German American Congregationalism Bibliography | Congregational Library & Archives

GERMAN AMERICAN CONGREGATIONALISM

Primary/Secondary Sources on German-American Congregationalism

Barth, Christian Gottlob. Zweimal Zweiundfünfzig Biblische Geschichten für Schulen und Familien: Mit Abbildungen. Philadelphia, PA: Schafer und Koradi. 1869. // Children's publication. Original publication date: 1790.

Dobbs, Catherine R. Freedom's Will: The Society of the Separatists of Zoar - An Historical Adventure of Religious Communism in Early Ohio. New York, NY: William-Frederick Press. 1947. // Interesting memoir of life in a frontier commune.

Eisenach, George J. Pietism and the Russian Germans in the United States. Berne, IN: Berne Publishers. 1948.

Eslinger, Edward J. "The Growth and Development of German Congregationalism in the USA". 1983. // Amateur history.

Eversz, Moritz. E. Kirchliches Handbuch zum Gebrauch für Deutsche Gemeinden. (Church Guide for the use of German cities). 1889. // Church handbook for the use of German congregations.

Hanko, Charles William. "The Evangelical Protestant Movement". Brooklyn, NY: Educators Pub. Co. 1955. // An amateur history on an important topic. Taken in conjunction with the records of Rev. JFC Green, its bias is more easily parsed. Contains a great scope of information, and is well summarized. Useful especially as regards the twentieth century, which is generally poorly documented.

Kleiner Biblischer Katechismus für Deutsche Congregationalisten. (Short bible catechism for German Congregationalists). Boston, MA: Congregational Sunday-School and Publishing Society. 1884. // Selected proof texts from the Heidelberg Catechism.

Kohl, Manfred Waldemar. Pietism. undated. // Articles originally published in Covenant Quarterly, 1976-1992: "Wiedergeburt as the Central Theme in Pietism," "Spener's Pia Desideria: the Programmschrift of Pietism," "Pietism as Movement of Revival." Written by the German minister of a Massachusetts Congregational Church.

Konstitution der Deutschen Kongregationalen Nebraska Konferenz. (Constitution of the German Congregational Nebraska Conference). German Congregational Nebraska Conference. 1944.

Kurze Darstellung der Hauptgrundsätze des Congregationalismus. (Brief description of the main principle of Congregationalism). La Grange, MO: J. Scharer, c.1870. // A description of the merits of Congregationalism targeted to German-speakers. Important source for the question of why German-speakers would be attracted to a non-German denomination.

Mode, Peter George. Frontier Spirit in American Christianity. New York, NY: Macmillan. 1923.

Schmid, Christoph von. Der Rosenstock: Eine Interessante Erzaehlung. (Christoph von Schmid's Jugend-Bibliothek). Philadelphia, PA: Mermit & Co. Before 1880.

Schneider, Carl E. The German Church on the American Frontier. A Study of the Rise of Religion among the Germans of the West, Based on the History of the Evangelischer Kirchenverein des Westens (Evangelical Church Society of the West) 1840-1866. St. Louis, MO: Eden Publishing House. 1939.

Uhden, H.F. Geschichte der Congregationalisten in Neu-England bis zu den Erweckungen um das Jahr 1740. (The New England Theocracy. A History of the Congregationalists in New England to the Revivals of 1740). Leipzig, DE: L. H. Bofenberg. 1842. // Both the original German edition and an early translation of 1858 by H.C. Conant.

Vieth, Henry A. "Ecclesiology of the German Brotherhood Movement". Fort Morgan, CO. 1980. // Amateur history piece.

Wittke, Carl Frederick. We Who Built America: The Saga of the Immigrant. New York, NY: Prentice-Hall. 1940. // Includes sections on Germans and Russia-Germans. Only resource that does not use Eisenach as an intermediary.

German and German-American Culture of the Twentieth Century

Drummond, Andrew L. German Protestantism Since Luther. London, UK: Epworth Press. 1951.

