The 2025 LQ Essay Prize, sponsored by the 1521 Foundation, has been awarded to William G. Fredstrom, “Wendell Berry and Martin Luther on Creatureliness in a Technological Age,“ LQ 39 (2025): 1-20. 

Three double-blind peer reviews yielded unanimous appreciation for the essay, from specialists in Lutheran ethics and in Wendell Berry’s corpus.  They noted especially the argument that Berry, in his poetic embrace of the natural world and resultant critique of the Christian tradition for a “flight from creatureliness,“ has an ally and not a target in Luther’s earthy affirmations of our creaturely condition.  

Pastor Fredstrom is a Ph.D. candidate at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.  All submissions received careful examination and detailed feedback, in hopes of assisting the next generation of scholars. 

Thanks to the generosity and partnership of the 1521 Foundation, a new prize of $5,000 will be available in 2026 for the best essay published in LQ by a student or recent graduate.  Queries and submissions should go to the LQ Editor Paul.Rorem@ptsem.edu.