Hello world! Soli Deo Gloria!
Professor RabbitCheck “About what’s new” to the right! Or read a little about me. Let me introduce myself. 
Bethlehem Lutheran Church in West Oakland, California
I received my PhD. in Early Modern History of Christianity – mostly for Germany and Non-Western areas. My dissertation was about Martin Luther’s most often published pamphlets (1520-1525) and is called: Sword of the Spirit, Sword of Iron. (See my dissertation page!)
My brother Dr. Philip Krey and I have just finished a book called Luther’s Spirituality, which appeared in March, 2007 published by the Paulist Press. 
Hopefully some of my writing, my sermons, songs, poems, lectures, blogging thoughts, and what not, will be helpful to you readers far and wide.
Since the summer of 2001, I’ve taught Ethical Inquiry into Contemporary Social Issues, various Philosophy courses, Logic, Ethics, and Comparative Religions in five different East Bay Community Colleges. In the summer of 2006 alone I taught four courses: Logic in the College of Alameda and Logic again, Introduction to Philosophy and Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion at Diablo Valley Community College in Pleasant Hill, CA. For Philadelphia Community College, I taught the History of Western Civilization, Part II, the Reformation until the present.
On June 19th, 2006 I accepted the call to be the pastor of the historical Old Zion Lutheran Church in Philadelphia, where services are offered in German as well as in English. My starting date is September 1, 2006. May God shed his grace upon Old Zion and upon me for this new chapter of our ministry! Amen.
Sadly, I preached my goodbye sermon to Old Zion, Philadelphia December 30, 2007. I will be heading back to the West Coast January 6th, 2008. See my December Message to the congregation!
June, July, and August I have been preaching for Immanuel Lutheran Church in Alameda, California, while Pastor Roger Bauer is on Sabbatical. I have been able to get every sermon into this blog. That was not quite so easy when I was preaching at Old Zion, because I was preaching in German and English almost every Sunday.
On October 29th, 2008, my brother Philip and I will be lecturing at Gettysburg Seminary on “Luther and the Care of the Soul.” In German, it would be Seelsorge. I’m trying a courageous title: “Luther’s In-Depth Theology and Theological Therapy.”
Today on November 9, 2008, I’m beginning a ministry at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Oakland, California, along with Pastor Richard Rubio-Bowley. We have worked together before, that is, for about two years for this church. It was a very positive experience for Bethlehem. Today I played my trumpet again, preached, presided, feeling a great deal of joy. It is quite remarkable how much I miss being a pastor, since having left Old Zion in Philadelphia. Pastor Roger Bauer at Immanuel in Alameda gave me a chance to supply all summer from June 8th to August 31st during his sabbatical. It takes some inner strength to endure unemployment.
Uncle Peter,
Congrats on the divine call. May the Lord bless you and keep you in this new venture. I look forward to reading your book. God Bless and keep you ever and always focused on the Crucified One!
Ted
ted krey
September 28, 2006 at 11:12 pm
Dear Peter Krey!
I’m a lutheran christian living in Sweden who have come across some of your writings translated to swedish by Kjerstin (1925-2001) and Per Jonsson (1928-1998). I wonder if you have published any of your songs with scores for any instruments?
Since I’m a great admirer of classical music and try arranging/composing some melodies from my norweigan relatives it would be wonderful to see some of the scores you have used for your songs and perhaps poems?
Sincere greetings in Christ from a “gnesiolutheran” brother in Sweden.
Ps. Your book about the Holy Spirit and the Sacrament of the Holy Baptism have been republished by Pers and Kjerstins daughter Karin Jonsson, and are appreciated among some of my non-lutheran christian friends. Tank’s a lot for the work you have put in these books, they are truly a inspiration for the Church. Ds.
Pps. I wonder if your german relatives on your mothers side who know anything about a person called Volker Behrens? I have a acquanitance from the choir I sing with who comes from Hamburg, but have lived in Sweden, Umeå since the late 1990’s. This person is a remarkable talanted man who is very musical and plays bouth the piano and violin, viola. I have had the fortunate opportunity to play Telemans g-major concerto for two violas with Volker in 2002/2003, but now it seems that he’s leaving Umeå to do his work as a doctor in the southern part of sweden. Ds.
