Authority Vested: A Story of Identity and Change in the Lutheran Church-Missouri SynodLike other major Protestant denominations in the United States, the 2.6-million-member Luther Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), founded in 1847, has struggled with issues of relevance and identity in society at large. In this book Mary Todd chronicles the history of this struggle for identity in the LCMS, critically examining the central--often contentious--issue of authority in relation to Scripture, ministry, and the role of women in the church. In recounting the history of the denomination, Todd uses the ministry of women as a case study to show how the LCMS has continually redefined its concept of authority in order to maintain its own historic identity. Based on oral histories and solid archival research, Authority Vested not only explores the internal life of a significant denomination but also offers critical insights for other churches seeking to maintain their Christian distinctives in religiously pluralistic America. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Defining Decade 18311841 The Formative Years | 17 |
Establishing an Identity The Nineteenth Century | 65 |
Identity Redefined A TwentiethCentury Church? | 97 |
The Issue of Authority Woman Suffrage | 143 |
Not in Gods Lifetime The Significance of the Ordination of Women | 203 |
The Problem of Authority | 259 |
Appendix | 281 |
| 295 | |
| 331 | |
Common terms and phrases
American Lutheranism Augsburg authority Behnken Bible biblical C. F. W. Walther called Carl century challenge Chicago Christian church body clergy Commission on Theology committee Concordia Historical Institute Concordia Publishing House Concordia Seminary Concordia Theological confessional congregation CTCR deaconess diss ELCA faith fellowship Feminist Forster Fortress Press gender German Historical Institute Quarterly Holy inerrancy interview issue Jacob Preus Jungkuntz LCUSA leadership Letter Loehe Louis Luther Lutheran Church Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Lutheran Witness Martin Stephan Meyer mission Missouri Synod Moving Frontiers Mueller ordain women ordained ministry order of creation ordination of women pastoral office Perry County Pieper pietism polity position president Preus Proceedings public ministry question Ralph Bohlmann resolution role Russell Prohl Saxon Scharlemann scripture Statement Stephanite Stuenkel papers synodical convention Task Force teachers teaching theologians Theological Monthly theran tion University Press Vehse vote Walter Stuenkel woman suffrage women's service Word Zerbst Zion