August Pieper and J. P. Koehler became bitter enemies, although both represented the notorious Wauwatosa theology cloned from the Walther gang.
Koehler was a fine church historian, but also an architect. I thought this church was stunning in design and color. Many church buildings have serious flaws which are not apparent when they are built. Lenski is given credit for having a lot to do with his parish's church building. If so, that contribution is best forgotten.
Gausewitz was dead when the Protest'ant split developed. Many acknowledge today that the wretched events of that time might have been averted if he had been alive.
Walther had to be Top Dog in everything and had no sense of guilt for the many felonies he committed, compounded by his unethical and unChristian behavior:
- He had to know about Bishop Stephan's adultery, because the leader of the migration was under house arrest just before the ships left.
- Walther kidnapped his niece and nephew from his father's parsonage, with the help of his brother, also a pastor. He involved his future mother-in-law.
- Walther hid the children with the help of his lawyers Marbach and Vehse, leaving in a rush to escape police arrest warrants. The children died in America, so the grandparents never saw them again. Walther's parents were their legal guardians.
- Stephan brought his main mistress along to America and housed her conveniently in the floor above him. Stephan did not bring his wife and children, except for one son. Did Walther notice anything...funny?
- Walther suddenly discovered Stephan's adultery, because the seal of the confessional was violated by a fellow pastor, who heard two confessions, from the main mistress and another squeeze. But Walther did NOT go to the bishop to check out the facts. Matthew 18 did not apply him! Instead, Walther changed the title on land given to the bishop. He involved his future in-laws and others in organizing a mob.
- Walther's mob threatened Stephan's life, robbed him of all his possessions, and forced him across the Mississippi. Walther later talked Stephan's son into giving up another parcel of land, which Stephan bought with his own money, a double-theft. The son did not own the land but was convinced he should give it away. Covetousness? Walther was above all that.
- Walther took over as the abusive cult leader, avoiding the title of bishop but acting like The Pope. He was Top Dog in everything: seminary, publications, synod leadership.
- Loehe, who organized the group that the Missourians joined, was defenestrated. Loehe was bad for not agreeing with Walther about something. Grabau (Buffalo Synod) was bad for disagreeing with Walther. Even now, organizing a Loehe conference is bad (according to Otten) because it detracts from Walther-worship.
- Walther ran the Synodical Conference the way he organized his mob. Everyone had to agree with him or else. The divisive and contentious personality of the Synodical Conference can be laid at his feet.
- The WELS split in the 1920's is an example of the Walther method carried over by the Wauwatosans trained at the hellish Walther shrine called Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
DP Englebrecht ducked a promised meeting with Appleton member Rick Techlin. Deputy Doug was 100% for Techlin being excommunicated for trying to discuss doctrine and practice with Glende and Ski. Plagiarizing false teachers is A-OK with the same DP.
If you want to give a WELS pastor the vapors, tell him you subscribe to Faith-Life, the publication of the Protes'tant Conference, the congregations kicked out of WELS. Any resemblance to what Pope John the Malefactor did in the ELS is a co-inky-dink.
