Aardvark Alley
Confessional Lutheran theology, hagiography, philosophy, music, culture, sports, education,
and whatever else is on the fevered mind of Orycteropus Afer
12 July 2017
+ Bo Harald Giertz, Bishop and Theologian +
12 July AD 1998
Bo Harald Giertz was born 31 August 1905 in Räpplinge, Borgholm, Öland (Kalmar), Sweden. He came from a prominent family and his father was a noted surgeon and head of one of Sweden's largest hospitals He was also an atheist. Bo planned to follow in his father's path and in 1924 he enrolled in the School of Medicine at the University of Uppsala. While there, however, theological students began challenging his belief system and, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he came to faith in Jesus Christ, left the school of medicine, and entered the University School of Theology.
In 1934, Giertz was ordained in the Linkoping Cathedral. He became assistant to the bishop and was given responsibility for working with the youth. His own faith and his conviction concerning the relevance of Christianity were on display for the thousands of young people who came under his care. Even as orthodox Lutherans lauded him, he also drew attacks from modernists in the Swedish state church and secularists as his writings spread in newspapers and periodicals. The public knew him as a talented and faithful confessor of a Church doctrine that was based in Scripture, confessed in the Creeds, and expounded in the Lutheran Confessions.
Giertz became a priest in Torpa in 1938, serving that parish until 1949, when he was consecrated as Bishop of Gothenburg. While serving Torpa, he wrote With My Own Eyes, a retelling of the Gospels (1947), four theological works, Christ's Church (1939), Church Piety (1939), The Great Lie and the Great Truth (1945), and The Battle for Man (1946), the catechetical book The Foundation (1942), and two novels The Hammer of God (1941) and Faith Alone (1943). These latter, particularly Hammer of God, became popular throughout Scandinavia and then around the globe.
The attention to theology and care for souls that Giertz evidenced in Torpa continued when he became Bishop of Gothenburg in 1949. As the youngest man elected and consecrated to serve the Church of Sweden as a diocesan bishop, he combined a somewhat pietistic type of pastoral care with High Church Lutheran theology, traits that are noticeable in his novels. Following the decisions of the Swedish Parliament and the Church Assembly to ordain women in the Church of Sweden (1958), Giertz became a leader of the opposition. In that same year, he invited all confessional groups in the Church of Sweden to form The Church Movement for Bible and Confession in response to the Assembly's decision.
The demands of the bishopric and the challenges of women's ordination and modernist theology slowed his writing for a time but once he became Bishop Emeritus, Giertz returned to the printed word in full force. He wrote The ABCs of Our Christian Faith in 1971, following it with The Knights of Rhodes (1972), another best-selling novel, the devotional books To Believe in Christ (1973) and To Live with Christ (1974), a new translation of the New Testament with Commentary (1977-1982), and, as a nonagenarian, he wrote The Living God — A Guide to the Christian Faith (1995). Most of Giertz's writings are not now available in English but new translations have begun to appear as the desire to read him grows.
Giertz pioneered a return to every Sunday celebration of the Lord's Supper, something that had largely vanished in the Church of Sweden due to the erosion caused by Pietism and Rationalism. He strongly urged pastors to pray the Daily Offices, something he applied in his own devotional life. Although often rejected by the leaders of the Church of Sweden, Giertz remains popular with true Lutherans in his own country, throughout Scandinavia, and across the world. Of him, the Reverend Hans O. Andrae wrote, "In his vision of the One Holy Christian and Apostolic Church, Giertz integrated a vibrant Evangelical-Lutheran orthodoxy, the Church's traditional liturgy, and sincere church piety into a harmonious and powerful wholeness."
Suggested Lection
Psalm 46
Isaiah 55:6-11
Romans 10:5-17
John 15:1-11
Collect
O Lord God, heavenly Father, we pray that, as You raised up Bo Harald Giertz to lead Swedish Lutherans into a renewed appreciation of their confessional heritage and trust in the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ, and as You spoke to the entire Church through his writings, so You would continue to provide faithful pastors and leaders, keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, defend us against all enemies of Your Word, and bestow on Christ's Church Militant Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
In 1934, Giertz was ordained in the Linkoping Cathedral. He became assistant to the bishop and was given responsibility for working with the youth. His own faith and his conviction concerning the relevance of Christianity were on display for the thousands of young people who came under his care. Even as orthodox Lutherans lauded him, he also drew attacks from modernists in the Swedish state church and secularists as his writings spread in newspapers and periodicals. The public knew him as a talented and faithful confessor of a Church doctrine that was based in Scripture, confessed in the Creeds, and expounded in the Lutheran Confessions.
Giertz became a priest in Torpa in 1938, serving that parish until 1949, when he was consecrated as Bishop of Gothenburg. While serving Torpa, he wrote With My Own Eyes, a retelling of the Gospels (1947), four theological works, Christ's Church (1939), Church Piety (1939), The Great Lie and the Great Truth (1945), and The Battle for Man (1946), the catechetical book The Foundation (1942), and two novels The Hammer of God (1941) and Faith Alone (1943). These latter, particularly Hammer of God, became popular throughout Scandinavia and then around the globe.
The attention to theology and care for souls that Giertz evidenced in Torpa continued when he became Bishop of Gothenburg in 1949. As the youngest man elected and consecrated to serve the Church of Sweden as a diocesan bishop, he combined a somewhat pietistic type of pastoral care with High Church Lutheran theology, traits that are noticeable in his novels. Following the decisions of the Swedish Parliament and the Church Assembly to ordain women in the Church of Sweden (1958), Giertz became a leader of the opposition. In that same year, he invited all confessional groups in the Church of Sweden to form The Church Movement for Bible and Confession in response to the Assembly's decision.
Giertz pioneered a return to every Sunday celebration of the Lord's Supper, something that had largely vanished in the Church of Sweden due to the erosion caused by Pietism and Rationalism. He strongly urged pastors to pray the Daily Offices, something he applied in his own devotional life. Although often rejected by the leaders of the Church of Sweden, Giertz remains popular with true Lutherans in his own country, throughout Scandinavia, and across the world. Of him, the Reverend Hans O. Andrae wrote, "In his vision of the One Holy Christian and Apostolic Church, Giertz integrated a vibrant Evangelical-Lutheran orthodoxy, the Church's traditional liturgy, and sincere church piety into a harmonious and powerful wholeness."
