The ACELC exists "to give a united voice against errors that are officially adopted in convention, tolerated, and/or promoted in the LCMS.”

The Value of Reading Old Books

Since, then, this teaching is clearly grounded in Holy Scripture and is, moreover, neither against nor contrary to the universal Christian church – or even the Roman church – so far as can be observed in the writings of the Fathers, we think that our opponents cannot disagree with us in the articles set forth above.

Conclusion of Part One of the (German) Augsburg Confession

Our Lutheran forefathers knew the value in the careful study of both the ancient and medieval fathers of the Church. Who among us has not been both amazed and put to shame by the vast number of references to great works of the Church of all ages cited by Luther, Gerhard, Walther, and other great theologians, including in our own Book of Concord! Not only were our forefathers thoroughly steeped in God’s Holy Word, but they also combatted heresies which threatened the pure teaching of that Word. Honoring our fathers in the faith by reading their works gives us both a greater understanding of the Word and a vocabulary that has endured centuries for proclaiming the truth and refuting error.

But the fathers themselves could err and be deceived (Ap XXVI, 95). This is why it is necessary to read these texts closely and to practice reading them well. That has been the goal of our podcast, Standing on Shoulders, from day one. We want to read old books and encourage Christians everywhere to do the same. At the same time, we want to practice reading them with one eye always on the Holy Scriptures, evaluating their arguments against the sure and certain Word God has preserved throughout the ages.

To this end, it is time for our Second Season, a new list of old books to read and read well. Below are the books that your hosts, Rev. Micah Gaunt, Rev. Tysen Bibb, and Rev. Mark Kranz will be reading and evaluating over the coming months. We invite you to read along with us and share your thoughts and questions over on our Substack page. Soli Deo Gloria!

• The Shepherd of Hermas
• The Confession of St. Patrick
• The Confessions, St. Augustine
• The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis
• The “Marriage Suite” of Martin Luther
  • “A Sermon the Estate of Marriage (1519),” LW 44:7-14
  • “The Estate of Marriage (1522),” LW 45:17-49
  • “On Marriage Matters (1530),” LW 46:265-320
• Selections from The Examination of the Council of Trent, Martin Chemnitz
• The Magdeburg Confession