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| Drawing of CFW Walther, shortly before he died. |
Martin Stephan Forum:
"Stephan Family Archives
LETTER OF MARTIN STEPHAN, JR, ON C.W.F. WALTHER AND THE MISSOURI SYNOD
BACKGROUND ON PRE-LCMS HISTORY:
My first entry is an excerpt of a seminal letter in 19th Century Lutheran Church history, penned in 1878 by Martin Stephan Jr., the son of Bishop Martin Stephan. The letter is addressed to Martin Jr's brother-in-Law, George Schick. In it, Martin discusses the treatment he received from members of the Missouri Synod, and in particular, by Pastor C.F. W. Walther, the first President of the Missouri Synod. This letter is in the possession of the Concordia Historial Institute, or CHI.
Professor Theodore Buenger, no friend of Martin Stephan, prefaced his authenticated typewritten copy from the original with the title: Not for Publication.
Buenger goes on to write in his preface to say that this letter "is important as to the guilt of Stephan the leader," and one "can conclude (ex silentio) that son does not claim his father's innocence or else he would have mentioned that fact in this letter." [If the letter "proves" that Bishop Martin Stephan was guilty, then why keep it from public view?] Martin's discussion of C.F.W. Walter in this letter will provide the answer."
'via Blog this'
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| The Walther Shrine |
GJ - I was scrolling along the left margin of the blog, where a lot of material is linked. The Stephan Forum is important because the family has gathered historical documents that show much of the truth about how the LCMS was born.
The Walther Infallibilists are always bowing and scraping to the image of CFW, but the documents show he was a multiple kidnapper, an extreme Pietist, the enforcer for a syphilitic and adulterous bishop, and the organizer of a riot to topple the bishop and rob him.
Walther not only stole the land given to the bishop by the immigration group, but he also talked Stephan's healthy son into giving up the land in Perrysville that the bishop owned separately. Add to that a stolen fortune in gold, a large library of books, and the bishop's personal possession.
Walther was the follower, not the leader of the Stephanite exodus from Europe. The group left after Stephan was found guilty of improprieties in a court of law and deprived of his congregation. They did not leave "for religious freedom," because previous few religious leaders were ever given so much freedom.
Moreover, Walther was a nasty little man, who could not bear the presence of Stephan's son, who first became an architect and then came back to be trained as a pastor. One descendant was a speaker for The Lutheran Hour. The linked letter shows how petty and vindictive Walther was, which is shown also in the Walther hagiographies.
By lying about the leadership of Stephan and the enabling work of Walther, the LCMS continues to deceive its members and clergy. That makes Missouri all the more guilty when they try to prove points by starting with "Walther wrote..." If the truth were known more widely, that would be a warning rather than a commendation.
UOJ, Pietism, and bullying are the attributes Walther gave to the LCMS.
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| He left his dying wife and children at home, but sailed to America with his mistress, so Walther and Company made him a bishop. |
