The Hammer of God by Bo Giertz, Part One

The Hammer of God by the late Swedish Lutheran Bishop Bo Giertz is not only one of the greatest works of Christian fiction ever written, but my personal favorite. My seminary advisor, the late Dr. Ralph Quere, used to read this book over every year. He had those of us in his advisee group read it, too.  And I make it a point to re-read it as often as I can.

There is no better way I've found to keep it straight in my own mind what the Gospel is, and what it is not, and where the greatest pitfalls for a preacher truly lie.

I urge you to read it for yourself. But this video is a summary of the first part. I think you'll see why it's so great and so helpful- especially for a person who suffers from scrupulosity.

Here you'll have it plainly laid out what God has given the Church to preach, and what the heart and core of the Christian faith truly is. Anything else is a counterfeit.

This is a summary of the first of the three stories.

Comments

  1. In the book, the story ends with Pastor Savonius's accusers solemnly walking up to him, one by one, and shaking his hand in friendship. "It was almost," Giertz writes, "as if they were congratulating him for something."

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  2. I just want to alert you. If you liked "The Hammer of God" You are going to love "Faith Alone, The Heart of Everything" by Bo Giertz. This book is the prequel, set in the same parish during the reformation, and it is I believe even better than the Hammer of God. I just translated it. and it is now available: https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Alone-Everything-Bo-Giertz/dp/1948969351/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=22K2L23WAZOTY&dchild=1&keywords=faith+alone+bo+giertz&qid=1597955070&sprefix=Faith+Alone+Bo%2Caps%2C209&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzRE83QjRJWFdGUkpBJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzc0Mzk3M0xXVE1OMEc2QVdVTiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNjE5MzM0MjVaNlRITFhUVVBBUSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

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