Wittenburg Confessions

"Wittenburg Confessions: Testimonies of Converts to Confessional Lutheranism", by Jim Pierce and edited by Elaine Gavin, is a book recently released by Blue Pomegranate Press. Stan and I had the privilege of contributing our stories to the book. Yet this is not a book about how victorious and successful our lives have become since we converted. The back cover says:

"The institutional church is drifting further and further from the historic liturgy and the proclamation of the pure Gospel. It is devolving into a pop culture version of the faith that emphasizes "feel good" worship over the historic liturgy and tolerance over the truth of the pure Gospel. But all is not lost. Internet blogs like the Brothers of John the Steadfast and radio programs like Issues, Etc. and Pirate Christian Radio are being used by God to raise up a new generation of committed believers.

Wittenberg Confessions presents the testimony of eight of these new converts to Confessional Lutheranism. Reading these testimonies of what God has done in these lives will give you hope that Christ continues to build His Holy, Catholic Church, despite man's foibles in the institutional church."

Here is an excerpt from page 85, when I recall the final events that led to my investigation of Lutheran theology:

"I had always been curious about areas of Christianity such as predestination, end times, etc., but had struggled as to what source I could use to study them, other than the Bible. I had never studied thoroughly the more controversial issues, such as infant baptism and communion, from any viewpoint other than the modern evangelical one. As of late, some questions had been forming in my mind. I had recently come across the term 'monergism' in a book I was reading, and was totally unfamiliar with it. I wrestled with this idea that our salvation is credited solely to God, and that we have no part in it. I had always said that God saved me, but I had to decide to trust Him (even though I would have said that He gave me the grace to do so). I noticed on my close friends' blog a link to monergism. Clicking on this link led me to ask a whole host of questions."

It is an interesting and thought-provoking book with essays that show the working of Christ on our behalf.
You can order the book at churchministrypublishers.com:
http://churchministrypublishers.com/listItem.php?n=19