A notable remark was made at the time the ELS purchased Bethany Lutheran College: “Once we have discovered that the school is a necessity, we will discover we can afford it. We can do a lot of things that we think are absolutely necessary once they have become a matter of life or death to…
Posts by Dennis Fritz (Page 8)
In 1927, the ELS voted to take over the ownership and operation of Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota. The school was established in 1911 as Bethany Ladies’ College and became available for purchase the previous year. An association was formed first to acquire the college. The price was $90,000, and carried with it an…
Since the synod from its beginning already was in fellowship with the Wisconsin Synod and the Missouri Synod, the training of pastors and teachers in its early years occurred through these sister synods. In particular, the pastors often were educated at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.
Following 1918, the reorganized synod was small. Yet this did not dampen the spirit of its members. It was said, “A small body such as our synod still enjoys certain privileges and advantages … We are, as it were, one family and still of the first generation; and though it is readily granted that large…
The following announcement appeared in the April 1, 1918, issue of the church paper Luthersk Tidende: “Pastors and members of congregations who desire to continue in the old doctrine and practice of the Norwegian Synod will, God willing, hold their annual meeting in the Lime Creek congregation, Pastor H. Ingebritson’s charge, June 14 and following…
Immediately after its reorganization in 1918, the ELS found its fellowship with the congregations and synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference. The former Norwegian Synod had helped to organize the conference in 1872. The ELS continued in the Synodical Conference until 1963 when it withdrew because of doctrinal concerns. The conference was dissolved four…
This year, Easter falls on April First. On Easter Day, Christians all over the world gather to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. But April Fool’s Day, by common usage, is a day for pranks. Nobody likes to play the fool. But for a moment, coming up on an April First Easter,…
In 1917, the merger of three Norwegian Lutheran synods was the “greatest church demonstration ever held by Norwegian Lutherans anywhere in the world.” During the days before, a small minority had gathered at the Aberdeen Hotel in St. Paul, Minnesota. The following Sunday, the minority who would eventually reorganize as the ELS worshipped with Fairview…
One year before the ELS was reorganized, the merger of Norwegian church bodies occurred. The former Norwegian Synod, overlooking what had happened in the 1880s, unfortunately went along into the merger with churches who had opposed the scriptural position on predestination. The merger came about on the basis of a 1912 doctrinal compromise document known…
(Part 3 of 3 articles about the ongoing ELS work in Peru, as seen through the eyes of visiting North American pastors.) Leaving Lima, Peru, by car is often a harrowing event. The traffic, sometimes moving quickly, sometimes crawling along, always requires the attention of the driver. Painted lanes and oncoming traffic appear to mean…