Jonas Akerstrom
October 10, 2006 at 4:14 pm
dear Jonas,
I’m afraid there might be another Peter Krey that has authored those books that you mention. I have written only my dissertation, “Sword of the Spirit, Sword of Iron,” and my brother Philip and I are coming out in March 2007 with “Luther’s Spirituality” in the Paulist Press. I know there is another Peter Krey who wrote from Kansas. Could that be whom you mean?
I’ve only included one song so far in my website. I’ve never put my poems to music. Truthfully, I play the trumpet but mostly by ear, and I have only had the good fortune of getting some help in putting some of my songs to music. I wish I could get more into notes for musicians and churches to sing them.
I just wrote a song this Sunday called “Jesus is my Flashlight” for the children of the church, Old Zion, to which I am now called. I’ll put it in this website when I get a chance. I might be able to send you a tape of how they sound and those that have the music, too, if you send your e-mail address to me: pkrey@earthlink.net.
I’ll post some of the words to some of my songs and if you are interested in them, perhaps I could write the melody in notes for you, but that is as far as my notation skills go.
I definitely did not write about baptism and about the holy spirit in a published way. I have written about eight longer works and they all sit in my file cabinets. One reason I started this website is not to hide my light under a bushel.
I think Behrens is a common name in Germany. Krey is less common, but is also not unique. That is why there must be another author with the same name as mine. My middle names are Dietrich Siegfried, which will probably set me apart.
I have played my trumpet most of my life and I used to consider myself a poet. A friend of mine wrote songs, so I prayed to God to give me that gift as well. Lo and behold, I can play my trumpet and develop one melody after another.
I mostly write songs for my children’s sermons, but I just translated a number of Luther songs for our new book and I’ve translated songs from Spanish. I’ll take a corito and use it as a refrain and write verses to make it a song. My favorite Swedish song is “Children of the Heavenly Father.” I love that one.
So dear Jonas, thank you for responding. Some one else just called himself a gnesio-lutheran. I’ll have to look that up and see what it is. Right now I’m serving a German American church in Philadelphia, but I have always worked with African American Lutheran Churches until now. I also served a Puerto Rican congregation for ten years and thus I translated some of their songs.
Yours in Christ,
peter
P.S. I have not had access to the Internet and have to go to coffee houses or elsewhere to get it lately. Soon I’ll be hooked up on the Internet again and I’ll be able to get back to my website regularly.
peterkrey
November 3, 2006 at 6:04 am
Hello, pastor Krey. I´m a reader from Venezuela. I´ve found it quite interesting your sermon on Michael the Archangel. Where can I find Martin Luther´s commentary on Daniel in the web? I´ve tried to get it unsuccessfully, so I would appreciate if you help me.
G. Cabrera.
giovannicabrer
December 20, 2006 at 2:53 pm
Hello Uncle Peter,
just a quick note before mother, lily and craig and i all head into boston for a show. Haven’t yet had a chance to look at the sermon you sent me, nor the rest of this website, but from what i’ve gathered so far, this is incredible. i am a big fan and very proud of your internet prowess for setting it up. can’t wait to take a closer look at it some night at work. tonight’s my last night home as i head back to saratoga in the early morning. we love you guys lots and miss you dearly. can’t wait for the next time our paths cross.
til then,
pkl#30
little peter
December 26, 2006 at 11:58 pm
Good morning, Peter! I’ve been running through the Internet websites regarding our next Outreach Committee meeting. I’ve noticed that one maintained by our former Pastor is still up (chafs@aol.com) and should be removed, as it now conflicts with current information. Readers may be mixed up as to whom the current pastor is, for example.
I’m also proposing that we take a tour or look at 3 places so far: The Swedish museum, Old Zion Lutheran School (327 Cherry St.) and The Athenaeum of Philadelphia to see what relics (ha) might be linked to early St. Michael’s-Old Zion. As I certainly have the time off right now, we could just hop in your jalopy and satisfy our curiosities.
Also there is a great piece from http://www.walshorgans.com on our church organ restoration.
This might be a link put into the brochure for our church.
I have been searching for more images of our church, but so far not much luck. I will continue to search.
Oh, and Philadelphia.citysearch.com has a site for us, but it needs quite a bit of information. If I put it in, I’d be the “owner” of the site. Because of the “travelogue” nature of the site, mentioning our history would be really big here, and throw in as much detail as you want, with a link to http://www.oldzionlutheran.org website as well.
