The Lutheran Handbook: A Field Guide to Church Stuff, Everyday Stuff, and the Bible [Paperback]

Kristofer Skrade (Editor), James Satter (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2005

The essential field guide for all things Lutheran. Confirmands — or anyone hiking the trails of life's adventures and challenges — will want to pack this handy illustrated field guide to Lutheran theology and culture. This enjoyable, easy-to-read, reliable, all-in-one collection helps you understand the essential information about our theology, culture and Lutheran way of life. Organized by Church Stuff, Everyday Stuff and Bible Stuff with how-to's like "How to Forgive Someone" and lists like "The Top-10 Bible Villains." Encapsulates essential principles of the Christian life, making many of the complexities of our religious tradition accessible for contemporary seekers.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"This is a fun book that affirms that Lutherans can (and must!) continue to laugh at themselves! It takes God very seriously but helps the reader to 'lighten-up!' It reminds me of the quote, 'Laughter is another way of crossing ourselves!'

From the picture of Luther on the cover (is this his confirmation photo?) to the final pages of 'tongue in check' humor, these pages are a great mix of what life is all about — hurts and hoorays, Good Fridays and Easters, life and death, praying and playing! The only addition I would have made is to have each page contain a 'caution flag' that would state either, 'I'm serious' or 'I'm kidding!' to assist the reader to know how to react! I know many Lutherans who will spend an inordinate amount of time thinking whether or not they should laugh, cry, pray, or scratch their heads...and certainly look around to see if anyone else is looking before they respond accordingly!

I commend the editors and Augsburg for taking the Lord seriously enough to allow the Lord's followers to 'lighten-up' in the Lord of Laughter and Life! Let's continue to 'Pray, Play...and Give Thanks!" — Dr. Rich Bimler, President, Wheat Ridge Ministries

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers (March 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806651792
• ISBN-13: 978-0806651798
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #113,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Protestantism > Lutheran

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, funny, orthodox, and Faithful, May 12, 2005

By 

R. Stout (Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lutheran Handbook: A Field Guide to Church Stuff, Everyday Stuff, and the Bible (Paperback)

You have no idea how excited I've been about this book. It's a thing of pure beauty. It is history, geography, sociology, practicality, theology, and -- perhaps most importantly -- great oozing masses of offbeat humor. It is hands-down the best single piece of popular religious writing and armchair theology that I've seen. Funny, intelligent, down-to-earth, comically illustrated, and irreverent. It's everything you need to see what good, orthodox, traditional Christianity is all about. (And it's a good tool for defense against extremist nutjobs!)

It's set up in the same format as the ever-famous Worst Case Scenario guides. From chapters on camparative religion, a family tree of Christian denominations, and anatomical drawings of a proper Crucifixion, to a history of the Church, Medieval life, and good orthodox Christian theology, this book is perfect for people who know nothing of religion, perfect for Christians of any stripe, and perfect for life-long Lutherans. My home parish bought 100 of them and sold out immediately. My work parish just ordered 25 and we've already pre-sold several.

Did I mention there's a section on HOW TO AVOID BEING BURNED AT THE STAKE? Also tips on what to request if you can't avoid being burned at the stake. I kid you not. Another list includes ways to cast the Devil out from your presence. #6 is "break wind," and is noted as one of Luther's favorites. Also included:

How to Stay Alert During a Boring Church Service
Five Grossest Bible Stories
Five Weirdest Old Testament Laws
How to Perform a Crucifixion
How to Reform the Church
History's Six Most Notorious Heretics
Three Most Rebellious Things Jesus Did
Five Funniest Stories in the Bible

I've highlighted the humor, but this handbook is no satire. It is a serious, joyous, and thoroughly Christian document meant to educate, entertain, and deepen one's relationship with God and Christ's Church. It also includes guides on how to appreciate liturgy, how to deepen your experience of a worship service, how to find famous stories in the Bible, how to understand miracles, how to approach Scripture, how to live as a Christian in your everyday life... Honestly, this book is simply priceless. By all means, buy it, and pick a few copies up for your friends and loved ones.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short, sweet chapters get the point across . . . the basics of Lutheranism, July 30, 2005

By 

A. Long (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Lutheran Handbook: A Field Guide to Church Stuff, Everyday Stuff, and the Bible (Paperback)

I love this little book! Modeled on the "Worst-Case Scenario Survival" handbooks, it covers basic Christian tenants with a focus on Lutheranism. It's published by Augsburg Fortress, the publishing arm of the ELCA, however it's not overtly ELCA (I think LCMS and WELS Lutherans could appreciate it also). It's probably geared to young adults, but anyone can benefit from it. It covers important basics in a clear, concise way and, in many cases, with a light-hearted tone. It's refreshing to read the chapters about things you've known all your life, like how to pray. The chapters covering the seasons of the church year, comparing various denominations, 60 essential Bible stories, and how to be saved by grace through faith and not good works are particularly good. It also contains chapters on Martin Luther and the Lutheran Reformation, which are distilled down to the simplest terms and are very helpful for getting a basic understanding. And the introduction to "Luther's Small Catechism" is a great primer before delving into the work itself. Unless you're a religious scholar, there's something here for you. What a great $10 investment! I'll refer to this little gem for many years to come!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Whate Everyone should know about Lutherans, October 15, 2005

By 

E. J. Luedtke "revdrum.blogspot.com" (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lutheran Handbook: A Field Guide to Church Stuff, Everyday Stuff, and the Bible (Paperback)

As a born and bred Lutheran living in the Southeast (where you drive by 15 "other" denominational churches before finding the closest Lutheran church) I find this book to be a necessity for people who ask the question, "Just what is a Lutheran anyway?"

With the characteristically Lutheran sense of humour (that'd be a dry one that makes more fun of the self than anyone else) this book approaches the core beliefs of the Lutheran church in a witty and entertaining way that still does an excellent job of informing the reader.

As someone who slept through much of confirmation class, this book reminded me of many pieces of information I should have known as well as brought along some interesting trivial points that just made me laugh.