In my opinion, this is one of the best $250 investments you could possibly make. For $250 you can have the complete works of Martin Chemnitz available in English, published by Concordia Publishing House.

Martin Chemnitz’s major theological works translated into English are now available in beautifully bound matching hardback volumes to endure years of study and use.

Buy the complete 8 book collection and save!

These eight books purchased individually would retail for $419.92, but when you buy the complete collection save 34% and get them for only $249.99, with free shipping!

The series includes:

Examination of the Council of Trent, Volumes I-IV

Enchiridion

The Lord’s Supper

The Lord’s Prayer

The Two Natures in Christ

Loci Theologici, Volumes I&II

Martin Chemnitz

If you missed out on the great sale of the book Broken at the end of last year, I’ve got good news for you. It’s on sale again, at great bulk order discounts. So, start gathering orders in your congregation or among your friends.

If you do not know what Broken is all about, we have a web site just for you: http://www.cph.org/broken

• Orders of daily prayer for morning, noon, early evening, and close of the day
• A collection of prayers including the Te Deum, Benedictus, Magnificat, Litany, and other prayers for use throughout the day
• The Small Catechism by Dr. Martin Luther, including the Introduction, the Six Chief Parts, the Table of Duties, and Christian Questions and Answers for Communicants
• A brief introduction to the Holy Scriptures, in an easy to understand,question and answer format
• An essay on the key themes of Holy Scripture including: the grace of God, faith, Scripture, Law and Gospel, means of grace, and Christology

In a remarkable come-back, the Concordia Triglotta is making is debut in print again. This old classic work, providing the text of the Lutheran Confessions in Latin, German and English, has been out of print for quite some time. Used copies are sold starting at $150 and I’ve seen them go for much as $280. There is no other easily accessible source of obtaining a copy of the actual texts in the Book of Concord in German, according to the authoritative 1580 first-edition, and in Latin, according to the 1584 authoritative first-edition. The English translation was prepared and published around 1921. The newest edition of the Book of Concord, the Concordia edition, provides an English text based on the English translation of the Triglotta. We finally were able to locate a print-on-demand vendor able to produce a book this size, in a hardback binding. So, stay tuned, It will be out in time to celebrate Saint Patrick’s day as part of CPH’s “Concordia On Demand” program. The price of the “new” printing of the Triglotta will be $69.99. I’ll let you know when you can place an order for it.

I must say, as an Irish Lutheran Pastor and Publisher, I’m enjoying this perhaps a wee too much! Here’s a little teaser-trailer.

Want to make a lasting impression on that special someone? A gift that will keep on giving all year through? Nothing says “I love you!” like a copy of the Book of Concord! They are on sale again and for orders of $84 or more, you qualify for free shipping. Click on the words “free shipping” to learn how to qualify for free shipping

The regular edition, replete with all kinds of goodies! It’s like a big box of Valentine assorted chocolates!

If you want a more discreet, less expensive, copy of the BOC, you ‘ll like the paperback edition, of the Lutheran Confessions texts only.

Or, maybe you would like to give something a bit nicer, a bonded leather edition of the regular edition.

But then again, maybe you would prefer to give a beautiful deluxe edition of the “text only” edition.

The choice is yours, but it’s impossible to go wrong with any of these great gifts. Wow and amaze your loved one, buy it today and then surprise them next week when they are not expecting a Valentine gift.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

The Concordia Publishing House Spring Catalog is out and you can shop online. Here I simply wanted you to be aware that we have over 40 different Bibles and Bible resources, all on sale, with savings up to 33% off and more, and free is shipping is available for qualifying orders. Please read the details below, by clicking on the image:

Concordia Publishing House is pleased to announce the release of The American Muhammad: Joseph Smith, Founder of Mormonism. It is available now as a hard copy book or as a Kindle eBook. Purchase the book here. Purchase the Kindle eBook here.

Soon after Joseph Smith, Jr., founded the Mormon Church in 1830, newspaper editors called him “the American Mahomet,” “Modern Mahomet,” or “Yankee Mahomet.” By using these labels, authors implied there were similarities between Smith and Muhammad; however, they failed to furnish any documented evidence or analysis. The American Muhammad documents, discusses, and analyzes seventy-some parallels between Smith and Muhammad–a challenging but informative task that no book has ever undertaken.

