Strangers to Sisters - Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Library: Essays

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Fehner’s reply to Madson was as usual, short and polemical, charging Madson and Bethany with the same charges with which they charged him. In a rather infantile, “well so are you” response to Madson, Fehner replies, …If you don’t like my procedure, let me ask you: what words would you use to characterize your action, when behind the backs of the parents, and behind the backs of their pastors, you urged your student-body (and I am particularly concerned here about students from the Missouri Synod), not to attend services in the only Missouri Synod church in Mankato? Write to those parents and pastors, and learn what they have to say about it! 309 Not only was the charge against Madson untrue (the Bethany Handbook only published the name of Mount Olive as a congregation to which students might attend, omitting all other Synodical Conference churches), but Fehner had been involved in his own letter-writing campaign against Bethany. However, correspondence shows that Fehner was not as clever a propagandist as he considered himself. One of the minds he tried to spin was then Missouri Synod pastor Arnold Kuster, whose son Ted was then attending Bethany (Arnold Kuster would latter leave the LCMS for the ELS). In a letter that Fehner mailed to Kuster is full of half truths and some downright lies. Fehner attacks Preus for his letter of concern and denies that he, Fehner, ever did anything un-Scriptural (He did. It was on record in the ELC publication). He claims the entire Bethany faculty refused to participate in his installation (only Preus refrained). He portrays himself as the meek Missouri Synod pastor humbly requesting the names of the Missouri Synod students. He leaves out the fact he demanded the names with force of threat. Yet, the Fehner letter does have one positive. It shows clearly, from this heterodox 309 Alvin Fehner to Norman Madson, letter, October 1953. Norman Madson Papers Box 3 XXIV.5, Evangelical Lutheran Synod Archives, Mankato, MN. 168
pastor’s point of view, that both Wisconsin and the ELS are theologically united. Fehner admits to Kuster, The negotiations of our Synod with the Wisconsin Synod, the Norwegian Synod, are wholly on the side of Wisconsin…According to the Minneapolis Star of Oct. 10, in an article on the Wisconsin Synod’s recent Milwaukee convention, “the Rev. C.M. Gullerud of Mankato, Minn., President of the Norwegian Synod, supported the Wisconsin Synod in its controversy with the Missouri Synod. ‘It’s not a matter of academic debate, but our salvation that’s at stake,’ he said in an address to the convention. The danger that confronts us is the danger of losing Christ. It’s that dangerous.’ 310 The last battle in the Fehner matter would be at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church on November 6, 1953. In attendance were Pastors Tweit and Anderson, members of the Bethany Board of Regents, and Pastor Fehner and Mr. Hoyer of Our Savior’s. This meeting specifically would address Fehner’s recent letter to BLC students and the faculty response. The meeting, again, would underscore just how off track the theology of Fehner was and just how difficult he was to deal with. Time and time again during the meeting, Fehner would make outlandish charges against Bethany. When his charges were shown to be false by documentation, Fehner would either backpedal or change the topic. If Tweit or Anderson asked for the name of the accuser who had given Fehner his information, Fehner would refuse to give the name out of supposed concern not to draw this “friend” into these matters. Tweit comments in his report to the Board of Regents, The end result of this part of the interview was that, while a long list of incidents of alleged “fault-finding” were referred to, no documentary evidence was submitted to the Board of Regents committee in the form of names, dates, etc., which they had come to secure and had asked for. In 310 Alvin Fehner to Arnold Kuster, letter, October 15, 1953. Norman Madson Papers. Box 3. XXIV.3. Evangelical Lutheran Synod Archives, Mankato, MN. 169
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WISCONSIN LUTHERAN SEMINARY STRANGE
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to gra
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Yet, the Norwegian Synod suffered h
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constitution, the reference to the
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Minnesota had reservations about th
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these two synods into closer contac
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Part I: Getting to know the Scriptu
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strengthening and encouraging the f
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University of Leipzig. 18 His main
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voice, as in an ecstasy, breathed t
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unbelief, in recent times such men
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So will we cling fast to the Lord m
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Koren sees Kierkegaard as a one who
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We acknowledge with gratitude towar
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Of the founders of the Norwegian Sy
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The Election Controversy was really
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ule or judge in matters of faith, n
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The Norwegian Synod lived its motto
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are sitting, like ourselves, theore
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we do? Why stand aloof against a cu
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that poor, unscriptural hermeneutic
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congregation, not us listeners.”