Pam ala Fernsler (name oka Vintzler) (oka= originally known as)
pamela fernsler
April 17, 2007 at 2:39 pm
May 17, 2007 Christi Himmelfahrt / The Ascension of Our Lord
Just thought there should be one web site connected to the Lutheran Church that recognizes that today is Ascension Day.
Helen Davis
May 17, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! ikdcaawklmas
cpfpknmgow
June 21, 2007 at 2:24 am
dear Giovanni Cabrer,
I have the footnotes on my St. Michael sermon Luther Works vol. 35 and Weimar Ausgabe Bible vol. 11.2. But the whole Weimar Ausgabe, the German and Latin complete Luther’s Works is on the internet. You have to get a school or university, however, that pays the subscription, to give you access to it.
Hope you see this message. pkrey
peterkrey
June 27, 2007 at 6:15 am
Pastor Krey
I just have a question about Old Zion. I was under the impression that Old Zion was a “Word Alone” church but I don’t see anything on your web site that mentions this. I have the great honor of knowing your brother Philip. He was an interum pastor at my old church and I attended a class taught by him at the seminary. He is just one of the best! I am sure that Old Zion is blessed to have you. John tolpelmain@aol.com
John Main
July 13, 2007 at 7:51 pm
Pastor Krey,
I am a Lutheran minister’s wife from Downers Grove, IL. There are lots of interesting things about my husband and his ministry, and some interests that you two may have in common, but my query here is a little bit more personal. I have been going through some old things of my grandparents, and found several references to your parents and your brother Matthias. My grandparents came to the USA from Germany about 13 years before your parents did, and lived in Maine. Just curious if you might know why they knew each other, or if an older sibling might have some memory of them. Frieda and George were their names, and Alfred their son, my dad. Frieda had cousins in MA. by the name of Reichel, some of whom also later lived in Maine. Any clues, I’d love to hear from you.
Pat Prohl
July 19, 2007 at 12:13 am
Paster Krey,
I was thinking about my childhood recently and searched for St Paul’s on the web and decided to try to look you up. I was surprised I found you so easily. Congratulations on your new church appointment. When I saw a picture of you with your trumpet and Nora it brought back memories. I hope you Nora and family are doing well. Just incase you don’t remember me when you were pastor of St Paul’s I was part of this group – Cindy, Wendy, Lou and Agim to name a few.
Take Care,
Greg
Greg Emmerling
August 1, 2007 at 4:54 am
Hi Peter, I’m posting this here because it seems like there’s something wrong with your email account. I wanted to wish you a (belated) Happy Thanksgiving! How are you doing? I hope things are going better for you in Philadelphia. I look to forward seeing you again in January.
Best wishes,
Jason
Jason Zarri
November 24, 2007 at 4:16 am
Dr. Krey,
My wife and I are occasional visitors at Old Zion are are very sorry to hear you are leaving (but certainly understand). You talked to me once about your dissertation. Is it available online? I’d love to have an opportunity to read it.
Stephen
Stephen Fowlkes
December 14, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Hope all has gone well in your travels today (Thu). How far have you gotten each day, and when have you arrived at home again? Quite a “trip away,” eh? Thanks for stopping by. So good to spend some time with you again! God bless!
emil
January 10, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Dr. (Professor) Krey,
Hola, my name is Stephen Adams, you might remember me as the audacious young man with the blond mohawk from your Introduction to Philosophy course Spring semester 2006. I want to thank you for everything you did for me, all the time you spent rambling with me after class, your openness and joviality, your ability to look within me to see that there was a thinker, a philosopher, thank you. I was accepted to Berkeley last Fall with a full scholarship into the Philosophy department, even though I only had a 3.6 GPA, all three of the schools I applied to accepted me, including UCLA. So far at Berkeley the main complaint that I’m getting from my GSI’s about my papers are that I’m trying to tackle ideas that could be thesis papers in 2-5 page assignments. I don’t think I need 30+ pages to deny Descartes methods of doubt in ‘Meditations’; being insane is just as untenable as being unaware of the ‘Matrix’ when discussing certainty, and people who practice lucid dreaming have come up with quite the battery of tests to conclude with certainty when we are dreaming, and when, in fact, we are not. There, one sentence did it quite nicely.
If you are back in the bay area, it would be great to get lunch sometime. I’d love to hear your feedback on some of my ideas. I hope all is well with you, and your family.
