Strangers to Sisters - Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Library: Essays

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The faithful pastors of the Norwegian Synod turned to Scripture for guidance. They knew all too well to avoid the path of glory that glossed over doctrinal aberrations for the sake of earthly peace. Bjug Harstad comments, Let us humble ourselves under the chastisement of God which allowed our old house to be swept off, and us to remain standing on a bare hill. We know that we had deserved the chastisement because we did not treasure the Lord's Word… We must rid ourselves of these marks (referring to the false Christianity of the state church and the merger church). Since the opposing parties merged, the Synod is tempted to be in competition with them in size and strength. I wonder whether the Lord has now been able to cure us of this illness. In any case, we ought all, pastors and congregations, know that we are called not to be great and powerful before the world but only to everyone knowing for himself the power of grace to save souls. Then we must work against mass- and false-Christianity in our congregations. 68 (Italicized words of explanation mine) The newly reorganized Synod heeded this call. The Norwegian hermeneutical approach to Scripture that was practiced by Johnson, Caspari, Koren, Preus and Ottesen was revived and instilled in the very marrow of the reorganized Norwegian Synod’s pastors and also her parishioners. Stephen Nygaard, a parishioner from Hartland, MN made a telling remark to a neighbor who had referred to the reorganized Norwegian Synod as a plucked chicken, “Yes, that is true, but if she is healthy, she will soon grow her feathers again!” 69 Proper Scriptural interpretation and application dominated the convention essays of the early years of the ELS. This was due to two major factors. The ELS recognized 68 Bjug Harstad, Presidential address given to the 3 rd regular convention of the Norwegian Synod of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church, August 4-10, 1921, Albert Lea, MN. http://www.evangelicallutheransynod.org/publications/essays/presaddresses/1921. (Accessed July 19, 2008). 69 Aaberg, City Set on a Hill, 129. 40
that poor, unscriptural hermeneutics that misused reason and tradition were the culprits behind the selling of the Madison Settlement. Secondly, during a time when there was no seminary, college, or synodical machinery of which to speak, the convention essays were the chief means of uniting the pastors and parishioners of the newly re-organized Synod together in a common confession based solely upon God’s Word. They are solid evidence of the conscious desire among the ELS pastors, teachers and parishioners to properly expound and apply the Holy Scriptures. The following list of conference essays shows just how much proper Scriptural hermeneutics were upon the minds of the ELS pastors, teachers and laymen during their first decades of existence: 1919 – The Scriptural Principle – M.K. Bleken 1922 – The Bible and Evolution – J.E. Thoen 1924 – The Power of the Word of God – Christian Andersen 1933 - The Literal and Figurative Language in Scripture – E. Ylvisaker 1936 – Our Heritage and Our Responsibility – J.A. Moldstad 1938 – The Clearness of Scripture – S.C. Ylvisaker 1940 – The Question of Non-fundamentals in the Light of Scripture – S.C. Ylvisaker 1942 – The Scripture Cannot Be Broken – Torald Teigen; The Importance of the Doctrine of Verbal Inspiration of the Bible- C.M Gullerud 1943- Sola Scriptura- J.A. Petersen 1952 – Ask for the Old Paths – Christian Anderson. The first principle of biblical interpretation, that the Word of God alone is the sole source and norm of theology, and because of that it is also the only sure and perfect rule for faith and life, is clearly elucidated. Torald Teigen makes this point abundantly clear in his 1942 conference essay The Scripture Cannot Be Broken, The inspiration of Scripture is what makes the Scriptures the Word of God. And since Scripture is God’s Word from beginning to end, it is of the highest authority to which we can appeal. Because it is in every word the Word of God, it is a Word that cannot make a mistake …to concede that it is not the inspired Word of God in every word is to make the concession that it might contain error. To make such a 41
Page 1 and 2: WISCONSIN LUTHERAN SEMINARY STRANGE
Page 3 and 4: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to gra
Page 5 and 6: Yet, the Norwegian Synod suffered h
Page 7 and 8: constitution, the reference to the
Page 9 and 10: Minnesota had reservations about th
Page 11 and 12: these two synods into closer contac
Page 13 and 14: Part I: Getting to know the Scriptu
Page 15 and 16: strengthening and encouraging the f
Page 17 and 18: University of Leipzig. 18 His main
Page 19 and 20: voice, as in an ecstasy, breathed t
Page 21 and 22: unbelief, in recent times such men
Page 23 and 24: So will we cling fast to the Lord m
Page 25 and 26: Koren sees Kierkegaard as a one who
Page 27 and 28: We acknowledge with gratitude towar
Page 29 and 30: Of the founders of the Norwegian Sy
Page 31 and 32: The Election Controversy was really
Page 33 and 34: ule or judge in matters of faith, n
Page 35 and 36: The Norwegian Synod lived its motto
Page 37 and 38: are sitting, like ourselves, theore
Page 39: we do? Why stand aloof against a cu
Page 43 and 44: congregation, not us listeners.”
Page 45 and 46: elieve for them, such as is the cas
Page 47 and 48: Chapter 2 The Wauwatosa Theology Th
Page 49 and 50: Hoenecke developed and passed on to
Page 51 and 52: Third, one dare not limit this auth
Page 53 and 54: For Hoenecke, the way we let Script
Page 55 and 56: It may never be forgotten, that the
Page 57 and 58: inging unity to the various Luthera
Page 59 and 60: A fuller analysis of the Wauwatosa
Page 61 and 62: One of the chief terms used by orth
Page 63 and 64: None of this is to say the Wauwatos
Page 65 and 66: the church unperverted. It thus has
Page 67 and 68: synods over the years. But as will
Page 69 and 70: We believe it best to wait until 19
Page 71 and 72: Finally, the doctrinal controversie
Page 73 and 74: E.B. Schluetter, and delivered the
Page 75 and 76: students. Ylvisaker had resigned hi
Page 77 and 78: teaching English, Norse, Latin, Alg
Page 79 and 80: Waltonite, and scare ‘em into ret
Page 81 and 82: DMLC were fraternal visitors at the
Page 83 and 84: accepted a call to serve his sister
Page 85 and 86: experiment never really took off, p
Page 87 and 88: point. Bethany had not been entrust
Page 89 and 90: the internal shake-up at Bethany an
Page 91 and 92:
growing tense, not only among those
Page 93 and 94:
ehind the back of the Wisconsin Syn
Page 95 and 96:
With such deep sentiments and histo
Page 97 and 98:
weight around, intruded upon a very
Page 99 and 100:
Tjernagel contends vehemently that
Page 101 and 102:
of the ELS, as well as her wariness
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Paul, MN the possibility Ohio and I
Page 105 and 106:
Take for instance the procedure ado
Page 107 and 108:
meeting has lapsed, I am forced in
Page 109 and 110:
Dear Gullixson! I had just sat down
Page 111 and 112:
to them what they should speak and
Page 113 and 114:
conferences. By entering into a rel
Page 115 and 116:
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
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teachings of these revered teachers
Page 169 and 170:
pastor’s point of view, that both
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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