Philip H. Pfatteicher

Nobody is reading this book from cover to cover for fun. But if you want to know about the origins of the worship practices in Lutheran Book of Worship, this is the source. It's an essential reference for answering very niche questions.

Despite looking like it is made to go with the hymnal, this book is just one person's opinion on how worship using Lutheran Book of Worship ought to be done. Pfatteicher is overly prescriptive and very particular. His opinions do not represent the range of show more fully authentic and traditional Lutheran worship practices.

As long as you keep that in mind, he does really know his stuff. He will tell you one absolutely correct way to do the entrance procession for Evening Prayer. There will be diagrams. You have been warned. show less

Philip Pfatteicher’s Journey Into the Heart of God is a look at the how truly observing the liturgical can bring one closer to one’s Christian faith. The liturgical year is the calendar of events that leads up to and includes the holy days. For Christianity, this runs through the cycle of Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time. Each season is broken down further into seasons where different aspects of Christianity are observed and explored.

The Advent and Christmas show more seasons of course look more into the birth of Christ and how the ending and beginning of the calendar year tie in with the cycles of faith that Christians experience and the Lenten section deals with the sacrifices and absolutions that come with that faith. The author does well to incorporate not just Biblical texts, but also different writings to further his metaphors, including hymns and passages from Church leaders. We walks the reader through how each verse and teaching can help to better understand the message of the Church throughout the year. Each day of each season has its own verses and lessons. Pfatteicher’s prose is slightly lofty but so are his goals. He wants the reader to grow their faith by getting both closer to the Bible and closer to God. For those looking for a more introspective and organized connection to their faith, this book offers a lot towards that aim. show less