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The Narrow Lutheran Middle: Following the Scriptural Road
Many parts of Scripture seem incompatible or contradictory on the surface. How do Lutherans and other Bible-believing Christians resolve these areas? Is there a right or wrong way to interpret the Bible and its teachings? This book examines these questions and takes on controversial and confusing parts of God's Word. The author discusses topics like predestination, God's providence, and the place of reason in religion in an effort to show that a proper understanding of these elements can help guide us on the road to God.
236 pages, Paperback
First published November 10, 2011
13 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Daniel M. Deutschlander
10 books4 followersDaniel M. Deutschlander was born in Minneapolis, MN on March 18, 1942 and together with his twin brother put up for adoption. He and his brother were adopted by Gotthard Julius & Rose Marie Deutschlander. He was adopted as a child of God and made a brother of Christ on April 23, 1944 through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. He was confirmed on Palm Sunday, 1956 with Rev. 2:10 as his confirmation verse. The days of his baptism and of his confirmation were joined by a third memorable day, the day of his ordination into the holy ministry, June 16, 1968.
He attended Horace Mann and Groveland Park elementary schools in St. Paul, MN; Concordia Academy in St. Paul, MN; Concordia College in St. Paul, MN (degree: AA); Northwestern College in Watertown, WI (degree: BA); Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, WI (degree: M. Div.); Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, IL (degree: MA in history); and UW Milwaukee (graduate studies in German).
He served as a pastor at Zion Lutheran and St. James Lutheran in Akaska and Tolstoy, SD; St. Peter’s Lutheran in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada; St. James Lutheran and campus pastor at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. He served at Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in Jackson, WI as Assistant Principal and teacher of German and religion; Northwestern College in Watertown, WI as professor of German, history, philosophy, and religion; Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN as professor of German, history and religion; occasional summer quarter lecturer at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary; a semester as adjunct professor of history at Wisconsin Lutheran College. He conducted preaching workshops for parish pastors, and a seminar on church-state relations in Kiev, Ukraine after the Ukrainian Lutheran Church translated and published his book on the subject.
As a parish pastor (1968-1980) he served as circuit pastor, district vice president, member of the WELS evangelism commission, and on district evangelism and stewardship boards. From 1980-1984 he served as the weekly preacher for the WELS German radio broadcast that went from Eastern Europe to the Germans in the far east of the Soviet Union. He authored numerous doctrinal essays and papers, and other works including books, sermons, and devotions published by Northwestern Publishing House.
His greatest joy was a never ceasing amazement at the grace and mercy of God that he should not only redeem him but find a use in his church for such an unworthy and unfit instrument and house of clay. His greatest delight was to see his former students serving their Lord faithfully and then giving thanks to God that he had the honor to play some small role in their formation as pastors of Christ’s flock. His German Bible and German hymnal were his constant companions and the Lutheran Confessions his never-failing guides.
He attended Horace Mann and Groveland Park elementary schools in St. Paul, MN; Concordia Academy in St. Paul, MN; Concordia College in St. Paul, MN (degree: AA); Northwestern College in Watertown, WI (degree: BA); Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, WI (degree: M. Div.); Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, IL (degree: MA in history); and UW Milwaukee (graduate studies in German).
He served as a pastor at Zion Lutheran and St. James Lutheran in Akaska and Tolstoy, SD; St. Peter’s Lutheran in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada; St. James Lutheran and campus pastor at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. He served at Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in Jackson, WI as Assistant Principal and teacher of German and religion; Northwestern College in Watertown, WI as professor of German, history, philosophy, and religion; Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN as professor of German, history and religion; occasional summer quarter lecturer at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary; a semester as adjunct professor of history at Wisconsin Lutheran College. He conducted preaching workshops for parish pastors, and a seminar on church-state relations in Kiev, Ukraine after the Ukrainian Lutheran Church translated and published his book on the subject.
