Sacred Storytelling

“Johannes Strieter doesn’t strike one as a normal pastor. From growing up on the frontier with Indians to becoming a seminary student and a pastor, his is a life of twists and turns. Nathaniel Biebert provides a fresh translation of the original German autobiography, along with insights into the life and times of Strieter. Although it reads like a novel, this is real life.”


—James F. Korthals, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary





“Pastor Biebert’s painstaking scholarship and historian’s thoroughness honor both God and the man our family has always called simply ‘Johannes.’ This edition of my great-great-grandfather’s autobiography brings him to life as an intensely practical and devout servant of Christ, with a heart for the lost: a true pastor. He tells us his story in plain, matter-of-fact language. But his is no ordinary story; it is a lifelong adventure of proclaiming his Savior’s love.”


—Winfried Strieter, great-great-grandson of Johannes Strieter





“Johannes Strieter was a pioneer pastor ministering to scattered German immigrants on the frontier of the upper Midwest. He was a master storyteller with the ability to bring to life the everyday challenges faced by the people he served and the vicissitudes of the pastoral ministry in nineteenth-century America. His stories are not only entertaining, but they also offer insights into human nature and life in times past. Sacred Storytelling is a good read for those who enjoy a good story and for those who are eager to gain firsthand information about a bygone era. Pastor Nathaniel Biebert is to be commended for putting Strieter’s lively German into contemporary English for a new generation of readers.”


—John M. Brenner, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary