Books worth reading

Some recommended reading for

every Lutheran college student

History and Biography

General Church History

• Bengt Hagglund. History of Theology.  Translated by Gene Lund. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1987.
  

• Justo Gonzalez. The Story of Christianity. 2 vols. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1984. *
  

Reformation History

• Charles Porterfield Krauth. The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology: As Represented in the Augsburg Confession and in the History and Literature of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.  St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House: 2007.
  

• Lewis Spitz, ed. The Protestant Reformation. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1966.
  

• Lewis Spitz, ed. The Protestant Reformation: Major Documents.  St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1997.
  

Twentieth Century

• Lowell Green. Lutherans Against Hitler: the Untold Story. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2007.
  

• Theodore Kleinhans. Till the Night Be Past: The Life and Times of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, c2002.
  

• Uwe Simeon-Netto. The Fabricated Luther: Refuting Nazi Connections and Other Modern Myths.  St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2007.
  

Luther Biographies

• Martin Brecht. Martin Luther. Translated by James Schaff. 3 vols. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, c1985-1993.
  

• James Kittelson. Luther the Reformer.  Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1986.
  

• James Nestingen. Martin Luther: A Life. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 2003.
  

• Frederick Nohl. Luther: Biography of a Reformer. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2003.
  

Other Lutheran Biographies

• Philipp Spitta. Johann Sebastian Bach: His Work and Influence on the Music of Germany.  Translated by Clara Bell and J.A. Fuller-Maitland. New York: Dover, 1992.
  

Doctrine

Confessional Writings

• Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other States. Concordia Triglotta.  St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921.
  

• Paul McCain, ed. Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions: A Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord.  St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005.
  

• Luther’s Small Catechism, LutherCPH
  

• Theology of the Lutheran Confessions, SchlinkCPH
  

Luther

• Martin Luther. Bondage of the Will. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickspn Publishers, 2008.
  

• Luther for Armchair Theologians, PaulsonWestminster
  

• Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings, Lull*Fortress
  

• Luther’s Works (CD)CPH
  

• Theology of Martin Luther, Althaus
  

The Period of Lutheran Orthodoxy

• Martin Chemnitz.  Examination of the Council of Trent. Translated by Fred Kramer. 4 vols. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2007.
  

• Loci Communes, Chemnitz / PreusCPH
  

• The Two Natures in Christ, ChemnitzCPH
  

Lutheran Distinctives: Justification, Law/Gospel, the Sacraments

• On Being a Christian, HamannNPH
  

• On Being a Theologian of the Cross, Forde*Eerdmans
  

• Handling the Word of Truth: Law and Gospel in the Church Today, PlessCPH
  

• Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, WaltherCPH
  

• Justification and Rome, PreusCPH
  

• The Role of Justification in Contemporary Theology, Mattes*LQ
  

• Living by Faith: Justification and Sanctification, Bayer*LQ
  

• Quest for Holiness, Koeberle*Wipf
  

• Structure of Lutheranism, ElertCPH
  

• The Preached God, FordeEerdmans
  

• Theology the Lutheran Way, BayerEerdmans
  

• This is My Body, SasseCPH
  

• Women Pastors: Biblical and Lutheran Essays on Women’s Ordination, Harrison CPH
  

Ethics and Vocation

• Ethics of Martin Luther, Althaus
  

• Ethics, Bonhoeffer*Fortress
  

• Small Catechism on Human Life, PlessCPH
  

• Holy People, Holy Lives, EyerCPH
  

• Freedom of a Christian, MeileanderBrazos
  

• Luther on Vocation, Wingren
  

Worship

• Lutheran Service BookCPH
  

• Lutheran Worship: History and PracticeCPH
  

• Worship in the Name of Jesus, BrunnerCPH
  

Pastoral Ministry

• Luther’s Letters of Spiritual Counsel, Tappert*Regent
  

• Psalms, Prayerbook of the Bible and Life Together, Bonhoeffer*Fortress
  

• Spiritual Care, Bonhoeffer*Fortress
  

• Where in the World is God?, Senkbeil*NPH
  

Bible Commentaries

• Commentary on Romans, MelanchthonCPH
  

• Luther’s Galatians commentary (LW 26,27)CPH
  

• The Word Becoming Flesh, HummelCPH
  

• The Word of the Lord Grows, FranzmannCPH
  

* These volumes are available in the "Evangelical and Conservative Protestant" section of the CIRCLE Library at Stanford.

This resource is currently under construction.  We are adding full bibliographic entries as we have time.  Please excuse the mixed format of the list for the time being, and let us know if you

find our list useful and have further suggestions!  Thanks!

Also check out the list "Books Every College Student Should Read" at Higher Things.

Trinity Lutheran Church

Stanford Campus Ministry

Lutheran Student Fellowship / Christ on Campus