Author Alvin J. Schmidt cites valid arguments why parallels between noteworthy individuals in history need to be studied in order to understand why they engaged in similar acts that left major marks in history. This fascinating book provides many facts not commonly known about Joseph Smith and Muhammad and will help readers see and understand how the teachings of these two men contradict biblical Christianity.

*********

Alvin J. Schmidt, MDiv, PhD, is professor of sociology emeritus at Illinois College, Jacksonville, IL, and a fellow of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. He is the author of numerous books, including the award-winning Fraternal Organizations (1980); The Menace of Multiculturalism (1997); and How Christianity Changed the World (2004). We asked Dr. Schmidt a few questions about his work:

How did you become interested in Joseph Smith and Muhammad?

During my years as a college and a seminary professor, I taught courses in sociology of religion and a course in world religions, and for years I read widely in these areas. Along with learning about the teachings of different religions, I studied the lives of the different religious leaders. Regarding the latter, I discovered numerous parallel thoughts and actions between Joseph Smith and Muhammad.

Why did you decide to write The American Muhammad?

Given that the religion of Muhammad (Islam) and Smith (Mormonism) are frequently in the news, I concluded the public, especially Christians, would benefit from knowing about the nature and the effects of the numerous parallels between these two individuals, and how in these parallels both men deviated from the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. To publish this information seems especially relevant in today’s culture that erroneously presents all religions and their leaders, including Christianity and Jesus Christ, as having equal value.

What is your background in this subject area?

As a professor and a fellow of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, some of my research has resulted in published articles in scholarly periodicals and encyclopedias, chapters in books, and some books that focus on the teachings of different religious groups and on the role of their leaders. In 2004, I published a book highlighting the theological differences between Islam and Christianity. And in 2006, I co-authored a book that focused on religious cults.

What will readers find most interesting about your book?

Readers will learn interesting, documented facts not commonly known by the public, namely: (1) both Joseph Smith and Muhammad engaged in parallel behaviors; (2) both men engaged in a multitude of parallels; (3) many parallels spurned biblical principles; (4) some contradicted biblical teachings; (5) some violated the basic laws of human morality; (6) the key factor that spawned the parallels; (7) some parallels are now formally institutionalized in the religion of Islam and in Mormonism.

What is next on your research agenda?

I have in progress a forthcoming book, God willing, that will focus on today’s misuse of the biblical concept of faith that is now common both outside and within the confines of the church.

What do you like to do in your free time?

For much of my life I have enjoyed hunting and fishing. I find both activities fun and relaxing. I also enjoy reading biographies of renowned individuals. They are rarely boring, and one can usually learn something from them.

The American Muhammad was published through CPH’s peer review process. To find out more about peer review books, visit our website at cph.org/peerreview.

Be sure to read the fine print on this picture for details on how to get your free gift.

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The following is an interview with Matthew C. Harrison addressing the importance of Hermann Sasse and his Letters to Pastors to the current life of the Church. The book is also available in Kindle eBook format.

Who was Hermann Sasse?

Until the end of World War II, Sasse was a pastor and professor in Germany; then he emigrated to Australia, where he served as a professor at Immanuel Seminary in South Australia. He came out of a very liberal education prior to the end of World War I, but gradually and decisively turned toward confessional Lutheranism. Sasse was very active in the ecumenical movement before he was forbidden to travel by the Nazis. He was the first in the German church to publicly take the Nazis to task for the “Aryan paragraph” in the party platform. Sasse contributed to Kittel’s Dictionary of the New Testament and wrote the greatest book in English on Luther’s doctrine of the Lord’s Supper (This Is My Body: Luther’s Contention for the Real Presence in the Sacrament of the Altar). He fought tirelessly for solid Lutheranism. When his own church, the Bavarian Church, joined a union of Lutherans and Reformed churches (the Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland [Evangelical Church in Germany or EKiD]), Sasse joined the German free church. Ultimately he left Germany to teach at the seminary of the Lutheran Church of Australia. He spent the rest of his life writing public letters, books, and treatises rallying confessional Lutherans around the world and rousing particularly The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) just as it was drifting from its historic confession. He died in 1976.

