who knew Sasse and have received his letters and the second part are Sasse's letters. As much as I enjoyed reading the insights from the church leaders, I did think it was a bit heavy in the beginning. I wanted to get into Sasse's letters right away after reading just a few of the insights and there were 19 insights to get through.

I did enjoy that through the letters, there are themes and historical contexts to bring the reader up to date where we were in history and what Sasse was addressing. I found myself skipping to themes I wanted to read about first.

Personally, I did not know who Sasse was, but after reading this, I am glad I "met" him through his letters. Great read.… (mehr)

This is a whopper of a book. It catalogues the translated letters of Hermann Sasse, a confessional Lutheran theologian, written from 1948 to 1951. At this point in his career, he had survived the National Socialist regime of World War II Germany and had been teaching religious studies for two decades at the University of Erlangen. In 1949, he moved to Adelaide to teach at the seminary at the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Australia. These letters detail his concerns with confessional faith, Lutheran ecumenism, and how a body of churches should teach its theological precepts to the world.

It takes a lot of will power to mow through these letters. Sasse’s philosophy is precise and pointed. He has clear objections to some rituals and theosophies that other churches use in their masses. But more so, he has a lot to say about how a person approaches their faith. He believes that everything one does in relation to religion must have meaning, depth, understanding, and precision. Without any of these, many of the acts done by the faithful are simply pantomime.

Sasse’s letters are also erudite almost to a fault. His communications with his fellow pastors frequently reference the entire history of the Lutheran schism with the Catholic Church and he isn’t afraid to lace his invectives with historical minutiae. For students of Lutheran philosophy, these letters will contain a treasure trove of information. But for everyone else, there is the danger that this collection will just be seen as the irate ramblings of a person who wants other Protestants to think like him. I can sympathize with Sasse, though, and if you believe in something hard enough, then you just might as well.… (mehr)