Sacred Storytelling
The Autobiography of Johannes Strieter (1829–1920) and Related Sources
- History & Biography
- Publisher: Resource Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2020
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Publisher's Description
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.
Endorsements (3)
“Johannes Strieter doesn’t strike one as a normal pastor. From growing up on the frontier with Indians to becoming a seminary student and a pastor, his is a life of twists and turns. Nathaniel Biebert provides a fresh translation of the original German autobiography, along with insights into the life and times of Strieter. Although it reads like a novel, this is real life.”
“Pastor Biebert’s painstaking scholarship and historian’s thoroughness honor both God and the man our family has always called simply ‘Johannes.’ This edition of my great-great-grandfather’s autobiography brings him to life as an intensely practical and devout servant of Christ, with a heart for the lost: a true pastor. He tells us his story in plain, matter-of-fact language. But his is no ordinary story; it is a lifelong adventure of proclaiming his Savior’s love.”
“Johannes Strieter was a pioneer pastor ministering to scattered German immigrants on the frontier of the upper Midwest. He was a master storyteller with the ability to bring to life the everyday challenges faced by the people he served and the vicissitudes of the pastoral ministry in nineteenth-century America. His stories are not only entertaining, but they also offer insights into human nature and life in times past. Sacred Storytelling is a good read for those who enjoy a good story and for those who are eager to gain firsthand information about a bygone era. Pastor Nathaniel Biebert is to be commended for putting Strieter’s lively German into contemporary English for a new generation of readers.”
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