As a parish pastor (1968-1980) he served as circuit pastor, district vice president, member of the WELS evangelism commission, and on district evangelism and stewardship boards. From 1980-1984 he served as the weekly preacher for the WELS German radio broadcast that went from Eastern Europe to the Germans in the far east of the Soviet Union. He authored numerous doctrinal essays and papers, and other works including books, sermons, and devotions published by Northwestern Publishing House.
His greatest joy was a never ceasing amazement at the grace and mercy of God that he should not only redeem him but find a use in his church for such an unworthy and unfit instrument and house of clay. His greatest delight was to see his former students serving their Lord faithfully and then giving thanks to God that he had the honor to play some small role in their formation as pastors of Christ’s flock. His German Bible and German hymnal were his constant companions and the Lutheran Confessions his never-failing guides.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 17, 2013
This is a wonderful book. The only thing I would change is the title - I would take out Lutheran because it really is basic, commonsense Christianity. I don't think there is anything overtly Lutheran about it that wouldn't apply to any other Christian. And Lutherans certainly could benefit also from what the book has to say. We so easily go to extremes. One ditch can have us, when facing problems, doubting that God's promises are true while the other ditch tells us that since our sings have been forgiven, we have a license to sin even more. Both are wrong - stick to the middle where we find Jesus. Worship styles, heaven, works - so many things remind us to stick to the middle and avoid the extremes. I also have his Bible study and would somehow like to adapt this for others.
July 6, 2025
yet another humdinger from Deutschlander
“Imagination runs wild. And whatever it is that we imagine heaven to be like, it will be a thousand times better. Look at the perfection and the power of the One who won it for us! Yes, and even consider how much better life here is than you ever imagined it would be. Oh, yes, how blessed we are to live with Christ here. How blessed we will be to live with him there!”
“Imagination runs wild. And whatever it is that we imagine heaven to be like, it will be a thousand times better. Look at the perfection and the power of the One who won it for us! Yes, and even consider how much better life here is than you ever imagined it would be. Oh, yes, how blessed we are to live with Christ here. How blessed we will be to live with him there!”
October 23, 2015
This is an excellent book of doctrine. When it comes to explaining with clear focus and insight the correct understanding and attitude toward life and how God's truth weaves into it, there are few books as useful. Prof. Deutschlander expertly lays out the proper use of logic and reason when seeking to understand what God tells us in his Word.
So why only three stars?
Despite its strength as a book of doctrine, I simply didn't enjoy reading it. I certainly gained some insights, and I certainly felt like it solidified my understanding of certain concepts. But there was no point where I stopped, smiled to myself, and breathed that contented sigh that arises when you come across language that beautifully and artfully expresses truth.
Then again, I suppose Prof. Deutschlander might say that I shouldn't be looking for such a thing in a book of doctrine. I should be looking for clarity and wisdom, not beauty and art. And maybe he's right. Having read my share of doctrinal papers, they are rarely works of art. This book just happens to be roughly ten doctrine papers stitched together. C'est ce que c'est.
I had the opportunity to sit in a small Bible study group with Prof. Deutschlander for a few months, and I recall him saying time and again that when you present the truths of God's Word to someone, you should say what is and what the Word says, and nothing more. He disparaged the telling of stories as a means to illustrate doctrinal concepts. He held true to that philosophy in this book - there is no story to illustrate any of his points, save byway references to stories in Scripture (which are seldom fleshed out beyond, "Recall the time when...").
The problem with all that is that I learn best through stories. I grasp concepts alright without them, but I implant those concepts deeply when I see how they fit into a narrative. That might just be my style. As a result, though, I can tell you what this book was about, but I can't recall any particularly memorable passages or points.
My recommendation is that if you are looking for a doctrinal book to help you clearly understand the proper use of reason, to help you avoid the pitfalls of saying more than God says in his Word, then you couldn't do better than this book. If you really enjoy reading highly academic doctrinal papers, you'll probably really love this book. I'd even go so far as to say that it would be good for anyone to read through this at least once. Just don't expect any kind of entertainment, narrative, or deep illustration. It's just not that kind of book.
