Here We Stand

by Hermann Sasse

What does it mean to be Lutheran?

This book presents a call for loyalty to the Lutheran Confessions and for the acceptance of the Bible as the true Word of God.

From Openbook Publishers

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1936

Reviews

[Chase L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sasse is an incredible theologian with an uncanny grasp of Lutheran doctrine and what makes it so. Part 3 of Here We Stand is a tour de force which clearly lays out a strong argument for the Lutheran Church and clearly defines where it stands between the Roman and the Reformed churches. Although a basic understanding of Reformation history is necessary to understand much of it, this is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the Reformation as it lives today.

However, the rest of the book is a victim of its age and geography. I benefited from my familiarity with the German Evangelical church; even so, much of the book was wasted on me, because the nature of the Lutheran Church in America today is so dramatically different than in Nazi Germany. Part 2, in which Sasse champions a religious view of the Reformation in opposition to a historical-critical or nationalistic approach, holds little reward for the modern American reader despite its truth. Karl Barth, although still considered the greatest theologian of the 20th Century, is not as fashionable as he once was, and Sasse’s refutation of his work does not carry the weight it did when the Lutherans in Germany were under pressure to join the Confessing Church.

Despite its drawbacks, the meat of the book (that is, Part 1 and most of Part 3) is well worth reading. Anyone interested in Protestant doctrine and theology, and the place of the Lutheran Church in the Christian landscape will find great value here.


This review is based on the 1946 American edition from Augsburg Publishing House.

[Spectre · Rating 3 out of 5]

• As a reader who is neither a Lutheran nor a theologian, I found Sasse’s study of the “Nature and Character of the Lutheran Faith” to start slowly and laboriously only to get interesting when the author began his comparisons of two major Reformists (Luther & Calvin) and their subsequent churches. As a Lutheran advocate, the author comes to an obvious conclusion regarding the “true” church, however he did not fail to discuss the best and worst scriptural arguments of each side.
Although not a part of the book, I was particularly interested in the timeframe and location in which this book was written and published: 1938 Germany. The stresses placed upon the churches and believers living in Germany had to be incredible and would profoundly impact their behavior. A number of citizens resisted the government’s attempts to create a single “Protestant Reich Church” creating the “Confessing Church” which resisted some of the government’s more abhorrent policies.
This is a good book to read in order to gain an understanding of the Reformation that began with Martin Luther’s 95 Theses in 1517 and, it could be argued, has not yet ended as man continues to seek the truth through God’s word.

[Raymond Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had read this years ago, but then I would probably not have understood it as well. I highly recommend "Here We Stand" to all who have an interest in the Church, whether as laity or clergy, whatever your denomination or confession; be aware that Sasse is fighting for the Lutheran Confessions, so if you are not Lutheran, read with a willingness to learn and be challenged, don't cast it aside the moment you disagree with him.

[Chunchumaru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantástico.
Material básica para catequese luterana em todos os tempos.

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

best book on Lutheranism contra Calvinism

[Manuel Marbun · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the so-called 'Protestant' churches and the Roman Catholic Church think they completely understand what the Reformation means. Wait until everyone reads this book.