Strangers to Sisters - Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Library: Essays

church union. It also shows that the various defenses made by both synods individually
were not carried out in a vacuum, but were discussed as full brothers. In short, this
correspondence shows a real fraternal bond between the ELS and the WELS. The WELS
was not too big to consult her smaller sister when they were seeking to formulate their
reply to the ULCA. The ELS was not too small to speak up and coordinate their efforts
with the WELS in admonishing the Missouri Synod. This correspondence shows that the
WELS and the ELS were not fighting individual battles with a common adversary, but
were locked arm and arm when they faced that common adversary, supporting and
coordinating their efforts with each other.
II. The ELS defense of the WELS position on Church and Ministry (1940s-1950s)
The hermeneutical shibboleth among American Lutherans is how one speaks
concerning the doctrines of church and ministry. Indeed, much of the dispute that has
occurred over these doctrines is really a result of differing methodology in the
interpretation of Holy Scripture. The more the current intra-ELS dispute over church and
ministry evolves, the clearer it becomes that what is really at issue is the manner in which
either side approaches the Scriptures in the formulation of doctrine. Indeed, the more one
researches the church and ministry debate in the ELS during the 40s and 50s, the more
one gets the feeling of dejavu in the present discussions. 239
239 Part of what clouds the discussion of these doctrines is that older terminology came to mean something
different in subsequent generations. The problem therefore is not simply the terminology employed, but
trying to divine what exactly was meant by those who employed it. For instance, many in the ELS
employed “Missouri” terminology when discussing church and ministry without endorsing the “Missouri”
position. There is a correlation here between language gaps that orthodox Christians had to wrestle with in
the 3 rd and 4 th centuries during Christological controversies.
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