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| Synodocat has a grim outlook, because he must promote a mythology he knows is false. |
I get into phone and email discussions with people who scratch their heads over peculiar attitudes of the Olde Synodical Conference.
The biggest single problem of the Olde Synodical Conference is the Walther mythology. Although the facts about Bishop Stephan and Walther are published, known, and circulated, the mythological view predominates - even among those who would never call themselves Waltherian.
One eye-opener was Herman Otten's grandson repeating the lie, told in Perry County, that Stephan was "given three choices" when caught in adultery. First of all, Stephan was an open serial adulterer, so there was no shock. Secondly, when a man's life is threatened and he is forced across a river at gunpoint, there are no choices.
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| Stephan's St. Louis residence was known for all the women hanging around. That included C. F. W. Walther's young niece, who died in America. |
Anyone can see how the various authors skip over the kidnapping of Walther's niece and nephew from his father's parsonage. Mrs. Buenger was so involved that she spent time in the hoosegow for her participation. C.F.W. married one Buenger daughter, and his brother married another. When Walther's brother died, Ottomar Fuerbringer married the widow, making the kidnapping epidsodes (the children and Stephan) basic to LCMS history and DNA. Ottomar begat Ludwig Fuerbringer, who skipped over the early years of Missouri in his two books, and Ludwig begat Fibby, who turned Concordia Seminary, St. Louis into a faculty for Seminex.
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| The Bohemians had no problem with slavery. Stephan settled his group in a slave state, unlike the Scandinavians, who loathed slavery and stayed away from slave states. Quoting Walther on slavery is considered slander, especially today. |
Bishop Stephan is often accused of mismanaging money. Doubtless his plans and insistence on Perry County were quite harmful, and he lived high on the hog. But he did not touch the money. Everything was approved by the pastors and the laity, sometimes by one group, sometimes by the whole group. The clergy took money out of the common fund for themselves, too. CFW's brother took $400 out, a huge sum, and never accounted for it, never repaid it.
Zion on the Mississippi goes into all these details, which are quite confusing and difficult to follow. The Society was running out of money when they robbed Stephan of all his gold, personal possessions, 1500 books, and land (120 acres, eventually).
C. F. W. Walther led the mob against Stephan, acted as the new leader in Perry County, and took over leadership of the group soon after the big event. Walther also controlled the history of the group, stifling attempts to write about those early days.
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| The Saxon mob, organized and led by Walther, robbed Stephan of all his gold. Where did it go? The stolen chalice ended up being used in C. F. W.'s congregation in St. Louis. Thieves love to show off their trophies from robbery. |
A group of pious liars turned Stephan into an embezzler (who never held the funds), a false teacher - whom the clergy installed as bishop. The clergy pledged total obedience to Stephan, so it is not shocking that Walther simply took over that style of leadership, becoming the American Pope.
The pious liars have never disclosed Stephan's well known adultery, in Europe and in America, or how he doomed his wife and children by sharing his syphilis with them.
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| Stephan studied at Halle University. Stephan changed Walther's concept of justification. |
The doctrinal foundation of the Olde Synodical Conference comes from Stephan's cell group Pietism and his initial education at Halle University. The Saxon group came over as Pietists and kept their cell groups going for a long time. Their bizarre justification scheme came from Halle and Stephan. Walther never changed, never went beyond his rationalistic and Pietistic training. But many consider his every pronouncement infallible, inspired, and beyond criticism.
The Missouri Synod, like other Pietistic groups, moved closer to the Confessions and Luther in later years. In that regard the LCMS was no different from the Swedish Augustana Synod or the Tennessee Synod or the General Council. Even the General Synod became confessional enough to merge with General Council, forming the ULCA in 1918.
The Missouri Synod remained a mix of Pietism and Lutheran doctrine, which is why the group had their Seminex crisis, their surge of Pentecostalism, and their love affair with the Church Growth Movement.
