Pahl sees things in a way that some of us who lived through the history fo the Walther League don't -- or can't. He has seen and presented the League as it was and for what it really did accomplish. Pahl has done us all a great service. -- Arnie Kuntz former LCMS District President Pahl brings off his task with panache, beguiling the reader into a nostalgia trip through the joys and jostlings of yesteryear. Giants of the past return to life in these pages, and sometimes stub their toes when they do. But it's all richly documented by an author who has mastered with distinction the crafts of research and writing. -- Paul L. Maier Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History, Western Michigan University 'Hopes and Dreams of All' is an enlightening, moving, and challenging history that must be read if one wishes to understand the impact of the Walther League movement. Jon Pahl skillfully intertwines the mission of the Walther League with that of Wheat Ridge, Valparaiso University, . . . and the church at large. -- Florence Montz member, LCMS Board of Directors Jon Pahl is Professor of the History of Christianity in North America at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. He has written many articles and reviews and is the author of 'Youth Ministry in Modern America', 'Shopping Malls and Other Sacred Spaces', and 'Paradox Lost: Free Will and Political Liberty in American Culture, 1630-1760'. He lives with his family near Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

In the five hundred years since the publication of Martin Luther's Ninety- Five Theses, a rich set of traditions have grown up around that action and the subsequent events of the Reformation. This up-to-date dictionary by leading theologians and church historians covers Luther's life and thought, key figures of his time, and the various traditions he continues to influence. Prominent scholars of the history of Lutheran traditions have brought together experts in church history representing a variety of Christian perspectives to offer a major, cutting-edge reference work. Containing nearly six hundred articles, this dictionary provides a comprehensive overview of Luther's life and work and the traditions emanating from the Wittenberg Reformation. It traces the history, theology, and practices of the global Lutheran movement, covering significant figures, events, theological writings and ideas, denominational subgroups, and congregational practices that have constituted the Lutheran tradition from the Reformation to the present day.