Prefaces:

Preface to the 1954 Edition

The Lutheran Cyclopedia treats important aspects of the thought and life of the church. It includes the following areas: Bible interpretation, systematic theology, church history, life and worship in the church.

William F. Arndt, Richard R. Caemmerer, Otto A. Dorn, and Frederick E. Mayer served as editorial advisers.

The following served as consultants: William F. Arndt, Walter A. Baepler, Paul M. Bretscher, Walter E. Buszin, Richard R. Caemmerer, John H. C. Fritz, Theodore Graebner, Theodore Hoyer, John T. Mueller, Lando C. Otto, Jaroslav Pelikan, William G. Polack, Arthur C. Repp, Edward J. Saleska, George V. Schick, Otto H. Schmidt, Lewis W. Spitz, August R. Suelflow, John M. Weidenschilling, Emil C. Weis, Henry F. Wind.

The following supplied information and material, gave suggestions, or assisted the editor in other ways: John Bajus, Emil M. Biegener, Lorenz Blankenbuehler, T. O. Burntvedt, George Dolak, Elmer E. Foelber, William Graumann, Herman Harms, R. W. Heikkinen, Fred Hortig, Alfred Jensen, Hans C. Jersild, Julia Koenig, Herman H. Koppelmann, Karl Kretzmann, Robert Lange, P. G. Lindhardt, Anna Marie Lueker, Carl E. Lund-Quist, Enok Mortensen, Martin J. Neeb, Paul C. Nyholm, Arthur C. Piepkorn, F. Eppling Reinartz, A. A. Uppala, John Wargelin, Gilbert K. Wenger, Walter F. Wolbrecht, Leonard C. Wuerffel, Elmer C. Zimmermann.

Materials from Concordia Cyclopedia (CPH, 1927) were adapted and used. Theodore Graebner first suggested and outlined this work and served as a member of the editorial board until 1923. Ludwig Fuerbringer and Theodore Engelder served as editors from the beginning, and Paul E. Kretzmann replaced Theodore Graebner. The associate editors were Frederick Brand, William Dallmann, John H. C. Fritz, Theodore Graebner, Adolph Haentzschel, Edward Koehler, Karl Kretzmann, George W. Mueller, John T. Mueller, H. C. F. Otte, Theodore H. Schroedel, Franz C. Verwiebe. Some articles were written by William H. Behrens, John S. Bradac, Carl J. A. Hoffmann, J. A. Moldstad, H. K. Moussa, Frederick Wenger. Notes with varied suggestions by Ludwig Fuerbringer and other editors of Concordia Cyclopedia were made available to the editor.

In making a list of biographies it was considered best to follow the practice which places contemporary men into works like Who's Who rather than cyclopedias.

May the Lord of the church find use for the efforts which men who love Him have given to this work.

Erwin L. Lueker
St. Paul's College, Concordia, Missouri
February 1, 1954

Preface to the Revised Edition

As soon as the previous edition of the Lutheran Cyclopedia was published, I received numerous comments, corrections, suggestions, and criticisms. Thus many changes were entered into a master copy before it was decided to publish a revised edition. I hope that those who use this edition will also send us their suggestions for corrections.

The number of entries has been considerably increased, articles from the previous edition were carefully reworked, and the mechanics improved. Subjects on which information would be sought especially in a Lutheran cyclopedia are somewhat more complete than those on which information is available in many other reference works. Thus the length of an article is not necessarily a criterion of importance.

Special efforts were made to improve objectivity. I am grateful to those who pointed out unevenness and bias in some entries of the previous edition. Objectivity is not achieved merely by checking each entry for truthfulness. It involves also uniformity of treatment, skill of selection, sympathetic understanding, and a host of other factors. The experience of checking articles of many writers has impressed upon me the need for humble insight into problems of communication within the church.

This revision was begun while Otto A. Dorn was manager of Concordia Publishing House. His successor, Ralph L. Reinke, gave special attention to the cyclopedia and with wisdom, patience, and determination saw it to completion. Florence Flachsbart kept in touch with the work as it progressed and served as contact for the editor. We are indebted to many more at Concordia Publishing House who devoted hundreds of hours to this book.

Editors of Concordia Publishing House carefully checked all the entries, helped to devise the mechanics, and improved many of the items. These editors included Hilton Oswald, Erich Allwardt, John John, and William Olsen. Luther Poellot painstakingly checked the major portion of the entries and made many corrections and improvements. This task of checking and getting the material into final form was completed by Reinhold Stallmann.

The staff of Fuerbringer Library, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, assisted me and my associates in many research problems. August R. Suelflow, Marvin A. Huggins, and others at Concordia Historical Institute helped with many entries pertaining to Lutheranism in America. The staffs of the Foundation for Reformation Research, of the Dept. of Research and Statistics (LCMS), and of other departments at the Lutheran Building and Concordia Publishing House were always ready to help. Colleagues and students, especially David W. Callies, John E. Groh, and L. Dean Hempelmann, helped obtain information and check entries.

There are many who contributed to the production of the cyclopedia whose names are not in the lists: Willard Allbeck, Elaine Allen, Thelda Bertram, Sarah Bischoff, Donna Busch, Dorothy Carmack, Nils A. Dahl, Elizabeth Danker, Anna Dorn, Norine Eggemeyer, William Fiess, Paul Friedrich, Edwin L. Frizen, Arnold H. Grumm, J. David Heino, Nyla Hesterberg, John W. Heussman, Rosemary Lipka, F. Dean Lueking, Geraldine Lutz, Martha MacLean, Jalo E. Nopola, Albert W. Reese, Carl Schalk, Martin Schmidt, Armin Schroeder, Del Schulz, E. P. Schulze, Kristen E. Skydsgaard, Theodore G. Stelzer, Frank C. Streufert, Alice Suelflow, Nellie Turner, Leslie F. Weber, Robert C. Wiederaenders, Wilfried Willer, David Yagow, and others.

May she who shared so fully with me the concern and anxiety of producing this book sense in Christ that it is finished. My children lived practically all their lives in the context of this work.

Erwin L. Lueker

Preface to the Christian Cyclopedia

With the publication of this work, what was the book Lutheran Cyclopedia enters a new era, the electronic text era. In acknowledgement of this change, and of the fact that the Lutheran Cyclopedia was always more than just a reference work about Lutheranism, it was felt a name change was in order. Because we believe that this work will be of help to anyone seeking information about the Christian church, its beliefs, and many of its most important personages, therefore the name has been changed to the Christian Cyclopedia. While there are some articles dealing with other religions and their most important historical figures, for the most part, this work deals with the Christian faith and its most important personages. Greater depth will be found in its treatment of Lutheranism and Lutheran personages, and most especially with those institutions and historical figures associated with The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, than is found for other denominations and their important historical figures.

This work is more than just an electronic version of the 1975 revised edition of the Lutheran Cyclopedia. Luther Poellot, one of the major in-house editors associated with the preparation of the 1975 edition, continued to prepare emendations, corrections, and new articles from the time of its publication until 1999. Poellot's material has been edited by Charles P. Schaum, who also added and emended some articles, including some in which he received the assistance of his wife Martha. Additional materials for inclusion or addition were prepared by David R. Maxwell and myself.

While this work cannot claim to bring up to date the 1975 Lutheran Cyclopedia, it does improve upon it. Like the Lutheran Cyclopedia and its predecessors, it is but another step in the efforts to improve upon its forbearers. With the technological advances that this work makes available, the way that users will consult this work has been changed forever for the better.

Paul Jackson