Sincerely,
Stephen Adams
‘The beauty of the universe lay not in the stars figured into it, but in the love, music, and art felt and created by human hearts, minds, voices, and hands.’ -Philip K. Dick
Stephen Adams
February 25, 2008 at 12:45 am
Hi!
I got a magazine in which one of your writings was published in Finnish. It was “Why am I a Christian” from the article “Devotions on the Apostles’ Creed”. I wonder if it would be possible to receive this writing in English? You wrote words of wisdom and explained the true meaning of being a Christian so clearly. I would now want to share your thoughts with few of my American friends that are not Lutherans.
Thank you for the important work that you do. God Bless you!
Mrs Britt Vuorio
Helsinki, Finland
Britt Vuorio
March 19, 2008 at 5:48 am
Hello Pastor Krey,
Just a quick note to let you know I received you letter and the newspaper clipping in the mail. I have finished my entrance exams for a law enforcement chaplaincy program and have picked up the books from their recommended reading list:
A Spirituality for the Police Officer by John Moreno
Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement by Rabi Cary Friedman
Take up the Shield; Comparing the Uniform of the Police Officer with the Armor of God by Tony Miano and
Devotions and Prayers for Police Officers by Steven Voris
You might find some of these interesting.
I will be writing my prospectus this summer and hopefully defending my dissertation by next spring – but I should be able to start my chaplaincy program within the next month or so.
Hope you are well.
Clairissa
Clairissa
May 18, 2008 at 1:20 am
Hello sir,
My grandfather was Harry Krey of Brooklyn, NY. As I try to piece together family history for my son, I came across this page. Perhaps you can help, but then again, I’m not sure how common this name is.
I know this, his father was Phillip and mother was Sadie. His grandparents were Phillip Krey of New York and Isabella Kinkade of Scotland. I’ve gotten this information from his father’s death certificate.
Might they be part of your family or is the name just a coincidence.
Thank you for your kind help and generous attention in our search.
Sincerely,
Ann Marie
Ann Marie Omerza
May 23, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Hey Uncle Peter!
What a great site! I haven’t had a chance to read anything yet as I’m deep into the Crucible these days…but I look forward to it one day. I’m impressed with your hudspa at setting up a website! Nicely done. I don’t have one – not sure I could get it together. I can barely use my cell phone…
Hope you are well and looking forward to your trip to Baltimore!
Love,
Lily
Lily
September 13, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Hi Peter,
Great to read the latest news. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours if we don’t get a chance to say so in person.
Best,
Alan Wei
Alan Wei
November 26, 2008 at 4:44 am
PETER! I NEED YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. I COULDN’T FIND IT ON THIS WEB SITE. I have an urgent message from a woman in New York that i want to forward to you. I miss you and remember fondly our connection – in India, at Hamma, and at Coney Island. I’m at 815-968-5433 Cell: 815-494-5666 and email harlan@actualizations.net
I look forward to hearing from you.
Harlan Johnson
January 3, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Hi Peter
Just visited your website and I must say, I’m impress with the work you have put into building it. I look forward spending time reading and navigating your site.
Looking forward to our get together in June.
Martha
January 7, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Hello Peter,
Nice website. I have not had a change to read everything, but I like what I have read. I will look at from time to time for new articles. Can’t wait to see you and Nora in June. Lu
Luz
January 8, 2009 at 2:41 am
Hello webmaster
I would like to share with you a link to your site
write me here preonrelt@mail.ru
Alexwebmaster
March 3, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Спасибо. Добавлено в закладки
Thanks. It is added in bookmarks.
Cederash
May 23, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Я извиняюсь, что немного не в тему, а что такое RSS? и ка на него подписаться?
Avertedd
May 26, 2009 at 4:42 am
hey uncle peter.
yer page is great as always. cant wait to do some reading
any suggestions?
ill start with your gettysburg address, again.
would you like to help me start my own website?
give my best to the family.
all love,
little peter
Peter K Loring
October 26, 2009 at 2:16 am
dear Peter,
I’d love to help you. Just go to wordpress.com and the instructions are right there. Right now I’m at Ashley’s Sluggos in Pensacola. I will be back n CA Friday. They say you can get your wordpress website going in half an hour.
all our love
uncle peter
peterkrey
October 27, 2009 at 12:27 am