Describe the relationship between Sasse and the LCMS. Why are his writings of importance for the ongoing life of the Church?

Sasse saw the LCMS as the “last hope” for world confessional Lutheranism. Yet post-World War II Missouri Synod (and particularly the seminary in St. Louis) was bent on a path of Lutheran union in the United States. Sasse believed the danger to the LCMS was either a confessionless entry into the Ecumenical Movement and the loss of doctrinal substance, or evangelical fundamentalism. His writings are largely historical/doctrinal treatises on pertinent topics of world Christianity and Lutheranism that apply even in our day. LCMS President John Behnken (1884–1968, president 1935–62) very much wanted Sasse to teach at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, but the administration of the seminary was strongly opposed.

What was the genesis of the group of documents gathered together as Letters to Pastors? Who received these letters and how were they communicated more broadly?

In 1948, Sasse wrote to Herman A. Preus: “The only thing I can do is write letters.” As he was preparing to enter self-imposed exile in Australia, Sasse began writing treatises on what it means to be a confessional Lutheran, commenting on basic issues of Bible and confession, the Lord’s Supper, church fellowship, Baptism, the Office of the Ministry, church governance, Luther’s teachings, and much more. The letters, written in German, were dispersed in mimeographed form in the early years by Sasse’s friend Rev. F. Hopf, who had remained in Germany. Americans began translating the letters immediately. Now, for the first time, we have translated all seventy letters and are publishing them in a series of three volumes.

There is great controversy surrounding a couple of the letters in this volume. Why publish them?

Upon his arrival in Australia, Sasse was immediately placed on a committee working toward the unification of the country’s two Lutheran bodies (one associated with the American Lutheran Church and the other with the LCMS). The issue of Scripture, its inspiration and inerrancy, was central in the discussions. Sasse had studied under the most notorious liberal of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries—Adolf von Harnack. While Sasse had moved far away from Harnack’s rejection of all the supernatural content of the Bible, when Sasse wrote Letter 14 and then Letter 16, he was convinced that the inerrancy of the Bible did not include all issues addressed, but only issues of faith and belief. There was a tremendous backlash, and eventually Sasse retracted Letter 14. However, many in the LCMS who were arguing against absolute inerrancy and for higher criticism picked up on this letter in particular. I have included these significant letters along with other supporting documentation so readers can see that Sasse moved significantly on the issue, and so readers can see, in part, what was at stake in the great battle for the Bible in the LCMS. At the same time, Sasse’s concern that the Missouri Synod might lose a fundamentally Lutheran view of Scripture and church because of its participation in America’s evangelical/Protestant context remained a real concern. Although we must disagree with Sasse at this point in his career, we can also see the validity of his concern.

Rev. Matthew C. Harrison

How do you hope this volume will benefit the Church?

Sasse is tremendously lucid. He is a profound Lutheran historian. Jumping on his back, as it were, gives one a tour of the 2,000-year history of the church. He’s clear. He’s scriptural. He calls for

repentance and faith. He’s courageous. At times he’s a curmudgeon. He often says what is unpopular, though he says it in a gentle and generous manner. He’s uncompromisingly Lutheran yet sees what is good in other churches. Sasse touches on so many of the issues that challenge us today: the Office of the Ministry, the priesthood of believers, relationships with other church bodies, closed Communion, understanding the Roman Catholic Church, mission/evangelism, theological education, and so much more. Through it all, Sasse brings us back to basics, to the very Gospel itself.

Attention PrayNow iOS Version Users! Attention PrayNow iOS Version Users!

You should have an update waiting for you on your iOS device, indicating you have an update to download, it is Version 3.0 of PrayNow for iOS and includes some great new features:

The ability to insert readings, hymns, etc. into the Orders of Daily Prayer.

iPhone 5 compatibility (this means support for the larger Retina display on the iPhone 5 – sweet!)