Suggested Lection
Psalm 46
Isaiah 55:6-11
Romans 10:5-17
John 15:1-11
Collect
O Lord God, heavenly Father, we pray that, as You raised up Bo Harald Giertz to lead Swedish Lutherans into a renewed appreciation of their confessional heritage and trust in the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ, and as You spoke to the entire Church through his writings, so You would continue to provide faithful pastors and leaders, keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, defend us against all enemies of Your Word, and bestow on Christ's Church Militant Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Labels: biography, bo giertz, christianity, church history, commemorations, european history, hagiography, lutheranism, sweden
¶ 00:00 | 0 comments |
18 May 2017
+ Erik IX of Sweden +
18 May AD 1160
Erik Jedvardsson (Edward's Son) ruled much of Sweden from 1150 to 1160. He headed a Christian kingdom bordered by various pagan realms, all of which shared an ancient tradition of fighting with each other. During the middle of his reign, about 1155, he led a Swedish expedition into Finland, which was then loosely under Swedish rule. The objects were the consolidation of Swedish authority and the establishment of a protected Christian mission. This latter was headed by the English-born Henry of Uppsala, considered by many the founder of the Church in Finland.
Erik also gained renown for measures designed to to provide Sweden with fair laws and just courts, including steps designed to assist the poor and the infirm. One story of his death goes as follows: On 18 May 1160, the day after Ascension Day, while worshiping in an Uppsala church, word came that a pagan Danish army was approaching to kill him. He replied, "Let us at least finish the sacrifice. The rest of the feast I shall keep elsewhere." As he left the church, the pagans rushed upon him and killed him.
Other accounts claim that he was assassinated by Emund Ulvbane, who worked for the rival house of Sverker. Still another story says that the rival claimant Magnus Henriksson either caused or arranged Erik's death. The history of his recognition and official canonization is somewhat blurred. Regional fervor favored him but church politics seemingly denied him papal recognition. Indeed, Pope Alexander III, using the pretext that Erik was a boozer who died in a drunken brawl, censured his cult in 1172. Although no sources say anything officially, one must wonder if Swedish nationalism following this slight might have helped the Reformation later gain rapid inroads in Sweden.
Erik was honored both as an upholder of the Christian faith and as a national hero, the ancestor of a long line of Swedish kings. His bloodline also spread by marriage into the courts of Norway and Denmark. Within thirty years of his death, he was listed on the Swedish sanctorial calendar. He remains honored as the patron of the city of Stockholm and his likeness is on the city's coat of arms (above). He is also held as the principal patron of Sweden. His silver casket still sits in Uppsala's cathedral.
Collect
O God, who called Your servant Erik of Sweden to an earthly throne and allowed him to advance Your heavenly kingdom, giving him zeal for Your Church and love for Your people, mercifully grant that we who commemorate him this day may be fruitful in good works, and attain to the glorious crown of Your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Erik Jedvardsson (Edward's Son) ruled much of Sweden from 1150 to 1160. He headed a Christian kingdom bordered by various pagan realms, all of which shared an ancient tradition of fighting with each other. During the middle of his reign, about 1155, he led a Swedish expedition into Finland, which was then loosely under Swedish rule. The objects were the consolidation of Swedish authority and the establishment of a protected Christian mission. This latter was headed by the English-born Henry of Uppsala, considered by many the founder of the Church in Finland.Erik also gained renown for measures designed to to provide Sweden with fair laws and just courts, including steps designed to assist the poor and the infirm. One story of his death goes as follows: On 18 May 1160, the day after Ascension Day, while worshiping in an Uppsala church, word came that a pagan Danish army was approaching to kill him. He replied, "Let us at least finish the sacrifice. The rest of the feast I shall keep elsewhere." As he left the church, the pagans rushed upon him and killed him.
Other accounts claim that he was assassinated by Emund Ulvbane, who worked for the rival house of Sverker. Still another story says that the rival claimant Magnus Henriksson either caused or arranged Erik's death. The history of his recognition and official canonization is somewhat blurred. Regional fervor favored him but church politics seemingly denied him papal recognition. Indeed, Pope Alexander III, using the pretext that Erik was a boozer who died in a drunken brawl, censured his cult in 1172. Although no sources say anything officially, one must wonder if Swedish nationalism following this slight might have helped the Reformation later gain rapid inroads in Sweden.
Erik was honored both as an upholder of the Christian faith and as a national hero, the ancestor of a long line of Swedish kings. His bloodline also spread by marriage into the courts of Norway and Denmark. Within thirty years of his death, he was listed on the Swedish sanctorial calendar. He remains honored as the patron of the city of Stockholm and his likeness is on the city's coat of arms (above). He is also held as the principal patron of Sweden. His silver casket still sits in Uppsala's cathedral.
Collect
O God, who called Your servant Erik of Sweden to an earthly throne and allowed him to advance Your heavenly kingdom, giving him zeal for Your Church and love for Your people, mercifully grant that we who commemorate him this day may be fruitful in good works, and attain to the glorious crown of Your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Labels: biography, church history, commemoration, erik, erik ix, european history, hagiography, lutheranism, patron saint, sweden
¶ 00:00 | 0 comments |
06 November 2016
+ Gustavus Adolphus, King and Confessor +
6 November AD 1632*
Throughout history, God has raised up and blessed many wise kings, wily generals, and heroic fighting men. In Gustav II Adolf, He did all three — and to that mix He added passionate faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and unswerving confidence that the Lutheran Reformation had restored proper Biblical teaching.
Born on 9 December 1594, Gustav was the oldest son of Charles (Karl) IX of Sweden and his second wife, Christina of Holstein-Gottorp. His grandfather Gustav I was the first of the House of Vasa to reign as King of Sweden. Through his mother, he was descended from German nobility, including Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, who is remembered both for his support of the Reformation and for his bigamy which caused Luther and the other reformers much grief.
From his earliest childhood, Gustav was immersed in the art of governing. He played in Charles' study while a little boy as his father conducted affairs of state. At six, he accompanied the army on campaign. By the time he was ten, he was allowed to sit at the council table and voice his own opinions. As a teen, he received ambassadors. He knew at least a bit of ten languages, carried a life-long interest in learning, and held a passion for philosophy, especially of a practical nature. As an adult, he was seldom found without a volume of Grotius nearby and while he rejected the philosopher's Arminian theology, he embraced much of his apologetic and his theories on government.
