They also stole his chalice, forcing him at gunpoint to cross over to Illinois.
Kidnapping and armed robbery can earn someone a nifty shrine, a statue at the Purple Palace, little statues for the dashboard of the car, a bicentennial celebration of falsehoods, and a cool chalice.
In Pursuit of Religious Freedom: Bishop Martin Stephan’s
Journey
By Philip G. Stephan (born 1935), New York: Lexington Books,
2008.
My citations will be In Pursuit of Religious Freedom,
instead of Stephan, to avoid confusion, since the author is a descendant of the
bishop.
Riley Otten, the grandson of Pastor Herman Otten, wrote up the
fable of Walther’s work in Perry County. I do not blame Riley, but the people
who have falsified Perry County history. Christian News, 9-19-2011, p. 16.
According to Riley, when the Saxon immigrants found out
about Bishop Stephan’s adultery, they gave him three choices:
- Go to court.
- Go back to Germany.
- Go to Illinois.
“Then Walther came to set stuff straight. That is how the
Lutheran Church Missouri Synod started.”
At the bottom of the page of pictures is a plaque in honor
of Walther’s 200th birthday and a statue. $30 plus shipping and
handling.
Walther’s Shrine - http://www.lfnd.org/walther/
The actual events:
January 20, 1839 – The ships landed in New Orleans.
Rogate Sunday Sermon, St. Louis, March 5, 1839 – G. H.
Loeber’s sermon on the 10 Commandments
led two women to confess privately to him their adultery with Bishop Stephan.
Louise Guenther, who was investigated previously by the courts in German,
confessed and asked for absolution. The Christian Church has always held to the
strict confidentiality of the private confession. Otherwise, no one would
confess sin and seek forgiveness. IPRF, p. 180.
Loeber was disturbed by the two confessions and spoke with
Walther, the only other pastor from the group in St. Louis. On May 13, Eduard
Vehse and Gustave Jaeckel were invited to discuss this with Loeber and Walther.
They resolved to take back the land given to Stephan (40 acres). Stephan also
purchased 80 acres with his own money. IPRF, p. 181.
The group retracted their previous defense of Stephan,
published in the paper. IPRF, p. 182. The retraction was on May 27th,
IPRF, p. 184.
Pastors Walther and Loeber, attorneys Vehse and Marbach,
coordinated their efforts without even trying to contact Stephan.
Without any hearing or investigation, the group decided to
get rid of Stephan.
On May 15th, Walther traveled to Perry County to
gather support among the clergy there and to mislead Stephan about his
intentions. Walther (the youngest of all the pastors) changed the title of the
land given to Stephan, without telling the bishop. He also involved the Buenger
family (the parents of his future wife, who also hid the kidnapped children in
Germany) in the plan to get rid of Stephan. IPRF, p. 186.
The group organized by Walther, 300 in all, arrived on the
steamer from St. Louis on May 28th. Louise Guenther was among them.
“This hastily assembled group could not even decide its own
authority or whether it was purely advisory. Incredibly, a competent
administrative council already existed; it had planned the Atlantic voyage,
written the regulations for the governance of the group, and purchased the
Perry County land. This council had the support and approval of all the people.
It is not clear why they made no effort to use this properly authorized group
to hear the charges.” IPRF, p. 187.
The trial was held May 30th. The former pastors
had resigned their calls in Germany to come over, but they listed themselves as
pastors in signing the deposition. That included “Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm
Walther, pastor.” IPRF, p. 189
Walther’s brother did NOT sign the deposition. Neither did
any theological candidate.
They ordered Stephan to leave (no options).
Before, the mob was lashing the cabin with their whips. They
came inside to force Stephan out. Stephan reported (later in IPRF) that they
set fires outside, so he was afraid for his life.
The Walther mob stole most of Stephan’s personal belongings
and all his money, including the gold he was saving for retirement. They forced
Stephan to strip off his clothing in their pursuit of his money.
The Waltherians kept Stephan’s books, which were also quite
valuable. Later, Walther tricked Stephan’s son out of the 80 acres belonging to
the bishop, bought with the bishop’s own money. Clearly the son had no legal
right to turn over property belonging to his father. Walther had no business
manipulating the son, who became a Missouri pastor, into donating something not
his own.
Walther’s later church, Trinity in St. Louis, kept the
priceless chalice stolen from Stephan and will not surrender it to Stephan’s
descendants. Pious Lutherans still claim the chalice belonged to the Society
but it was a personal gift to Stephan and not theirs to steal.
