{"product_id":"what-a-fellowship-remembering-augsburg-seminary-and-the-lutheran-free-church-9798889834045","title":"What a Fellowship: Remembering Augsburg Seminary and the Lutheran Free Church","description":"\u003cp\u003ePoet, historian, and hymn writer Gracia Grindal weaves personal memoir and the history of Norwegian Lutheranism in the United States into a lively and insightful account of the Lutheran Free Church and its seminary. Grindal's family immigrated from Norway to the Minnesota prairie in the late 1800s and quickly became involved in ongoing discussions--and often, arguments--about the future of Lutheran worship and ecclesial practice in this new country. Would the Lutheran faithful organize themselves as the state church had practiced, or would local communities of faith retain practices aligned with pietist movements? Who would speak for the church in America?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAugsburg Seminary--now Augsburg University--was founded amid these strident debates about congregations and schools, higher loyalties, and God's intentions for Norwegians of faith in North America. Grindal traces the interwoven threads of her family's experiences and the history of Augsburg, demonstrating how individuals and communities experienced what might seem at first glance like institutional questions. Readers will come away from \u003ci\u003eWhat a Fellowship\u003c\/i\u003e with a stronger understanding not only of American Lutheran history, but of ongoing conversations in the contemporary church.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGrindal, Gracia:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGracia Grindal \u003c\/strong\u003eis an Augsburg College graduate, daughter of a Lutheran Free Church pastor, and professor emeritus of rhetoric at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Prior to joining the seminary faculty, she was a longtime professor of English at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. Grindal has published over twenty books of poetry, many hymns, and histories of hymnody and Norwegian American women.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fortress Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51603147161874,"sku":"9798889834045","price":43.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_ed6c9596-854a-4497-bd66-98d4d46fff88.jpg?v=1757426241","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/what-a-fellowship-remembering-augsburg-seminary-and-the-lutheran-free-church-9798889834045","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}