Gustav ascended to the throne in 1611 as a seventeen year old but his claim was challenged by his cousin Sigismund III of Poland. The two engaged in intermittent dynastic struggle which led to open combat in the Polish-Swedish War (1625-29).
When Gustavus Adolphus brought Sweden into the Thirty Years' War, he did so both to defend German Lutheran states from the Catholic forces of the Holy Roman Empire and to extend Sweden's territory and international influence. Living at a time when Cardinal Richelieu was standard-bearer for statecraft, the king out-maneuvered the cardinal and turned French aid into Swedish domestic and military might. And because he strongly espoused both religious and political reasons for Swedish involvement in the affairs of lower Europe, particularly Germany and the Empire, Gustavus Adolphus could appeal to both the faith and the patriotism of his subjects.
Gustav II customarily placed himself in the midst of combat, not only to inspire his troops but because his tactics often depended upon fast analysis of and reaction to battlefield conditions. However, it was the king's leading from the front that cost him his life. He'd already been wounded in other battles and had adopted what he thought a better suit of armor. At Lützen, during a crucial point in the battle, he led a cavalry charge into the powder smoke and fog. He became separated from his troops and was killed.
After he died, his widow initially kept his body (later only his heart) in the castle of Nyköping for over a year. His remains, including his heart, now rest in Stockholm's Riddarholmskyrkan, the burial site of Swedish monarchs. The German Protestants remembered him as "The Lion of the North" or "Der Löwe von Mitternacht" ("The Lion of Midnight") while the Riksdag named their fallen king "Gustaf Adolf den Store" ("Gustaf Adolph the Great"), a title bestowed on no other Swedish monarch before or since.
We sometimes speak of "winning the battle but losing the war." Lützen approached that level of calamity but the Swedish, Lutheran, and Protestant causes were not completely obliterated. Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar assumed command and completed the victory. Still, Gustavus Adolphus' death meant that France would assume a leading role among the anti-Hapsburg forces. The Lutherans would lose some territory but the gains of the Reformation would not be completely undone. And Sweden would still have some influence in European politics for years to come, although not to the degree enjoyed under their greatest king.
Although born after that historical era ended, Gustav II Adolf was a prototypical Renaissance man. He was well-versed in the Bible and in other literature. He understood both the art of war and the art of peace. A staunch aristocrat and monarch, he was able to keep his nobles in check and give them true ownership in Sweden's government. At the same time, he could also inspire the allegiance of the common people. Military historians and strategists often herald Gustavus Adolphus as the father of modern war. Later military geniuses, including Napoleon Bonaparte and Carl von Clausewitz, consider him as one of history's greatest generals, a thought continued in more modern times by George S. Patton and others.
Gustavus Adolphus pioneered the use of fast-firing musketeers and extreme mobility of troops and flexibility in engagements. His artillery was much more mobile than others' and he treated all branches of his army equally, refusing to favor cavalry over infantry or musketeers over pikemen. Indeed, he cross-trained as many of his soldiers as possible, so much of his infantry could ride and his pikemen could also use muskets.
Yet we Christians, in particular we Lutherans, most of all remember and give thanks for a man who used his intellect and leadership in political and military defense of the religious gains of the Reformation. And while not all in Sweden, Germany, or elsewhere continue to staunchly believe in justification by grace through faith, or to trust in Scripture's veracity and the truth of the Lutheran Confessions, it's nowhere the fault of godly King Gustavus Adolphus Magnus.
See also the biographical information at Wikipedia, Three Hierarchies, Biography Base, and eDigg.
*At the time of Gustavus Adolphus' death, Sweden still used the Julian Calendar. The nation kept the traditional death date for their most revered monarch rather than moving it to 16 November on the Gregorian Calendar.
Suggested Lection
Psalm 146
Daniel 10:18-20
Romans 13:1-7
John 15:9-11
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, who kindled the flame of Your love in the heart of Gustav Adolf, who inspired his kingship under Jesus, the King of kings, and who led him to bold confession and humble service, grant to us, Your people, like faith and humble service, that we who rejoice in his triumphs may profit by his example; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Throughout history, God has raised up and blessed many wise kings, wily generals, and heroic fighting men. In Gustav II Adolf, He did all three — and to that mix He added passionate faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and unswerving confidence that the Lutheran Reformation had restored proper Biblical teaching.Born on 9 December 1594, Gustav was the oldest son of Charles (Karl) IX of Sweden and his second wife, Christina of Holstein-Gottorp. His grandfather Gustav I was the first of the House of Vasa to reign as King of Sweden. Through his mother, he was descended from German nobility, including Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, who is remembered both for his support of the Reformation and for his bigamy which caused Luther and the other reformers much grief.
From his earliest childhood, Gustav was immersed in the art of governing. He played in Charles' study while a little boy as his father conducted affairs of state. At six, he accompanied the army on campaign. By the time he was ten, he was allowed to sit at the council table and voice his own opinions. As a teen, he received ambassadors. He knew at least a bit of ten languages, carried a life-long interest in learning, and held a passion for philosophy, especially of a practical nature. As an adult, he was seldom found without a volume of Grotius nearby and while he rejected the philosopher's Arminian theology, he embraced much of his apologetic and his theories on government.
Gustav ascended to the throne in 1611 as a seventeen year old but his claim was challenged by his cousin Sigismund III of Poland. The two engaged in intermittent dynastic struggle which led to open combat in the Polish-Swedish War (1625-29).
When Gustavus Adolphus brought Sweden into the Thirty Years' War, he did so both to defend German Lutheran states from the Catholic forces of the Holy Roman Empire and to extend Sweden's territory and international influence. Living at a time when Cardinal Richelieu was standard-bearer for statecraft, the king out-maneuvered the cardinal and turned French aid into Swedish domestic and military might. And because he strongly espoused both religious and political reasons for Swedish involvement in the affairs of lower Europe, particularly Germany and the Empire, Gustavus Adolphus could appeal to both the faith and the patriotism of his subjects.
Gustav II customarily placed himself in the midst of combat, not only to inspire his troops but because his tactics often depended upon fast analysis of and reaction to battlefield conditions. However, it was the king's leading from the front that cost him his life. He'd already been wounded in other battles and had adopted what he thought a better suit of armor. At Lützen, during a crucial point in the battle, he led a cavalry charge into the powder smoke and fog. He became separated from his troops and was killed.After he died, his widow initially kept his body (later only his heart) in the castle of Nyköping for over a year. His remains, including his heart, now rest in Stockholm's Riddarholmskyrkan, the burial site of Swedish monarchs. The German Protestants remembered him as "The Lion of the North" or "Der Löwe von Mitternacht" ("The Lion of Midnight") while the Riksdag named their fallen king "Gustaf Adolf den Store" ("Gustaf Adolph the Great"), a title bestowed on no other Swedish monarch before or since.
We sometimes speak of "winning the battle but losing the war." Lützen approached that level of calamity but the Swedish, Lutheran, and Protestant causes were not completely obliterated. Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar assumed command and completed the victory. Still, Gustavus Adolphus' death meant that France would assume a leading role among the anti-Hapsburg forces. The Lutherans would lose some territory but the gains of the Reformation would not be completely undone. And Sweden would still have some influence in European politics for years to come, although not to the degree enjoyed under their greatest king.
Although born after that historical era ended, Gustav II Adolf was a prototypical Renaissance man. He was well-versed in the Bible and in other literature. He understood both the art of war and the art of peace. A staunch aristocrat and monarch, he was able to keep his nobles in check and give them true ownership in Sweden's government. At the same time, he could also inspire the allegiance of the common people. Military historians and strategists often herald Gustavus Adolphus as the father of modern war. Later military geniuses, including Napoleon Bonaparte and Carl von Clausewitz, consider him as one of history's greatest generals, a thought continued in more modern times by George S. Patton and others.
Gustavus Adolphus pioneered the use of fast-firing musketeers and extreme mobility of troops and flexibility in engagements. His artillery was much more mobile than others' and he treated all branches of his army equally, refusing to favor cavalry over infantry or musketeers over pikemen. Indeed, he cross-trained as many of his soldiers as possible, so much of his infantry could ride and his pikemen could also use muskets.
Yet we Christians, in particular we Lutherans, most of all remember and give thanks for a man who used his intellect and leadership in political and military defense of the religious gains of the Reformation. And while not all in Sweden, Germany, or elsewhere continue to staunchly believe in justification by grace through faith, or to trust in Scripture's veracity and the truth of the Lutheran Confessions, it's nowhere the fault of godly King Gustavus Adolphus Magnus.
See also the biographical information at Wikipedia, Three Hierarchies, Biography Base, and eDigg.
*At the time of Gustavus Adolphus' death, Sweden still used the Julian Calendar. The nation kept the traditional death date for their most revered monarch rather than moving it to 16 November on the Gregorian Calendar.
Suggested Lection
Psalm 146
Daniel 10:18-20
Romans 13:1-7
John 15:9-11
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, who kindled the flame of Your love in the heart of Gustav Adolf, who inspired his kingship under Jesus, the King of kings, and who led him to bold confession and humble service, grant to us, Your people, like faith and humble service, that we who rejoice in his triumphs may profit by his example; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Labels: biography, church history, commemoration, european history, gustav adolf, gustavus adolphus, hagiography, lutheranism, reformation, sweden
¶ 00:00 | 0 comments |
12 July 2016
+ Bo Harald Giertz, Bishop and Theologian +
12 July AD 1998
Bo Harald Giertz was born 31 August 1905 in Räpplinge, Borgholm, Öland (Kalmar), Sweden. He came from a prominent family and his father was a noted surgeon and head of one of Sweden's largest hospitals He was also an atheist. Bo planned to follow in his father's path and in 1924 he enrolled in the School of Medicine at the University of Uppsala. While there, however, theological students began challenging his belief system and, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he came to faith in Jesus Christ, left the school of medicine, and entered the University School of Theology.
In 1934, Giertz was ordained in the Linkoping Cathedral. He became assistant to the bishop and was given responsibility for working with the youth. His own faith and his conviction concerning the relevance of Christianity were on display for the thousands of young people who came under his care. Even as orthodox Lutherans lauded him, he also drew attacks from modernists in the Swedish state church and secularists as his writings spread in newspapers and periodicals. The public knew him as a talented and faithful confessor of a Church doctrine that was based in Scripture, confessed in the Creeds, and expounded in the Lutheran Confessions.
Giertz became a priest in Torpa in 1938, serving that parish until 1949, when he was consecrated as Bishop of Gothenburg. While serving Torpa, he wrote With My Own Eyes, a retelling of the Gospels (1947), four theological works, Christ's Church (1939), Church Piety (1939), The Great Lie and the Great Truth (1945), and The Battle for Man (1946), the catechetical book The Foundation (1942), and two novels The Hammer of God (1941) and Faith Alone (1943). These latter, particularly Hammer of God, became popular throughout Scandinavia and then around the globe.
The attention to theology and care for souls that Giertz evidenced in Torpa continued when he became Bishop of Gothenburg in 1949. As the youngest man elected and consecrated to serve the Church of Sweden as a diocesan bishop, he combined a somewhat pietistic type of pastoral care with High Church Lutheran theology, traits that are noticeable in his novels. Following the decisions of the Swedish Parliament and the Church Assembly to ordain women in the Church of Sweden (1958), Giertz became a leader of the opposition. In that same year, he invited all confessional groups in the Church of Sweden to form The Church Movement for Bible and Confession in response to the Assembly's decision.
The demands of the bishopric and the challenges of women's ordination and modernist theology slowed his writing for a time but once he became Bishop Emeritus, Giertz returned to the printed word in full force. He wrote The ABCs of Our Christian Faith in 1971, following it with The Knights of Rhodes (1972), another best-selling novel, the devotional books To Believe in Christ (1973) and To Live with Christ (1974), a new translation of the New Testament with Commentary (1977-1982), and, as a nonagenarian, he wrote The Living God — A Guide to the Christian Faith (1995). Most of Giertz's writings are not now available in English but new translations have begun to appear as the desire to read him grows.
Giertz pioneered a return to every Sunday celebration of the Lord's Supper, something that had largely vanished in the Church of Sweden due to the erosion caused by Pietism and Rationalism. He strongly urged pastors to pray the Daily Offices, something he applied in his own devotional life. Although often rejected by the leaders of the Church of Sweden, Giertz remains popular with true Lutherans in his own country, throughout Scandinavia, and across the world. Of him, the Reverend Hans O. Andrae wrote, "In his vision of the One Holy Christian and Apostolic Church, Giertz integrated a vibrant Evangelical-Lutheran orthodoxy, the Church's traditional liturgy, and sincere church piety into a harmonious and powerful wholeness."
Suggested Lection
Psalm 46
Isaiah 55:6-11
Romans 10:5-17
John 15:1-11
Collect
O Lord God, heavenly Father, we pray that, as You raised up Bo Harald Giertz to lead Swedish Lutherans into a renewed appreciation of their confessional heritage and trust in the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ, and as You spoke to the entire Church through his writings, so You would continue to provide faithful pastors and leaders, keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, defend us against all enemies of Your Word, and bestow on Christ's Church Militant Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
In 1934, Giertz was ordained in the Linkoping Cathedral. He became assistant to the bishop and was given responsibility for working with the youth. His own faith and his conviction concerning the relevance of Christianity were on display for the thousands of young people who came under his care. Even as orthodox Lutherans lauded him, he also drew attacks from modernists in the Swedish state church and secularists as his writings spread in newspapers and periodicals. The public knew him as a talented and faithful confessor of a Church doctrine that was based in Scripture, confessed in the Creeds, and expounded in the Lutheran Confessions.
Giertz became a priest in Torpa in 1938, serving that parish until 1949, when he was consecrated as Bishop of Gothenburg. While serving Torpa, he wrote With My Own Eyes, a retelling of the Gospels (1947), four theological works, Christ's Church (1939), Church Piety (1939), The Great Lie and the Great Truth (1945), and The Battle for Man (1946), the catechetical book The Foundation (1942), and two novels The Hammer of God (1941) and Faith Alone (1943). These latter, particularly Hammer of God, became popular throughout Scandinavia and then around the globe.
The attention to theology and care for souls that Giertz evidenced in Torpa continued when he became Bishop of Gothenburg in 1949. As the youngest man elected and consecrated to serve the Church of Sweden as a diocesan bishop, he combined a somewhat pietistic type of pastoral care with High Church Lutheran theology, traits that are noticeable in his novels. Following the decisions of the Swedish Parliament and the Church Assembly to ordain women in the Church of Sweden (1958), Giertz became a leader of the opposition. In that same year, he invited all confessional groups in the Church of Sweden to form The Church Movement for Bible and Confession in response to the Assembly's decision.
Giertz pioneered a return to every Sunday celebration of the Lord's Supper, something that had largely vanished in the Church of Sweden due to the erosion caused by Pietism and Rationalism. He strongly urged pastors to pray the Daily Offices, something he applied in his own devotional life. Although often rejected by the leaders of the Church of Sweden, Giertz remains popular with true Lutherans in his own country, throughout Scandinavia, and across the world. Of him, the Reverend Hans O. Andrae wrote, "In his vision of the One Holy Christian and Apostolic Church, Giertz integrated a vibrant Evangelical-Lutheran orthodoxy, the Church's traditional liturgy, and sincere church piety into a harmonious and powerful wholeness."
Suggested Lection
Psalm 46
Isaiah 55:6-11
Romans 10:5-17
John 15:1-11
Collect
O Lord God, heavenly Father, we pray that, as You raised up Bo Harald Giertz to lead Swedish Lutherans into a renewed appreciation of their confessional heritage and trust in the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ, and as You spoke to the entire Church through his writings, so You would continue to provide faithful pastors and leaders, keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, defend us against all enemies of Your Word, and bestow on Christ's Church Militant Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Labels: biography, bo giertz, christianity, church history, commemorations, european history, hagiography, lutheranism, sweden
¶ 00:00 | 0 comments |
18 May 2016
+ Erik IX of Sweden +
18 May AD 1160
Erik Jedvardsson (Edward's Son) ruled much of Sweden from 1150 to 1160. He headed a Christian kingdom bordered by various pagan realms, all of which shared an ancient tradition of fighting with each other. During the middle of his reign, about 1155, he led a Swedish expedition into Finland, which was then loosely under Swedish rule. The objects were the consolidation of Swedish authority and the establishment of a protected Christian mission. This latter was headed by the English-born Henry of Uppsala, considered by many the founder of the Church in Finland.
Erik also gained renown for measures designed to to provide Sweden with fair laws and just courts, including steps designed to assist the poor and the infirm. One story of his death goes as follows: On 18 May 1160, the day after Ascension Day, while worshiping in an Uppsala church, word came that a pagan Danish army was approaching to kill him. He replied, "Let us at least finish the sacrifice. The rest of the feast I shall keep elsewhere." As he left the church, the pagans rushed upon him and killed him.
Other accounts claim that he was assassinated by Emund Ulvbane, who worked for the rival house of Sverker. Still another story says that the rival claimant Magnus Henriksson either caused or arranged Erik's death. The history of his recognition and official canonization is somewhat blurred. Regional fervor favored him but church politics seemingly denied him papal recognition. Indeed, Pope Alexander III, using the pretext that Erik was a boozer who died in a drunken brawl, censured his cult in 1172. Although no sources say anything officially, one must wonder if Swedish nationalism following this slight might have helped the Reformation later gain rapid inroads in Sweden.
Erik was honored both as an upholder of the Christian faith and as a national hero, the ancestor of a long line of Swedish kings. His bloodline also spread by marriage into the courts of Norway and Denmark. Within thirty years of his death, he was listed on the Swedish sanctorial calendar. He remains honored as the patron of the city of Stockholm and his likeness is on the city's coat of arms (above). He is also held as the principal patron of Sweden. His silver casket still sits in Uppsala's cathedral.
Collect
O God, who called Your servant Erik of Sweden to an earthly throne and allowed him to advance Your heavenly kingdom, giving him zeal for Your Church and love for Your people, mercifully grant that we who commemorate him this day may be fruitful in good works, and attain to the glorious crown of Your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Erik Jedvardsson (Edward's Son) ruled much of Sweden from 1150 to 1160. He headed a Christian kingdom bordered by various pagan realms, all of which shared an ancient tradition of fighting with each other. During the middle of his reign, about 1155, he led a Swedish expedition into Finland, which was then loosely under Swedish rule. The objects were the consolidation of Swedish authority and the establishment of a protected Christian mission. This latter was headed by the English-born Henry of Uppsala, considered by many the founder of the Church in Finland.Erik also gained renown for measures designed to to provide Sweden with fair laws and just courts, including steps designed to assist the poor and the infirm. One story of his death goes as follows: On 18 May 1160, the day after Ascension Day, while worshiping in an Uppsala church, word came that a pagan Danish army was approaching to kill him. He replied, "Let us at least finish the sacrifice. The rest of the feast I shall keep elsewhere." As he left the church, the pagans rushed upon him and killed him.
