Shows
The Lutheran History PodcastTLHP 76 Lutheranism and American Culture in the Civil War Era with Tim GrundmeierIn today's episode, we welcome back Dr. Tim Grundmeier from MLC to talk about his newly published book.Lutheranism and American Culture examines the transformation of the nation’s third-largest Protestant denomination over the course of the nineteenth century. In the antebellum era, leading voices within the church believed that the best way to become American was by modifying certain historic doctrines deemed too Catholic and cooperating with Anglo-evangelicals in revivalism and social reform. However, by the mid-1870s, most Lutherans had rejected this view. Though they remained proudly American, most embraced a religious identity characterized by a...
2026-01-161h 01
The Lutheran History PodcastTLHP 72 Pennsylvania’s “Youthful Daughter” the Early History of the Wisconsin Synod with Tim GrundmeierIn this episode of The Lutheran History Podcast, we talk with Dr. Timothy D. Grundmeier about his recent article, “Pennsylvania’s ‘Youthful Daughter’: Reexamining the Early History of the Wisconsin Synod,” featured in the Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly (Spring 2025). While many are familiar with the Wisconsin Synod’s early ties to German mission societies and eventual fellowship with the Missouri Synod, Dr. Grundmeier highlights an often underappreciated chapter in WELS history: its formative partnership with the Pennsylvania Synod. Drawing on rich archival sources, he paints a fuller picture of how eastern Lutherans supported and shaped the growing church in the Midwest thro...
2025-09-0555 min
The Lutheran History PodcastTLHP 71 Who was Henry A. Koch?In this special episode, guest host Tim Grundmeier interviews historian and author Benjamin T. Phelps about his recent Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly article on Dr. Henry A. Koch—a pastor, professor, and editor who left a profound mark on confessional Lutheranism in both Germany and America. Phelps shares personal insights drawn from years of research, including access to Koch’s letters, diary, and unpublished materials preserved by his family. Together, they trace Koch’s theological formation in Wauwatosa, his academic work in Leipzig, his resistance to Nazi ideology, and his return to America without a call during the Great Depression. The co...
2025-08-0850 min
The Lutheran History PodcastTLHP 63 Who was Johannes Muehlhaeuser? with Tim GrundmeierIn this WELS 175th episode, Tim Grundmeier and I talk about who Johannes Muehlhaeuser was, Christmas trees, and the founding of the Wisconsin Synod.Support the show Confessional Languages Scholarship The Wauwatosa Diary (book) Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers) Facebook Website Interview Request Form email: thelutheranhistorypodcast@gmail.com About the HostBenjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018. Ben has been a regular writer and presenter...
2024-12-2048 min
The Lutheran History PodcastTLHP 21 Book Talk: Lutherans in Crisis by David GustafsonTim Grundmeier and I talk about the purpose, arguments, and significance of this work in Lutheran history.Lutheran History ShopSupport the show Confessional Languages Scholarship The Wauwatosa Diary (book) Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers) Facebook Website Interview Request Form email: thelutheranhistorypodcast@gmail.com About the HostBenjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018. Ben has been a regular writer and presenter on various...
2021-09-1549 min
The Lutheran History PodcastTLHP 20 Book Talk: The Rise and Fall of American Lutheran Pietism by Paul KuenningTim Grundmeier and I discuss the purpose, arguments, and significance of this work in Lutheran History. Lutheran History ShopSupport the show Confessional Languages Scholarship The Wauwatosa Diary (book) Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers) Facebook Website Interview Request Form email: thelutheranhistorypodcast@gmail.com About the HostBenjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018. Ben has been a regular writer and presenter on various Lutheran h...
2021-09-0152 min
The Lutheran History PodcastTLHP 16 A Source of Distress: The Evangelical Lutheran Synod of the West with special guest host Tim Grundmeier and Ben PhelpsThe subject of this discussion can be found in the 2021 summer article of the CHIQ.Image: Rev. "Colonel" John Jacob Lehmanowsky. Note the scar on his face supposedly from the battle of Austerlitz. The small Lutheran Synod called the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of the West existed for barely more than a decade (1835-1846). In Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri, isolated Lutheran pastors vainly attempted to rally around an institution intended to be the preeminent Lutheran synod in a large and rapidly populated geographical area. From its beginning, the synod’s leaders continuously struggled to find e...
2021-06-1550 min
The Lutheran History PodcastTLHP 09 Newspaper War with Ben Phelps, special guest host Tim GrundmeierCheck out the Lutheran Historical Conference, where I first presented this material. My article will soon appear in the conference's journal. German Lutheran immigrant Friedrich Schmidt began a German-language Lutheran newspaper in August 1838. Initially, Schmidt and his Lutherische Kirchenzeitung got along quite well with Benjamin Kurtz and the well-established Lutheran Observer. Indeed, Kurtz chaired the committee that launched the Kirchenzeitung, and Schmidt’s first number spared no praise for the Observer. The two men would later participate in one of the earliest open battles between Confessional Lutheranism and American Lutheranism.Each paper seemed to have...
2021-03-021h 01