and illustrator have made this project a labor of love. All proceeds from this book will be used to memorialize Eric W. Gritsch.
Anyone wishing to obtain a copy of the audio version of Dr. Gritsch’s sermons printed as Good Friday’s Good News is invited to go to www.ericwgritsch.org for information regarding the ordering of the CD. This website provides information pertaining to the life and work of Eric W. Gritsch as well as a complete listing of his books.
Holy Cross Day, September 14, 2013
B.A.B.
E.A.Y.
Contributors
Author and Preacher
Eric W. Gritsch (1931–2012)
• Emeritus Professor of Church History, Lutheran Theological Seminary Gettysburg
• Native of Austria
• Experienced the reign of Adolf Hitler and Russian military occupation
• Ordained: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• Educated: University of Vienna, University of Zurich, University of Basel, Yale Divinity School at Yale University
• Fulbright Scholar
• Director of Institute of Luther Studies at Gettysburg
• Delegated Participant in U.S. Lutheran–Catholic Dialogue (1971–1992)
• Taught at Wellesley College, Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary (1961–1994), Catholic University of America, California Lutheran University, Ecumenical Institute at St. Mary’s Seminary and University (Baltimore, MD)
• Authored twenty-five books, including
Martin—God’s Court Jester (1983)
Fortress Introduction to Lutheranism (1994)
The Wit of Martin Luther (2006)
Toxic Spirituality (2009)
A History of Lutheranism (2nd rev. ed., 2010)
Martin Luther’s Anti-Semitism (2012)
Christendumb (2013)
Numerous essays, reviews, and translations
• Frequent teacher and preacher in the church at large
• Married to Bonnie A. Brobst
Coeditors
Bonnie Ann Brobst, Baltimore, Maryland
• Widow of the late Eric W. Gritsch
• Education Director of the Chesapeake Alternative School in Baltimore, MD, a secondary facility for at-risk youth
• Member of Zion Church of the City of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD
Elizabeth Anne Yates, Richmond, VA
• MDiv, Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Virginia
• Lutheran Year at Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
• Ordained: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• Student and friend of Eric Gritsch
• Member of Christ the King Lutheran Church, Richmond, VA
Illustrator
Othmar Carli, Painter/Sculptor, York, PA
• Longtime friend of Eric W. Gritsch
• Native of Austria
• Commissioned by CRUTA, The Foundation for Conservation & Research of Urban Traditional Architecture, for his repair and restoration of the Mahtab Trust’s temple complex & palaces in Burdwan, West Bengal
• Honored by the Friends of the United Nations in 1995 for his restoration in the northern quarter of Calcutta, India, where he taught local artisans preservation techniques
• Commissioned by the Archdiocese of Vienna, Austria
• The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission Gettysburg Ceremonial Courtroom 1860
• Professor of Art Technology, The Pennsylvania State University
Introduction
What a joy it was for me to hear the voice of my dear husband, Eric W. Gritsch, coming from the CD six months after his death! In my opinion, one of Eric’s gifts was to make complex theological concepts understandable for the average person. He was able to light a spark in the mind of the lifelong church attendee as well as in the person who called him- or herself a nonbeliever!
With this collection of Good Friday meditations based upon the Seven Last Words of Christ people are able to not only read the text but also listen to Dr. Gritsch delivering the meditations from the pulpit of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in York, Pennsylvania, in 1993. Those who had the privilege of knowing this beloved and respected teacher and scholar will recall that he rarely wrote a sermon. He preached from key words on a three-by-five-inch index card. Pastor Elizabeth (Liz) Yates, a former Gritsch student, informed me that she had found these tapes in her collection and volunteered to transcribe them from the voice to print. I was thrilled!
A sermon heard is much different than a sermon read. I was aware, after seventeen years of marriage to this man, and proofreading his numerous books and published articles, that he would now want me to once again attempt to make his thoughts as clear as possible to his readers. After working from the transcript and his voice, Liz and I believe that we have a written version of his sermons that would meet with Eric’s approval.
Preceding each sermon is an artistic piece by Othmar Carli that may focus readers or listeners for a period of meditation and devotion. Following each sermon is a short series of questions, which could be discussion starters for study groups. However this little book is used, readers will recall Dr. Gritsch reminding us of Luther’s words: “Worship and education are the twin pillars of the church.” Through his simple, straightforward stories and his words, whether spoken or written, we will hear the voice of Eric W. Gritsch and benefit from his theological insights.
I am grateful to my friends who gave generously of their time and talents making this little book a gift that will keep the message of Eric W. Gritsch alive for all of us who read and study his words. My heartfelt thanks go to Liz Yates, who diligently transcribed Eric’s words to print from the audiotape; Othmar Carli, who, after suffering a stroke, laboriously developed drawings with his left hand, which may lead readers to thoughtful meditation; Raymond Ridenour, who with technical expertise in the realm of visual art, formatted the drawings for print; and Ted Schneider, who lovingly wrote a foreword that captures the essence of my late husband’s ministry.
Bonnie Ann Brobst, coeditor
Baltimore, Maryland
The
