During its 42nd annual banquet — Nov. 10 at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis — the Awards Committee of Concordia Historical Institute (CHI) presented 17 “Awards of Commendation” for works published in 2015.
Categories of published works included journal articles, major publications, congregational histories, histories of Lutheran organizations and nonprint media.
The theme of the awards banquet was “Trumpeting the Treasures: How Faith Keeps the Historical Touchstones of Christ’s Redeeming Work Among Us.”
In his presentation based on that theme, CHI Executive Director Rev. Dr. Daniel N. Harmelink said the phrase “ ‘trumpeting the treasures’ serves as a constant reminder of our calling as archivists, as historians, as faithful witnesses of that one, single narrative that is the redeeming work of Christ in the life of the Lutheran Church.”
As Lutheran Christians, Harmelink said, “we should understand better than anyone else our twin callings of preserving and proclaiming the things of salvation history,” particularly in light of Christ’s command to “keep my word” (John 8:51).
“In faith, hold fast to the treasures of Christ and His Church — and trumpet them,” he added. “Wear them on your lapel every day. Freely teach them diligently to your children. Joyfully talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. In grateful response to the gift of the history of deliverance in Christ, bind them as a sign on your hand; as frontlets between your eyes” (Deut. 6:6-9).
Commended by CHI for their contributions to the history of the Lutheran Church in North America were:
- “It Is a Good Work,” Saint John’s Lutheran Church: Winchester-Frederick County, Virginia, Our First One Hundred and Fifty Years — From 1787 to 1937, John C. Crone.
- A Testament to Faith: The First Polish Evangelical Lutheran Church of Christ the Lord, Thomas L. Hollowak.
- Our Hadeland Ancestors (two volumes), The Hadeland Lag of America, Anne Sladky, editor.
- “A Genealogy of Lutheran Higher Education,” The Idea and Practice of a Christian University, Russell Dawn and Jeff Mallinson.
- “History of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon,” Consensus, Gordon A. Jensen, editor.
- “Institution, Structure and Place: Revisiting the Historiographic Circumstances of the Saxon Lutheran Lehranstalt — Log Cabin College,” Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly, Russell P. Baldner.
- “The Lutheran Hymnal after Seventy-Five Years: Its Role in the Shaping of Lutheran Service Book,” Concordia Theological Quarterly, Paul J. Grime.
- “Walter H. Wente: Humanist, Educator and Advocate for Curricular Change,” Journal of the Lutheran Historical Conference, James Albers.
- “The War to End All Germans: Wisconsin Synod Lutherans and the First World War,” WELS Historical Institute Journal, Stephen S. Gurgel.
- The Exodus of the Eight Hundred: An Adventure of a Congregation, Concordia (Austin) University Press, Ingerose Paust.
- Lutherans in America: A New History, Fortress Press, Mark Granquist.
- Richard John Neuhaus: A Life in the Public Square, Image Publishing, Randy Boyagoda.
- The Life and Words of Deaconess Clara Strehlow, Lutheran Legacy, Cheryl D. Naumann.
- “The First Rosa: Teacher, Confessor, Church Planter” (a film documentary), Ardon Albrecht, director; Bart Day and Jon D. Vieker, executive producers.
- Mercy in Action: Essays on Mercy, Human Care and Disaster Response, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Ross Edward Johnson.
- “Minutes from the [1880] General Conference of the Missouri Synod — Doctrine of Election” (unpublished manuscript), Edwin S. Suelflow, translator.
- From Ghosts to God in Enga Land: Planting His Church Among the Enga People of Central Papua New Guinea, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Otto C. Hintze Jr.
The CHI Awards Committee also noted 12 “Honorable Mentions.”
CHI encourages submissions published in 2016 for consideration by its Awards Committee. Please email them to tzittlow@lutheranhistory.org. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 1, 2017.
Posted November 21, 2016