Fischer, Max and Friedrich Michael Schiele. Fünfter Weltkongress für Freies Christentum und Religiösen Fortschritt ... : Protokoll der Verhandlungen. (Volume 2. "International Conference of Free Christians and Other Religious Liberals"). Berlin, Germany: Verlag des Protestantischen Schriftenvertriebs, Schèoneberg. 1910.

Frey, Arthur. Cross and Swastika: The Ordeal of the German Church. London, UK: Student Christian Movement Press. 1938.

Hamel, Johannes. A Christian in East Germany. New York, NY: Association Press. 1960.

Hauer, Wilhelm; Karl Heim; Karl Adam. Germany's New Religion: The German Faith Movement. New York, NY: Abingdon Press. 1937.

McClaskey, Beryl R. The History of U.S. Policy and Program in the Field of Religious Affairs Under the Office of the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany. Research Project no. 104, February 1951.

Nevin, John W. The German Language: An Address, Delivered before the Goethean Literary Society, of Marshall College, at Its Anniversary, August 29, 1842. Chambersburg, PA: Publication Office of the German Reformed Church. 1842.

Vogel, Heinrich. The Grace of God & German Guilt. London, UK: SCM Press. 1947.

German Periodicals

The Congregational Library & Archives possesses German periodicals from the 1880s to the 1960s. These are mostly for family religious education or of a devotional nature, with some more news-oriented publications (especially early-mid twentieth century). Different publication locations in the midwest and Pennsylvania, and one publication imported from Germany in the 1920s and 30s. The Kirchenbote and the Kirchenbote Kalender contain important demographic and congregational reports.

Christlicher Jugendfreund. (Christian Children's Companion). Cincinnati, OH. Vol. 24, no. 1-52 (March 6, 1892 - February 26, 1893). // A publication for children or to be read to children. Illustrated. March 1893-February 1894 can be found in the archival material for the Cincinnati, OH German Conference.

Die Christliche Welt: Protestantische Halbmonatsschrift für Gebildete aller Stände. (The Christian World). Gotha, Germany; Leipzig, Germany. Vol. 38, no. 3/4 (January 24, 1924) - vol. 53, no. 23 (December 2, 1939). // The only German-published periodical in the collection. Articles about current affairs and the church, stories, the christian year, book advertisements, numerous book reviews, chronicle of news, miscellany (editorials), and notifications.

Illustrierter Kirchenbote-Kalender (Illustrated Christian Messenger Almanac). Chicago, IL; Redfield, SD; Yankton, SD. Vol. 9 (1905) - vol. 67 (1963). Holdings incomplete, see catalog record. Issued once a year.

Kirchenbote der Deutschen Vereinigten Evangelisch-Protestantischen Gemeinden. Pittsburgh, PA; Redfield, SD; Yankton, SD. Original title: Der Congregational Kirchen-Bote. First published November, 1882. Vol. 48, no. 1 (January 2, 1930) - vol. 83, no. 5 (December 3, 1964). Holdings incomplete, see catalog record. // Early: Devotional and religious content and extensive congregational postings from many congregations in PA, including a narrative report and official records. Late: Includes much more extensive news postings, including world news articles, mission reports, national news. Extensive obituaries.

Sonntagsblatt fur Schule und Haus. (Sunday-paper for school and home). Cincinnati, OH: Evang. Prot. Prediger Conferenz (Evangelical Protestant Ministers' Conference). Bd. 2, no. 1 (April 5, 1896) - bd. 16, no. 52 (March 26, 1911). Holdings incomplete, see catalog record. // Features numerous devotional and general illustrations. A family publication, heavily illustrated with light articles on religious matters.

The Christian Messenger. Yankton, SD. Vol .1 , no. 1 (December 1943) - vol. 22, no. 3 (December 2, 1964). Holdings incomplete, see catalog record. // This English-language publication is the sister publication to Der Kirchenbote.