So why only three stars?
Despite its strength as a book of doctrine, I simply didn't enjoy reading it. I certainly gained some insights, and I certainly felt like it solidified my understanding of certain concepts. But there was no point where I stopped, smiled to myself, and breathed that contented sigh that arises when you come across language that beautifully and artfully expresses truth.
Then again, I suppose Prof. Deutschlander might say that I shouldn't be looking for such a thing in a book of doctrine. I should be looking for clarity and wisdom, not beauty and art. And maybe he's right. Having read my share of doctrinal papers, they are rarely works of art. This book just happens to be roughly ten doctrine papers stitched together. C'est ce que c'est.
I had the opportunity to sit in a small Bible study group with Prof. Deutschlander for a few months, and I recall him saying time and again that when you present the truths of God's Word to someone, you should say what is and what the Word says, and nothing more. He disparaged the telling of stories as a means to illustrate doctrinal concepts. He held true to that philosophy in this book - there is no story to illustrate any of his points, save byway references to stories in Scripture (which are seldom fleshed out beyond, "Recall the time when...").
The problem with all that is that I learn best through stories. I grasp concepts alright without them, but I implant those concepts deeply when I see how they fit into a narrative. That might just be my style. As a result, though, I can tell you what this book was about, but I can't recall any particularly memorable passages or points.
My recommendation is that if you are looking for a doctrinal book to help you clearly understand the proper use of reason, to help you avoid the pitfalls of saying more than God says in his Word, then you couldn't do better than this book. If you really enjoy reading highly academic doctrinal papers, you'll probably really love this book. I'd even go so far as to say that it would be good for anyone to read through this at least once. Just don't expect any kind of entertainment, narrative, or deep illustration. It's just not that kind of book.
April 20, 2012
Should be considered worthy of being called a "modern Lutheran classic". Prof. Em. Deutschlander carefully takes us down "the narrow Lutheran middle road" through a number of Scriptural areas where the potential for falling into the ditch of reason or emotion is particularly dangerous. An excellent book for pastor and laypeople alike!
August 18, 2015
This book took me awhile to read because I took it in shorter segments. It is written in language that should be easily accessible to laypeople but would be beneficial for called workers (or people like me who were trained to be a called worker but are not currently in the ministry).
The main point of this book is the application of human reason. When misapplied, it interferes with the doctrines of the bible. Deutschlander uses the application of a road with ditches on either side. Our goal is to stay on the road ("the narrow Lutheran middle") but inevitably, we often end up in the ditches because of our sinful nature. Fortunately, Deutschlander also emphasizes God's forgiveness for times when we stray off the road.
Each chapter presents a different set of ditches (which are generally opposites) and a description of the narrow path inbetween. Scripture is quoted often and in context. Biblical examples are cited when applicable.
The main point of this book is the application of human reason. When misapplied, it interferes with the doctrines of the bible. Deutschlander uses the application of a road with ditches on either side. Our goal is to stay on the road ("the narrow Lutheran middle") but inevitably, we often end up in the ditches because of our sinful nature. Fortunately, Deutschlander also emphasizes God's forgiveness for times when we stray off the road.
Each chapter presents a different set of ditches (which are generally opposites) and a description of the narrow path inbetween. Scripture is quoted often and in context. Biblical examples are cited when applicable.
August 2, 2012
I used to think of life as walking a tight rope. You could fall off either side. Deutschlander's premise that life is a road with ditches on either side was a good hook for me. I read 3/4 of this book to Jim W during our "On The Road" tour in mid July. A member of our congregation, he said that the book answered many questions he had been asking for a long time. Highly recommended by a trucker and a pastor. How about that!
July 30, 2014
Essentially about the confessional Lutheran hermeneutic, this book is a good presentation of the issues and makes clear as to where the author stands.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews