Nearly 500years after Martin Luther nailed his 95-theses to the church door atWittenberg, the Lutheran Church has split again and again. What went wrong?Thesethought-provoking testimonies by eleven former Lutherans reveal how far theLutheran Church has strayed from Luther. They include moving stories from fourformer female pastors, three former pastors, and others. Their intenselypersonal stories address the differences between Lutheranism and Catholicism -differences so profound that they have led many into the Catholic Church.Whether youare Lutheran or Catholic you'll come away from this book with a new, andperhaps life-changing perspective.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Introduces 11 new voices into the ever-growing chorus of those who are drawn to the Church Christ established. -- Patrick Madrid, author of Surprised by Truth
The first book of its kind – it includes beautiful and memorable testimonials of love for God and the Church. -- Catholic Servant, December, 2001
This book explodes the conventional myth that says there is very little difference between contemporary Lutheranism and Catholicism. -- Catholic Dossier, September/October, 2001
This is a gentle, reverent and honest book, pointing to fullness, beauty, goodness and truth. -- National Catholic Register, April 2001
This splendid book has a powerful, encouraging moral for the Church. -- Culture Wars, September 2001
[There We Stood] is a much-needed resource for Lutherans seeking the fullness of the Catholic faith. -- Marcus Grodi, host of EWTN's The Journey Home
The first book of its kind – it includes beautiful and memorable testimonials of love for God and the Church. -- Catholic Servant, December, 2001
This book explodes the conventional myth that says there is very little difference between contemporary Lutheranism and Catholicism. -- Catholic Dossier, September/October, 2001
This is a gentle, reverent and honest book, pointing to fullness, beauty, goodness and truth. -- National Catholic Register, April 2001
This splendid book has a powerful, encouraging moral for the Church. -- Culture Wars, September 2001
[There We Stood] is a much-needed resource for Lutherans seeking the fullness of the Catholic faith. -- Marcus Grodi, host of EWTN's The Journey Home
From the Author
When my wife Mary, a lifelong Catholic, and I, a lifelong Lutheran, were first considering marriage we frequently heard the admonishment that, “Lutherans and Catholics are so alike today that there really is very little difference between the two.” Well-meaning family and friends were trying to emphasize our similarities and make light of our differences to provide us some comfort in the decision we had made to spend the rest of our lives together. Yet, I asked myself, if the two are so similar, then why are they still divided?
While Mary and I had discussed the similarities and differences during our courtship it didn’t take long into our marriage for those differences to rear their ugly head. Such differences included why Mary needed to attend a Catholic Church even if she had attended a Lutheran service, why I couldn’t receive Holy Communion in a Catholic Church, as well as the usual Protestant misunderstandings regarding Mary, the Saints, and the Pope. It would be six years before I would fully understand the context of those differences.
Certainly, Catholics and Lutherans are similar in many ways. They are both liturgical. A visitor to both would find that the readings are the same on most Sundays. Both share similar prayers and share the sacraments of baptism, marriage, and Holy Communion. Both follow a Catechism. However, to ignore the differences is to ignore the actions of Martin Luther nearly 500 years ago, and the more than 20,000 Protestant denominations that have arisen since the original split. To ignore this fact is to suggest that Catholicism and Lutheranism are more similar than they really are. This is a disservice to both.
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More About the Author
Tim Drake is an award-winning author and journalist. He currently serves as senior writer with the National Catholic Register. He has published more than 600 articles in a variety of newspapers and magazines, is the author of six books, and contributor to half a dozen other titles. He has appeared on Vatican Radio, Fox News, EWTN and numerous radio programs nationwide.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From Reformation to Rome,
By Gord Wilson "alivingdog.com" (Bellingham, WA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE)
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This review is from: There We Stood, Here We Stand : Eleven Lutherans Rediscover Their Catholic Roots (Paperback)
A few years back British Airways had an arresting ad slogan for travel to England: "Come home America, all is forgiven." Along with Pope John Paul II offering apologies on behalf of the Church, Rome has been echoing this slogan to the Reformation churches. In this book, eleven Lutherans tell why they took up the offer. This book differs somewhat from the general interest, dumbed-down sort of conversion story. Few of these writers would sum up with the line from "Amazing Grace," "I once was blind, but now I see." These stories are far more involved and candid than you would expect. They give interesting insights into the differences and commonalities in the various Lutheran bodies, and the book may be of interest to Catholics wondering how Protestants view their communion. Most of all, however, this book will be of interest to Protestants of various stripes who share a lively interest in spiritual things and will find echoes in these writers' accounts of their own life stories.
39 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
You don't have to be Lutheran to enjoy this book...,
This review is from: There We Stood, Here We Stand : Eleven Lutherans Rediscover Their Catholic Roots (Paperback)
...nor even a Catholic. Anybody with an interest in the Catholic faith and why people from Protestant denominations 'cross the Tiber' will find this title on par with other great apologetics books in print. There We Stood chronicles eleven former Lutherans -- including a few female pastors -- on their spiritual journeys and how issues such as the Lutheran church's stance on abortion and how Martin Luther's original teachings differ from that of the church today affected their decisions to convert. I enjoyed reading especially the stories of the female pastors, all of whom were fully aware that their ordinations would not transfer over to the Catholic faith as they might for a male pastor, even a married one. To read how they decided Christ in His Church was more important was truly inspiring, and they prove that women do have an important place in the Church, serving through various other ministries. All in all There We Stood is a well-written collection of essays and a wonderful testimony for the Catholic faith. It's been said the Church's greatest promoters are converts, and this book proves that theory.
28 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For Lutherans and those who love them.,
By A Customer
This review is from: There We Stood, Here We Stand : Eleven Lutherans Rediscover Their Catholic Roots (Paperback)
Here are chronicled the conversion stories of 11 former Lutherans to the Catholic faith, as told by the converts themselves. This new compilation adds to the growing collection of conversion stories that have increased in popularity in the past several years. This collection is unique, however, in that it focuses on Lutheran converts, a population that is surprisingly not well documented in other conversion collections. This volume's contribution lies in what some of its writers reveal so clearly--that modern Lutheranism is so radically departed from even basic Christian teachings, not to mention its departure from what Luther taught or intended. It is this that comes through most clearly in these stories. Many of the converts' eyes were opened when they looked at what has become of the Protestant Reformation-a myriad of splinter groups, even among professed Lutherans, that in many cases resemble little of their namesake's own beliefs or ideals. The book explodes the conventional myth that says there is very little difference between contemporary Lutheranism and Catholicism. Were that true, conversion would have been either far easier for these men and women or simply not necessary at all. The stories reveal that it is precisely because of these differences that the Holy Spirit led these people where He has. The book includes the stories of six former Lutheran pastors, one of whom is now a Catholic priest, and four of whom are women. The female pastors had the additional task of crossing the divide of modern feminism to embrace a faith that, in radical feminist circles, is often criticized as oppressive to women. Their tales are eye-opening and revealing of the power of truth. The converts explore the depth of many of the theological issues that sparked the Reformation and that divide Lutherans and Catholics today. The Lutheran reader will gain a fresh sense of contemporary Lutheran thought; a non-Lutheran will learn much about the development of Lutheran theology and the history of the American Lutheran Church in the past several decades. In particular one learns of the variety of Lutheran synods and the critical divisions caused by the Seminex crisis in the mid-1970's. Catholic readers cannot help but gain a new appreciation for their faith. The reader will also delight in seeing among the influences on these converts' lives such notable personages as G.K. Chesterton, John Paul II, Al Kresta, Mother Angelica, and Rev. Neuhaus, himself a convert from Lutheranism. In a final helpful offering, Drake includes several appendices containing the 1999 Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification and several related statements and responses. This valuable addition proves the book to be an important resource for students and practitioners of true ecumenical dialogue between Lutherans and Catholics.
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