Sacred Storytelling: The Autobiography of Johannes Strieter (1829-1920) and Related Sources - Hardcover

by Johannes Strieter (Author), Nathaniel J. Biebert (Translator)

After emigrating from Germany to Michigan at age seven, Johannes Strieter (1829-1920) served as a confessional Lutheran pastor in Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana amid almost unbelievable hardships. Though not a well-known person himself, his life's path intersected with that of numerous distinguished persons--August Cramer, Friedrich Wyneken, J. C. W. Lindemann, C. F. W. Walther, and John C. Pritzlaff, just to name a handful. Through his recollections, we also encounter firsthand the Ojibwa; the Civil War; the establishment and founding of roads, cities, churches, and schools; and we travel by sea, lake, river, canal, railroad, horseback, buggy, stagecoach, and on foot. We accompany him as he nearly kills his sister; is spared in a terrible accident; falls in love; navigates difficult pastoral situations and decisions; gets drafted into the Union Army; buries some of his children; ministers to the troubled, misguided, sick, and dying; and finally retires to Michigan on account of deafness. Translated afresh from Strieter's original manuscript and presented with twelve appendices to supplement his autobiography, Sacred Storytelling is a treasure trove of adventure, perspective, entertainment, courage, and conviction.

Author Biography

Nathaniel J. Biebert is a Lutheran pastor in Austin, Texas. A graduate of Martin Luther College (BA, 2005) and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (MDiv, 2009), he is the author and translator of Luther at the Manger (2017) and Heaven Is My Fatherland (2020) and has contributed articles and translations to the WELS Historical Institute Journal, Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, and Forward in Christ. He is a 2018 recipient of the Concordia Historical Institute's Award of Commendation.