Stephan slept outside in a tent, that night because the
swollen Mississippi could not be crossed. He became quite ill from this and
recovered very slowly.
Stephan was forced across the river at gunpoint on May 31st.
IPRF, p. 190f and footnote 10. He did some pastoral afterwards in Illinois,
where he is buried. His mistress, Louise Guenther, followed him and lived with
him during that time.
He lived the rest of his life in poverty, thanks to the actions
of the Walther-led mob.
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“C.F.W. Walther has been hailed as an ‘American Luther,’” said Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, LCMS president. “He was an avid student of Luther’s writings, and they shaped the transformative role Walther played in 19th-century American Lutheranism. How appropriate that we recognize his bicentennial year! For in his day, Walther recognized the unique role of the Lutheran church in America. That role is ours yet today.”
* Walther Heritage St. Louis/Perry County Tour: Produced by Luther Tours, this unforgettable two-day journey will take visitors to significant Lutheran sites in St. Louis and Perry County, Mo., including the LCMS International Center; Historic Trinity Lutheran Church; Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; Concordia Historical Institute; the Saxon Lutheran Memorial, the Lutheran Heritage Center & Museum; Hill of Peace Lutheran Church; and Concordia Cemetery, where the Walther Mausoleum is located. Tour dates are: Sept. 23-25, Oct. 7-9, Oct. 14-16 and Oct. 21-23, 2011.
* Walther Movie: Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is producing a high definition video series which will follow the life of Walther, present a history of the LCMS, and – through studying Walther’s life and teachings – provide viewers with a better understanding of the importance of the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.
* Historic Trinity Lutheran Church Walther Bicentennial Celebration Service: A special celebration service is set for 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, at Historic Trinity Lutheran Church, 1805 S. Eighth St., St. Louis. The service will include special speakers in the church where Walther was a pastor from 1841 until his death in 1887.
* Concordia Publishing House Reformation Theology Research Award: To encourage the study of historical theology, the Professional and Academic Book Team at Concordia Publishing House has organized a special cash award commemorating the 200th anniversary of Walther’s birth for research papers or commemorative sermon and prayer. Announcement of award winners will coincide with the publication of the finalist papers in 2011.
* Walther Look-Alike Contest at Saxon Lutheran Memorial: The Saxon Lutheran Memorial historic site will mark the 200th anniversary of Walther’s birth during the 31st Annual Fall Festival from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8. The festival will include a special “Dr. C.F.W. Walther Look-Alike Contest” as part of the festivities. * Historic Germany tour: LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison and Rev. Jon Vieker, senior assistant to the LCMS president, will host a 12-day tour of Germany, produced by LutherTours, Nov. 30-Dec. 11. The tour coincides with the 200th anniversary of Walther’s birth and will focus on sites that were significant in both his and Martin Luther's lives. Also included will be visits to several of Germany's Christmas markets.
Walther, who was born Oct. 25, 1811, joined the Saxon Germans who immigrated to the United States in 1839, and at the age of only 27 found himself leader of the group that settled in Perry County, Mo. In 1847, Walther played a key role in the founding of the LCMS, which now ranks as one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States with more than 2.3 million baptized members in some 6,200 congregations and more than 9,000 pastors.
“C.F.W. Walther was a towering figure of 19th century Lutheranism,” said Larry Lumpe, executive director of Concordia Historical Institute, the department of archives and history of the LCMS. “His knowledge of and unwavering commitment to the Lutheran Confessions and the theology of Martin Luther provided a firm foundation for the growth and development of the Missouri Synod. Through his tireless ministry as preacher, teacher and writer, he offers a lasting legacy for the church of the 21st century as it proclaims the precious Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.”
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Martin Stephan Forum - The Stolen Chalice
A letter from Ted to 1983 to his son Dick and wife Lea:
“Several years ago mother sent you and Marianne a picture of the gorgeous priceless chalice brought back with the Stephan clan to the USA. It is in a Lutheran church near the seminary. I asked our Pastor Pebler about it, and he said that he had communed from it many times. Of late tho, he said that it was placed in a safe place and not used anymore. We are glad you are “monitoring” our investment.”[“Monitoring” is Ted’s wry reference to LCMS and the Stephan possessions which still remain in their hands or in LCMS churches.]
