2020 Theological Gift Guide

Alright, here’s the 2020 Theological Gift-Guide…


BOOKS
The treasures are hiding on the pages. While we rejoice that there are a lot of ways to preach on new media (and there are a lot of YouTube theologians out there), theological work eventually means reading (and writing). 

If you can, it’s better to start with the old theologians. Here’s some great stuff we’ve republished in the last few years…

LULU
(Through Nov 30, use promo code BFCM30 for 30% off all print products!)

Martin Luther

• Everyone’s Luther: Large Catechism ($5, now $3.50) A good place to start reading Luther. 
• Martin Luther’s Genesis Commentary (Chapters 1-4) ($25, now $17.50) For the Bible student. Fascinating insights from Luther. 
• Lord, Teach Us to Pray, Dr. Martin Luther’s Exposition of the Lord’s Prayer ($10, now $7) Luther’s explanation of the Lord’s Prayer, taken from the Large Catechism, published alone. Great for every Christian meditating on prayer. 
• Everyone’s Luther: Concerning Christian Liberty ($5, now $3.50) A short but foundational Reformation text.
• The Bondage of the Will ($12.50, now $8.75) A classic but challenging theological work. 
• Whether Soldiers, Too, Can Be Saved ($5, now $3.50) Great for soldiers and police officers.
• Prefaces to the Books of the Bible ($13, now $9.10) Luther summarizes (almost) every Biblical book. Taken from his German Bible. 
• On the War Against the Turk ($5, now $3.50) A Reformation understanding of the challenge of Islam. 
• On the Councils and the Church ($6.25, now $4.38) Luther’s understanding of church history.

(The $5 books are digest size. Think stocking stuffers!)

Lutheran Classics

These two texts should be close at hand for every theologian: 

• The Doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Heinrich Schmid (Hardcover: $29.50, now $20.65, Paperback: $31, now $21.70) Learn what the old theologians taught about every different doctrine. This book is a gold mine. (Here’s the show and tell video.)
• Outlines of Doctrinal Theology, A. L. Graebner (Paperback: $14, now $9.80, Hardcover: $25, now $17.50) A short explanation of Lutheran theology will all the Biblical support. A must for anyone exploring Lutheran teaching.  

For those interested in understanding the liturgy: 

• An Explanation of the Common Service ($5, now $3.50)

Before we leave Lulu, we’ve published a few other texts that might interest you. Please remember, everything we publish on Lulu we make available as free PDF downloads here. 

• On Christian Doctrine, St. Augustine (Spiral Bound workbook, $11.95, now $8.37)
• Apologetic Opportunism, Brian Flamme ($17.06, now $11.95)
• Five Things to Do at the Deathbed of a Loved One (booklet, $3.50, now $2.45)
• Christian Book of Concord (Republished the English of the Triglotta) ($15.80, now $11.06)
• The Devotional Challenge Book, Wolfmueller (Spiral bound, $18, now $12.60, Perfect-bound, $12, now $8.40)

**Remember: use the promo code BFCM30 for 30% off all Lulu. 

When you’ve finished all those, you can read some of the stuff I’ve written: 

Wolfmueller

• Has American Christianity Failed SALE: $5! You could get a copy for every non-Luther (pre-Lutheran) person you know! This book unfolds the beauty of Lutheran doctrine in contrast to American Evangelicalism. 
• And Take They Our Life: Martin Luther’s Theology of Martyrdom. ($9.99 paperback, $2.99 Kindle) I dig into some of Luther’s writing and thinking on the martyrs. 
• A Martyr’s Faith in a Faithless World ($14.99, not on sale) I wrote this for Hannah as she headed off to college, unfolding the things that attack our Christian faith. I hope this will be good for students and new Christians. 

Concordia Publishing House

CPH set up an affiliate program this year, so if you use these links I get credit for the recommendation. So if  your headed over to CPH for some shopping, use this link: Concordia Publishing House.

If you really want to knock it out of the park for your theology nerd:

• Chemnitz’s Works, Vol 1-8 ($377.99, now $360) Includes the four volumes on the Council of Trent. What texts!

Here are some more to consider: 

• The Lutheran Study Bible 
• The Treasury of Daily Prayer A really helpful devotional tool. Our men’s group is using this together. 
• Without Flesh. Fisk’s latest book on the Lord’s Supper. 
• The Spirituality of the Cross Dr. Veith’s classic explanation of Lutheran theology.
• The Christian Difference: An Explanation & Comparison of World Religions 
• Shop all the deals here.

Especially with all the lock-downs, it’s more important than ever to have some hymnals in your home. Grandpas, this is a good gift idea for your children and grandchildren: 

• The Lutheran Service Book
• The Lutheran Hymnal

Everbook, and other leather gifts

For the productivity nerd, or for that loved one that needs a little organizational help, we invented the Everbook. 

Murdy Creative built us a beautiful leather Everbook with a 120-year warranty. Order here. Use the promocode “FreeName” for free engraving. 

If the Everbook’s not your thing, but you want some incredible leather gifts, take a look around the Murdy Creative website. 

Ad Crucem
Wanita is building a wonderful collection of theologically rich gifts. Visit their website. 

Unstoppable Year
My friend Bethany Hamilton (Soul Surfer) put together an on-line course “Unstoppable Life.” It’s built to offer practical and encouraging advice for these difficult days. It’s not explicitly theological, but Bethany (and her husband Adam) are using their platform to encourage and build people up (and mix in a little theology when they can. We recorded an interview a few weeks ago, and that might work its way into the course as well). 

They are offering a lot of Black Friday deals here. If you have a young lady in your family who is a fan of Bethany, there might be some cool gifts to consider.  

Merch

You can find “Noah Family Reunion” shirts, mugs, and stickers here and here. 
Everything you could imagine with a Luther Seal here. 
Teepublic is offering 35% off everything today. 

Pens
My go-to pen is the Lamy Safari fountain pen. The nibs are replaceable, and I like the extra fine, and the refillable ink well. I bought my first one in Frankfurt and lost it in Philippi. I have a back-up now.    

Got more ideas? Post them in the comments.

PrBW