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elieve for them, such as is the cas
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Chapter 2 The Wauwatosa Theology Th
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Hoenecke developed and passed on to
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Third, one dare not limit this auth
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For Hoenecke, the way we let Script
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It may never be forgotten, that the
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inging unity to the various Luthera
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A fuller analysis of the Wauwatosa
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One of the chief terms used by orth
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None of this is to say the Wauwatos
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the church unperverted. It thus has
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synods over the years. But as will
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We believe it best to wait until 19
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Finally, the doctrinal controversie
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E.B. Schluetter, and delivered the
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students. Ylvisaker had resigned hi
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teaching English, Norse, Latin, Alg
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Waltonite, and scare ‘em into ret
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DMLC were fraternal visitors at the
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accepted a call to serve his sister
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experiment never really took off, p
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point. Bethany had not been entrust
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the internal shake-up at Bethany an
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growing tense, not only among those
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ehind the back of the Wisconsin Syn
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With such deep sentiments and histo
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weight around, intruded upon a very
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Tjernagel contends vehemently that
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of the ELS, as well as her wariness
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Paul, MN the possibility Ohio and I
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Take for instance the procedure ado
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meeting has lapsed, I am forced in
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Dear Gullixson! I had just sat down
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to them what they should speak and
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conferences. By entering into a rel
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Chapter 2 Relations confirmed and s
Page 117 and 118: sent out by a Chicago group, I shal
Page 119 and 120: have good reasons to refrain for ex
Page 121 and 122: Tjernagel: Today conditions have be
Page 123 and 124: At the Synodical Conference convent
Page 125 and 126: The ELS, in her desire to mediate a
Page 127 and 128: Such remarks are telling not only o
Page 129 and 130: America, Elling Eielsen. Eielsen in
Page 131 and 132: But even the faithful few who had l
Page 133 and 134: establishes all functions of the mi
Page 135 and 136: 2.) By virtue of the work they do,
Page 137 and 138: Scripture. 257 The ELS, due to its
Page 139 and 140: Wisconsin, ELS and the faithful of
Page 141 and 142: Lillegard was the foremost exegete
Page 143 and 144: “congregation” has a much narro
Page 145 and 146: this is definitely a Lutheran princ
Page 147 and 148: What makes the testimony and defens
Page 149 and 150: terms. He is persuaded now that the
Page 151 and 152: III. The Fehner Case (1949-1953) Th
Page 153 and 154: Immanuel during a difficult time. B
Page 155 and 156: there would not be any scouting at
Page 157 and 158: Bethany Lutheran College and the Ev
Page 159 and 160: The trouble makers had then proceed
Page 161 and 162: pro and some con. To make matters w
Page 163 and 164: congregation, and that our privileg
Page 165 and 166: cease such offensive practice.” 3
Page 167: teachings of these revered teachers
Page 171 and 172: How much of this can be attributed
Page 173 and 174: alarming rate. The water of controv
Page 175 and 176: where the one advocating them refus
Page 177 and 178: Reim: challenges Harms’ limitatio
Page 179 and 180: gave public testimony to the interc
Page 181 and 182: efusing to accept the Brief Stateme
Page 183 and 184: Yet, there does remain a present va
Page 185 and 186: ecclesiastical details or the weigh
Page 187 and 188: The study of this era shows that th
Page 189 and 190: BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Aaberg, Theodore
Page 191 and 192: Schroeder, Morton A Time to Remembe
Page 193 and 194: http://www.blts.edu/essays/korenUV/
Page 195 and 196: Ylvisaker, S.C. “The National Lut
Page 197 and 198: Harstad, Bjug. “Sermon of Genesis
Page 199 and 200: Zimmermann, Paul. “Scripture Inte
Page 201 and 202: C.M. Gullerud to Hugo Gamber, lette
Page 203 and 204: Gervasius Fischer to C.M. Gullerud,
Page 205 and 206: John Brenner to Norman Madson, lett
Page 207 and 208: Minutes of the Meeting of The Commi
Page 209 and 210: Oscar Naumann to C.M. Gullerud, let
Page 211: Stuart Dorr to the pastors of the N
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