Other accounts claim that he was assassinated by Emund Ulvbane, who worked for the rival house of Sverker. Still another story says that the rival claimant Magnus Henriksson either caused or arranged Erik's death. The history of his recognition and official canonization is somewhat blurred. Regional fervor favored him but church politics seemingly denied him papal recognition. Indeed, Pope Alexander III, using the pretext that Erik was a boozer who died in a drunken brawl, censured his cult in 1172. Although no sources say anything officially, one must wonder if Swedish nationalism following this slight might have helped the Reformation later gain rapid inroads in Sweden.
Erik was honored both as an upholder of the Christian faith and as a national hero, the ancestor of a long line of Swedish kings. His bloodline also spread by marriage into the courts of Norway and Denmark. Within thirty years of his death, he was listed on the Swedish sanctorial calendar. He remains honored as the patron of the city of Stockholm and his likeness is on the city's coat of arms (above). He is also held as the principal patron of Sweden. His silver casket still sits in Uppsala's cathedral.
Collect
O God, who called Your servant Erik of Sweden to an earthly throne and allowed him to advance Your heavenly kingdom, giving him zeal for Your Church and love for Your people, mercifully grant that we who commemorate him this day may be fruitful in good works, and attain to the glorious crown of Your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Labels: biography, church history, commemoration, erik, erik ix, european history, hagiography, lutheranism, patron saint, sweden
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06 November 2015
+ Gustavus Adolphus, King and Confessor +
6 November AD 1632*
Throughout history, God has raised up and blessed many wise kings, wily generals, and heroic fighting men. In Gustav II Adolf, He did all three — and to that mix He added passionate faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and unswerving confidence that the Lutheran Reformation had restored proper Biblical teaching.
Born on 9 December 1594, Gustav was the oldest son of Charles (Karl) IX of Sweden and his second wife, Christina of Holstein-Gottorp. His grandfather Gustav I was the first of the House of Vasa to reign as King of Sweden. Through his mother, he was descended from German nobility, including Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, who is remembered both for his support of the Reformation and for his bigamy which caused Luther and the other reformers much grief.
From his earliest childhood, Gustav was immersed in the art of governing. He played in Charles' study while a little boy as his father conducted affairs of state. At six, he accompanied the army on campaign. By the time he was ten, he was allowed to sit at the council table and voice his own opinions. As a teen, he received ambassadors. He knew at least a bit of ten languages, carried a life-long interest in learning, and held a passion for philosophy, especially of a practical nature. As an adult, he was seldom found without a volume of Grotius nearby and while he rejected the philosopher's Arminian theology, he embraced much of his apologetic and his theories on government.
Gustav ascended to the throne in 1611 as a seventeen year old but his claim was challenged by his cousin Sigismund III of Poland. The two engaged in intermittent dynastic struggle which led to open combat in the Polish-Swedish War (1625-29).
When Gustavus Adolphus brought Sweden into the Thirty Years' War, he did so both to defend German Lutheran states from the Catholic forces of the Holy Roman Empire and to extend Sweden's territory and international influence. Living at a time when Cardinal Richelieu was standard-bearer for statecraft, the king out-maneuvered the cardinal and turned French aid into Swedish domestic and military might. And because he strongly espoused both religious and political reasons for Swedish involvement in the affairs of lower Europe, particularly Germany and the Empire, Gustavus Adolphus could appeal to both the faith and the patriotism of his subjects.
Gustav II customarily placed himself in the midst of combat, not only to inspire his troops but because his tactics often depended upon fast analysis of and reaction to battlefield conditions. However, it was the king's leading from the front that cost him his life. He'd already been wounded in other battles and had adopted what he thought a better suit of armor. At Lützen, during a crucial point in the battle, he led a cavalry charge into the powder smoke and fog. He became separated from his troops and was killed.
After he died, his widow initially kept his body (later only his heart) in the castle of Nyköping for over a year. His remains, including his heart, now rest in Stockholm's Riddarholmskyrkan, the burial site of Swedish monarchs. The German Protestants remembered him as "The Lion of the North" or "Der Löwe von Mitternacht" ("The Lion of Midnight") while the Riksdag named their fallen king "Gustaf Adolf den Store" ("Gustaf Adolph the Great"), a title bestowed on no other Swedish monarch before or since.
We sometimes speak of "winning the battle but losing the war." Lützen approached that level of calamity but the Swedish, Lutheran, and Protestant causes were not completely obliterated. Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar assumed command and completed the victory. Still, Gustavus Adolphus' death meant that France would assume a leading role among the anti-Hapsburg forces. The Lutherans would lose some territory but the gains of the Reformation would not be completely undone. And Sweden would still have some influence in European politics for years to come, although not to the degree enjoyed under their greatest king.
Although born after that historical era ended, Gustav II Adolf was a prototypical Renaissance man. He was well-versed in the Bible and in other literature. He understood both the art of war and the art of peace. A staunch aristocrat and monarch, he was able to keep his nobles in check and give them true ownership in Sweden's government. At the same time, he could also inspire the allegiance of the common people. Military historians and strategists often herald Gustavus Adolphus as the father of modern war. Later military geniuses, including Napoleon Bonaparte and Carl von Clausewitz, consider him as one of history's greatest generals, a thought continued in more modern times by George S. Patton and others.
Gustavus Adolphus pioneered the use of fast-firing musketeers and extreme mobility of troops and flexibility in engagements. His artillery was much more mobile than others' and he treated all branches of his army equally, refusing to favor cavalry over infantry or musketeers over pikemen. Indeed, he cross-trained as many of his soldiers as possible, so much of his infantry could ride and his pikemen could also use muskets.
Yet we Christians, in particular we Lutherans, most of all remember and give thanks for a man who used his intellect and leadership in political and military defense of the religious gains of the Reformation. And while not all in Sweden, Germany, or elsewhere continue to staunchly believe in justification by grace through faith, or to trust in Scripture's veracity and the truth of the Lutheran Confessions, it's nowhere the fault of godly King Gustavus Adolphus Magnus.
