Strangers to Sisters - Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Library: Essays

The Norwegian Synod lived its motto “Gegraptai.” They respected the fathers, but
also were critical of them. They zealously cherished the Lutheran symbols, not as a
substitute for Scripture, but as weapons forged from Scripture that unmasked the enemies
without and within the Lutheran Church. Yet, it was always to the Scriptures they went
whenever a doctrinal battle was raging. And yet, in 1917, a mere seven years after the
death of Koren, the vast majority of the Synod entered into the un-Scriptural Madison
Settlement. What happened?
IV. The Norwegian Hermeneutic in the re-organized Norwegian Synod (1917-1955)
The story of the Madison Settlement and the demise of the old Norwegian Synod
has been told ably by the ELS historians Theodore Aaberg (A City Set on a Hill) and S.C.
Ylivsaker (Grace for Grace) and need not be recounted fully. 58 What is of interest is how
the Norwegian Hermeneutic was it recovered and re-affirmed in the reorganized
Norwegian Synod (ELS). One of the original ELS pastors, Christian Anderson, wrote a
telling critique as to what he saw as the factors that led to the demise of the Norwegian
Synod,
…it is true that in the controversy of the eighties Dr. Koren
exposed clearly the errors of the anti-Missourian…But after
the complete break in 1887, the majority of our people had
tired of the controversy…and neglected to continue to
study the issues involved. Thus they became more and
58 There is a large amount of evidence that makes it clear the Norwegian Synod would not have gone along
with the merger had it not been for the ecclesiastical chicaneries of men like H.G. Stub and Rasmus
Malmin. The omission of key statements by orthodox Norwegian leaders to the assembly of the Norwegian
Synod, the lack of antitheses in the formulation of the Madison Settlement, cooperation in externals and a
rising tide of Norwegian nationalism at the turn of the 20 th century all led to give the impression to the rank
and file pastor and parishioner of the Norwegian Synod that the key issues that had separated the
Norwegians, the teaching regarding election and conversion, had indeed been resolved. However, it was
nothing but smoke and mirrors, and in the end, the theology of glory won out over the theology of the
cross.
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