Psalm tones toobar added to allow you to play the chant tones so you can sing the Psalms.

If you do NOT own PrayNow for iOS … you should! Get it here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/praynow/id375144431?mt=8

It is not only the best Lutheran prayer App out there, but frankly the best Daily Prayer App, period!

Soon after Joseph Smith, Jr., founded the Mormon Church in 1830, newspaper editors called him “the American Mahomet,” “Modern Mahomet,” or “Yankee Mahomet.” Joseph Smith himself said he was the American Muhammad, as this book proves. In The American Muhammad Alvin Schmidt has undertaken the challenging but informative task of documenting, discussing, and analyzing over seventy parallels that exist between Smith and Muhammad. He cites valid arguments why parallels between noteworthy individuals in history need to be studied in order to understand why they engaged in similar acts that left major marks in history. This fascinating book provides many facts not commonly known about Joseph Smith and Muhammad and will help readers see and understand how the teachings of these two men contradict biblical Christianity.

The book is out now in Kindle format, with print format soon to follow. You can get the Kindle format here. Please be sure to download the sample to read the full collection of endorsements we have received: click here to get the sample.

Alvin J. Schmidt, MDiv, PhD, is professor of sociology emeritus at Illinois College, Jacksonville, IL, and a fellow of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. He is the author of numerous books, including the award-winning Fraternal Organizations (1980); The Menace of Multiculturalism (1997); and How Christianity Changed the World (2004).

What Others Are Saying

No one is in a better position to identify the parallels between Islam and Mormonism—and their radical difference as compared with creedal Christianity.

—John Warwick Montgomery, PhD, DTheol, LLD; Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Christian Thought, Patrick Henry College

At a time when Christianity is under assault worldwide, this painstakingly researched and superbly written account of seventy parallels between the founders of two thriving socio-political faiths, Islam and Mormonism, should be compulsory reading for all.

—Uwe Siemon-Netto, PhD, DLitt Director, Center for Lutheran Theology & Public Life

A must-read for everyone who wants to understand Joseph Smith and Muhammad.

—Ted Baehr, JD, LHD Founder and Publisher of MOVIEGUIDE®: The Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment

The American Muhammad is a well-written and scholarly book—fascinating, well-researched, and eye-opening!

—Bill Federer Author of What Every American Needs to Know about the Qur’an Frequent guest on radio and TV programs

[Schmidt’s] conclusions are very thought-provoking, and are sure to spark considerable discussion among scholars and laymen alike. Serious researchers as well as curious readers will find many topics of interest among the dozens of parallels Dr. Schmidt has pointed out here.

—Lane A. Thuet Co-Author of What Every Mormon (and Non-Mormon) Should Know Born LDS and raised in Salt Lake City as a Mormon for 22 years

PrayNow has been updated to work with Android 4.0 and higher.

If you don’t know what PrayNow is, why, it is only the most awesome daily prayer app available!

Get the Apple version here.

Get the Android version here.

Here are it’s features.

PrayNow is the daily prayer app that places the Scriptures at the center of daily meditation and prayer.

“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Daily prayer should be central to what we do as Christians. Yet it is so easy for the pressures and stresses of daily life to crowd out the time for meaningful prayer.

PrayNow is designed to meet the needs of the Christian who wishes to follow a disciplined order of daily prayer centered in the Scriptures and to use the rich resources of the church’s ancient daily orders of prayers with writings from the Church Fathers.

Pray Now provides you with the following:

Complete texts for each day:

• A reading from the Psalms
• An Old Testament reading
• A New Testament reading
• A selection from a writing by a church father
• A hymn stanza
• A prayer for the day

Complete orders for daily prayer:

• Matins
• Vespers
• Compline
• Features the feasts, festivals, and commemorations of the Christian Church Year
• The full text of the Psalms is available with, or without, chant notation
• A full collection of prayers for the days of the week and for various aspects of your life in Christ

Technical Features

• Full texts for every day appear automatically according to the calendar
• Dynamic calendar allows you to display text for any day
• Choose between five different fonts
• Fully scalable font size
• Night reading mode
• Bookmarking capabilities