See also the biographical information at Wikipedia, Three Hierarchies, Biography Base, and eDigg.
*At the time of Gustavus Adolphus' death, Sweden still used the Julian Calendar. The nation kept the traditional death date for their most revered monarch rather than moving it to 16 November on the Gregorian Calendar.
Suggested Lection
Psalm 146
Daniel 10:18-20
Romans 13:1-7
John 15:9-11
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, who kindled the flame of Your love in the heart of Gustav Adolf, who inspired his kingship under Jesus, the King of kings, and who led him to bold confession and humble service, grant to us, Your people, like faith and humble service, that we who rejoice in his triumphs may profit by his example; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Throughout history, God has raised up and blessed many wise kings, wily generals, and heroic fighting men. In Gustav II Adolf, He did all three — and to that mix He added passionate faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and unswerving confidence that the Lutheran Reformation had restored proper Biblical teaching.Born on 9 December 1594, Gustav was the oldest son of Charles (Karl) IX of Sweden and his second wife, Christina of Holstein-Gottorp. His grandfather Gustav I was the first of the House of Vasa to reign as King of Sweden. Through his mother, he was descended from German nobility, including Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, who is remembered both for his support of the Reformation and for his bigamy which caused Luther and the other reformers much grief.
From his earliest childhood, Gustav was immersed in the art of governing. He played in Charles' study while a little boy as his father conducted affairs of state. At six, he accompanied the army on campaign. By the time he was ten, he was allowed to sit at the council table and voice his own opinions. As a teen, he received ambassadors. He knew at least a bit of ten languages, carried a life-long interest in learning, and held a passion for philosophy, especially of a practical nature. As an adult, he was seldom found without a volume of Grotius nearby and while he rejected the philosopher's Arminian theology, he embraced much of his apologetic and his theories on government.
Gustav ascended to the throne in 1611 as a seventeen year old but his claim was challenged by his cousin Sigismund III of Poland. The two engaged in intermittent dynastic struggle which led to open combat in the Polish-Swedish War (1625-29).
When Gustavus Adolphus brought Sweden into the Thirty Years' War, he did so both to defend German Lutheran states from the Catholic forces of the Holy Roman Empire and to extend Sweden's territory and international influence. Living at a time when Cardinal Richelieu was standard-bearer for statecraft, the king out-maneuvered the cardinal and turned French aid into Swedish domestic and military might. And because he strongly espoused both religious and political reasons for Swedish involvement in the affairs of lower Europe, particularly Germany and the Empire, Gustavus Adolphus could appeal to both the faith and the patriotism of his subjects.
Gustav II customarily placed himself in the midst of combat, not only to inspire his troops but because his tactics often depended upon fast analysis of and reaction to battlefield conditions. However, it was the king's leading from the front that cost him his life. He'd already been wounded in other battles and had adopted what he thought a better suit of armor. At Lützen, during a crucial point in the battle, he led a cavalry charge into the powder smoke and fog. He became separated from his troops and was killed.After he died, his widow initially kept his body (later only his heart) in the castle of Nyköping for over a year. His remains, including his heart, now rest in Stockholm's Riddarholmskyrkan, the burial site of Swedish monarchs. The German Protestants remembered him as "The Lion of the North" or "Der Löwe von Mitternacht" ("The Lion of Midnight") while the Riksdag named their fallen king "Gustaf Adolf den Store" ("Gustaf Adolph the Great"), a title bestowed on no other Swedish monarch before or since.
We sometimes speak of "winning the battle but losing the war." Lützen approached that level of calamity but the Swedish, Lutheran, and Protestant causes were not completely obliterated. Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar assumed command and completed the victory. Still, Gustavus Adolphus' death meant that France would assume a leading role among the anti-Hapsburg forces. The Lutherans would lose some territory but the gains of the Reformation would not be completely undone. And Sweden would still have some influence in European politics for years to come, although not to the degree enjoyed under their greatest king.
Although born after that historical era ended, Gustav II Adolf was a prototypical Renaissance man. He was well-versed in the Bible and in other literature. He understood both the art of war and the art of peace. A staunch aristocrat and monarch, he was able to keep his nobles in check and give them true ownership in Sweden's government. At the same time, he could also inspire the allegiance of the common people. Military historians and strategists often herald Gustavus Adolphus as the father of modern war. Later military geniuses, including Napoleon Bonaparte and Carl von Clausewitz, consider him as one of history's greatest generals, a thought continued in more modern times by George S. Patton and others.
Gustavus Adolphus pioneered the use of fast-firing musketeers and extreme mobility of troops and flexibility in engagements. His artillery was much more mobile than others' and he treated all branches of his army equally, refusing to favor cavalry over infantry or musketeers over pikemen. Indeed, he cross-trained as many of his soldiers as possible, so much of his infantry could ride and his pikemen could also use muskets.
Yet we Christians, in particular we Lutherans, most of all remember and give thanks for a man who used his intellect and leadership in political and military defense of the religious gains of the Reformation. And while not all in Sweden, Germany, or elsewhere continue to staunchly believe in justification by grace through faith, or to trust in Scripture's veracity and the truth of the Lutheran Confessions, it's nowhere the fault of godly King Gustavus Adolphus Magnus.
See also the biographical information at Wikipedia, Three Hierarchies, Biography Base, and eDigg.
*At the time of Gustavus Adolphus' death, Sweden still used the Julian Calendar. The nation kept the traditional death date for their most revered monarch rather than moving it to 16 November on the Gregorian Calendar.
Suggested Lection
Psalm 146
Daniel 10:18-20
Romans 13:1-7
John 15:9-11
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, who kindled the flame of Your love in the heart of Gustav Adolf, who inspired his kingship under Jesus, the King of kings, and who led him to bold confession and humble service, grant to us, Your people, like faith and humble service, that we who rejoice in his triumphs may profit by his example; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Labels: biography, church history, commemoration, european history, gustav adolf, gustavus adolphus, hagiography, lutheranism, sweden
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12 July 2015
+ Bo Harald Giertz, Bishop and Theologian +
12 July AD 1998
Bo Harald Giertz was born 31 August 1905 in Räpplinge, Borgholm, Öland (Kalmar), Sweden. He came from a prominent family and his father was a noted surgeon and head of one of Sweden's largest hospitals He was also an atheist. Bo planned to follow in his father's path and in 1924 he enrolled in the School of Medicine at the University of Uppsala. While there, however, theological students began challenging his belief system and, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he came to faith in Jesus Christ, left the school of medicine, and entered the University School of Theology.
