Strangers to Sisters - Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Library: Essays

conferences. By entering into a relationship with the
adherents of the Norwegian Opgjor, the opponents have
given evidence that they do not hold our position in the
doctrine of conversion and election. In view of this fact,
further conferences would be useless.” 215
But how influenced had the Missouri and Wisconsin Synods been by the ELS’ warning?
The Wisconsin Synod seems to have listened. First, there is a clearer
understanding that there was a different spirit in Ohio, Iowa and Buffalo, the spirit
against which the ELS had been warning the Synodical Conference. While the Wisconsin
men still vigorously held to a total agreement in doctrine, both fundamentals and nonfundamentals,
Iowa and Ohio, by their double dealing with the ELC, had shown that
“total doctrinal agreement” meant for them something different. This mistrust of union
discussions, as will be seen in chapter 2, is firmly rooted in the minds of WELS men
from this point on.
There is more direct evidence that the Wisconsin Synod heeded more closely her
little sister’s objections. For instance, in an article written by Karl Plocher for the
Northwestern Lutheran, he cites one of the major reasons for lack of closer fellowship
with the ALC is their association with the ELC, which was still saddled with the
compromising Madison Settlement, which spoke unclearly regarding the doctrine of
conversion. 216 And even more direct proof that the WELS was listening to her sister was
fact that the Northwestern Lutheran reprinted a long article by George Lillegard of the
ELS, which challenged many of the assumptions that smaller churches who did not join
in merger declined in number. 217
215 Ylvisaker, In the Interest of Truth, 246.
216 Mark Braun, A Tale of Two Synods (Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 2002), 143.
217 Braun, A Tale of Two Synods, 144.
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