My Savior's Guest: A Festschrift in Honor of Erling Trygve Teigen ed. by Thomas Rank

Abstract

Reviewed by: My Savior's Guest: A Festschrift in Honor of Erling Trygve Teigen ed. by Thomas Rank Thomas E. Jacobson My Savior's Guest: A Festschrift in Honor of Erling Trygve Teigen. Edited by Thomas Rank. Lake Mills, Iowa: Thomas Rank, 2021. 268 pp. The name Erling Teigen, though familiar among a particular segment of American and world Lutheranism, is mostly unknown to those who represent a more ecumenical and "liberal" Lutheran tradition. [End Page 219] Even so, this Festschrift in honor of Teigen, a beloved and significant figure in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), is a worthwhile read for Lutherans of various perspectives. To understand the significance of this book, one must first understand something of the tradition in which Teigen carried out his ministry as a pastor and professor. The ELS, now headquartered in Mankato, Minnesota, is a small Lutheran church body currently in fellowship with the larger Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Leading up to the larger Norwegian-American Lutheran merger of 1917, which produced the Norwegian Lutheran Church in America, a small group of pastors from one of the merging groups known as the Norwegian Synod refused to participate in the merger and formed their own synod. Largely, though not exclusively, this was the result of refusal to compromise on the theological issue of election or predestination. This group of "Little Norwegians" eventually became known as the ELS. Today it considers itself the authentic continuation of the tradition of the Norwegian Synod, which was a member of the Synodical Conference, originally formed in 1872 as a federation of synods, having fellowship on the basis of fundamental doctrinal unity. For this reason, the ELS has an identity rooted in the perspectives of the Synodical Conference, of which it remained a member until 1963. It also seeks to carry forward its Norwegian background. The title of this Festschrift reflects this concern for the historic Norwegian Lutheran tradition. The words "My Savior's Guest" appear in English translations of two Dano-Norwegian hymns for Holy Communion by Thomas Kingo and Johan Nordahl Brun. Naturally, the essays included here reflect the assumptions and concerns of church bodies with a heritage in the now defunct Synodical Conference, such as the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, the WELS, and the ELS. Readers from these traditions will find not only much on which to agree, but also valuable insights into topics such as how one derives a sola scriptura principle from the Lutheran confessional writings, how to understand the relationship between freedom and uniformity in liturgical practice, and the importance of sacramental theology in the face of non-liturgical, "contemporary" worship trends. Not surprisingly, there are also essays devoted to issues such [End Page 220] as unionism and syncretism, the ordination of women, and the dangers of Pietism. It also touches on an area of recent concern, with an essay on the error of online or digital communion. Although the articles are erudite and professional, the volume also brings a personal touch in its effort to honor Teigen. It includes one sermon by Teigen, preached in 1989 on the slaughter of the innocents of Bethlehem. An essay also recounts Teigen's contribution to world Lutheranism through his work in building confessional Lutheranism in Latvia after the end of the Cold War. Although the volume includes a bibliography of Teigen's published works and a lighthearted "Erling Alphabet," which highlights aspects of his personality and contributions, a concise biography of Teigen would have been helpful for readers unfamiliar with his work. This collection, while affirming perspectives of the ELS and related bodies, can be helpful for Lutherans beyond the former Synodical Conference traditions. The realignment of American Lutheranism over the last decades, which has seen the emergence of a more conservative variety of the more ecumenically oriented Lutheranism, has brought such centrist bodies into greater contact with the Lutheranism of the former Synodical Conference. This volume can help those of us from such centrist traditions better understand and engage with such groups, and also sharpen and hone our own perspectives. Thomas E. Jacobson Institute of Lutheran Theology Brookings, South Dakota Copyright © 2023 Johns Hopkins University Press and Lutheran Quarterly, Inc.