In 1934, Giertz was ordained in the Linkoping Cathedral. He became assistant to the bishop and was given responsibility for working with the youth. His own faith and his conviction concerning the relevance of Christianity were on display for the thousands of young people who came under his care. Even as orthodox Lutherans lauded him, he also drew attacks from modernists in the Swedish state church and secularists as his writings spread in newspapers and periodicals. The public knew him as a talented and faithful confessor of a Church doctrine that was based in Scripture, confessed in the Creeds, and expounded in the Lutheran Confessions.
Giertz became a priest in Torpa in 1938, serving that parish until 1949, when he was consecrated as Bishop of Gothenburg. While serving Torpa, he wrote With My Own Eyes, a retelling of the Gospels (1947), four theological works, Christ's Church (1939), Church Piety (1939), The Great Lie and the Great Truth (1945), and The Battle for Man (1946), the catechetical book The Foundation (1942), and two novels The Hammer of God (1941) and Faith Alone (1943). These latter, particularly Hammer of God, became popular throughout Scandinavia and then around the globe.
The attention to theology and care for souls that Giertz evidenced in Torpa continued when he became Bishop of Gothenburg in 1949. As the youngest man elected and consecrated to serve the Church of Sweden as a diocesan bishop, he combined a somewhat pietistic type of pastoral care with High Church Lutheran theology, traits that are noticeable in his novels. Following the decisions of the Swedish Parliament and the Church Assembly to ordain women in the Church of Sweden (1958), Giertz became a leader of the opposition. In that same year, he invited all confessional groups in the Church of Sweden to form The Church Movement for Bible and Confession in response to the Assembly's decision.
The demands of the bishopric and the challenges of women's ordination and modernist theology slowed his writing for a time but once he became Bishop Emeritus, Giertz returned to the printed word in full force. He wrote The ABCs of Our Christian Faith in 1971, following it with The Knights of Rhodos (1972), another best-selling novel, the devotional books To Believe in Christ (1973) and To Live with Christ (1974), a new translation of the New Testament with Commentary (1977-1982), and, as a nonagenarian, he wrote The Living God — A Guide to the Christian Faith (1995). Most of Giertz's writings are not now available in English but new translations have begun to appear as the desire to read him grows.
Giertz pioneered a return to every Sunday celebration of the Lord's Supper, something that had largely vanished in the Church of Sweden due to the erosion caused by Pietism and Rationalism. He strongly urged pastors to pray the Daily Offices, something he applied in his own devotional life. Although often rejected by the leaders of the Church of Sweden, Giertz remains popular with true Lutherans in his own country, throughout Scandinavia, and across the world. Of him, the Reverend Hans O. Andrae wrote, "In his vision of the One Holy Christian and Apostolic Church, Giertz integrated a vibrant Evangelical-Lutheran orthodoxy, the Church's traditional liturgy, and sincere church piety into a harmonious and powerful wholeness."
Suggested Lection
Psalm 46
Isaiah 55:6-11
Romans 10:5-17
John 15:1-11
Collect
O Lord God, heavenly Father, we pray that, as You raised up Bo Harald Giertz to lead Swedish Lutherans into a renewed appreciation of their confessional heritage and trust in the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ, and as You spoke to the entire Church through his writings, so You would continue to provide faithful pastors and leaders, keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, defend us against all enemies of Your Word, and bestow on Christ's Church Militant Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
In 1934, Giertz was ordained in the Linkoping Cathedral. He became assistant to the bishop and was given responsibility for working with the youth. His own faith and his conviction concerning the relevance of Christianity were on display for the thousands of young people who came under his care. Even as orthodox Lutherans lauded him, he also drew attacks from modernists in the Swedish state church and secularists as his writings spread in newspapers and periodicals. The public knew him as a talented and faithful confessor of a Church doctrine that was based in Scripture, confessed in the Creeds, and expounded in the Lutheran Confessions.
Giertz became a priest in Torpa in 1938, serving that parish until 1949, when he was consecrated as Bishop of Gothenburg. While serving Torpa, he wrote With My Own Eyes, a retelling of the Gospels (1947), four theological works, Christ's Church (1939), Church Piety (1939), The Great Lie and the Great Truth (1945), and The Battle for Man (1946), the catechetical book The Foundation (1942), and two novels The Hammer of God (1941) and Faith Alone (1943). These latter, particularly Hammer of God, became popular throughout Scandinavia and then around the globe.
The attention to theology and care for souls that Giertz evidenced in Torpa continued when he became Bishop of Gothenburg in 1949. As the youngest man elected and consecrated to serve the Church of Sweden as a diocesan bishop, he combined a somewhat pietistic type of pastoral care with High Church Lutheran theology, traits that are noticeable in his novels. Following the decisions of the Swedish Parliament and the Church Assembly to ordain women in the Church of Sweden (1958), Giertz became a leader of the opposition. In that same year, he invited all confessional groups in the Church of Sweden to form The Church Movement for Bible and Confession in response to the Assembly's decision.
Giertz pioneered a return to every Sunday celebration of the Lord's Supper, something that had largely vanished in the Church of Sweden due to the erosion caused by Pietism and Rationalism. He strongly urged pastors to pray the Daily Offices, something he applied in his own devotional life. Although often rejected by the leaders of the Church of Sweden, Giertz remains popular with true Lutherans in his own country, throughout Scandinavia, and across the world. Of him, the Reverend Hans O. Andrae wrote, "In his vision of the One Holy Christian and Apostolic Church, Giertz integrated a vibrant Evangelical-Lutheran orthodoxy, the Church's traditional liturgy, and sincere church piety into a harmonious and powerful wholeness."
Suggested Lection
Psalm 46
Isaiah 55:6-11
Romans 10:5-17
John 15:1-11
Collect
O Lord God, heavenly Father, we pray that, as You raised up Bo Harald Giertz to lead Swedish Lutherans into a renewed appreciation of their confessional heritage and trust in the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ, and as You spoke to the entire Church through his writings, so You would continue to provide faithful pastors and leaders, keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, defend us against all enemies of Your Word, and bestow on Christ's Church Militant Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Labels: biography, bo giertz, christianity, church history, commemorations, hagiography, lutheranism, sweden
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