Authority Vested: A Story of Identity and Change in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

Todd's brilliant exploration of the shifting locus of authority in the LCMS reveals the causes of many of the Synod's troubling features -- inluding its separatism, its triumphalism, and its refusal to honor the calls and contributions of women. Her grasp on the Synod's history is firm, but her book is particularly valuable for getting at the heart of LCMS life in a way only a perceptive insider can. Authority Vested is feminist history at its best -- seeking to tell authentically the stories of all people, especially the marginalized. She speaks strong words against the Synod's "conformity to the fundamentalist Americanizing of Christianity." But like most good insider accounts, Todd also reveals what is worthwhile and unique in the Synod's history. Though I find her continued struggle for the rights of women in the LCMS inspiring and courageous, I am no longer surprised at her tenacity. She is a loyal daughter of the Synod, and deeply critical of it precisely for that reason. I only wish the book had been published a bit later -- I'm curious to know how she believes the election of moderate Gerald Kieschnick to the presidency of the Synod in 2001 (and again in 2004) fits into her narrative of LCMS authority. Certainly 2007's convention will reveal just how significant any shifts toward a moderate position really are. Highly recommended, but especially so for those with a connection to "our beloved Synod" (even those who, like me, have left it).

Mary Todd has written the history of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod that I never knew (despite being born and raised in a Missouri Synod church). She is an engaging storyteller and an exhaustive researcher, which is a rare combination, and her book sheds much light on issues of authority within the LCMS institution. The current struggles of the synod, for example those between the "Conservative" and the "Confessionalist" clergy factions (there are not really any moderates in the synod clergy -- only conservative and more-conservative-than-conservative), could have been taken out of the synod's history of a hundred or a hundred and fifty years ago. (This book was published in 2000, well before those debacles, which shows Dr. Todd's considerable insight.) A few reviewers have criticized Todd's theology, which is odd, since this is a history book, not a theology book, and Todd never claims otherwise. I found her to be fair-minded, even-handed, and generous in her treatment of all sides of the issues she explores.

If you are in the LCMS and interested in your synod's history and current mindest, you will find this a great read, even if you disagree with some of the author's premises or conclusions.It will be all the more worthwhile to read if you are curious about the role of women and men as leaders in the synod.As the question of women's ordination in any denomination is typically a milemarker as to where the group is heading doctrinally, socially (ethically and politically), and liturgically, it is no big shock to see the issue causing such torment among both "conservatives" and "liberals" in the LCMS.While I do not quite agree with the author's understanding of the priesthood, the very fact that she has wrestled with the issues and can present a reasoned defense laeds me to give the book four stars.A final plus about the book: it has an incredible bibliography, which is used exhaustively throughout the text.Other books that may be of interest on the question of authority and ministry are: "Priestesses in the Church" by C.S. Lewis found in his "God in the Dock"; of course Manfred Hauke's monumental "Women in the Priesthood?" is essential reading. WHile he is Roman Catholic, much of his theology could be used in the LCMS context (and is); "The Church and Women" with contributions by Von Balthasar, Kasper, Ratzinger; "God or Goddess" by Hauke; "Deaconesses" by Martimort; "Women in the Early Church" by Clark; "Women in the Church" by Louis Bouyer; "What Paul really Said About Women" by Bristow; "Women and the Priesthood" by Peter Kreeft and Alice von Hildebrand. These books are almost all oppossed to the ordination of women to the priesthood, but they are both scholarly, often rather neutral (not always!), and charitable. For an Eastern Orthodox response to the question: "The Female Diaconate:An Historical Perspective" by Gvosdev; "Feminism in Christianity: An Orthodox Response" by Belonick; "Women in the Priesthood" ed. by Thomas Hopko; "Discerning the Signs of the Times" by Behr-Sigel.For some thoughtful arguments that support "theologies of women's ordination" see: "Discerning the Signs of the Times" by Elizabeth Behr-Sigel; "Women at the Altar" by Lavina Bryne; Bristow's aforementioned book has an interesting chapter on the leadership of women in the New Testament. In my opinion he is sloppy in some of his exegesis (or should I say isogesis?) but it is worth the read if for nothing else but to understnad his approach, which is representative of the priestess position.Enjoy!

Mary Todd has done a good job of giving a basic historical overview of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod with details hard to find elsewhere. Granted, the historical analysis is designed toward her personal objectives (as she clearly states in the beginning of the book) with editorial comments along the way leaning toward a more negative bias in reference to C.F.W. Walther & friends than other historians have written. Even though her conclusions are a hotbed of debate, her clear comments are engaging and extremely informative, putting forth a very good analysis of the subject historically.As Mary Todd suggests right from the get go, if you tie verbal inerrant inspiration of scripture with authority in the church then this book will be a challenge to your view on the subject doctrinally and historically as it was for me. If not, then this book will be foundational for you.

The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod has undergone much upheaveal in the last 16 years. Much of the upheaval has either dealt with the interpretation of the Scriptures and practical applications of the interpretation or on the structure and use of authority in the church body. Mary Todd, a professor at Concordia University, River Forest, IL, offers needed insight into the personalities and the historical events shaping the current discussion and controversy. She begins with trouble within the Saxon immigrants immigrating in 1839. Their bishop, Rev. Martin Stephen, was deposed for financial and power abuse of the immigrants. The resulting synodical polity has never really come to grips with the issue of church and minsitry or with the issue of ecclesiastical authority. While scholoary in approach, Todd clearly protrays the history of the synod up to the present debates over auhtority and gender roles. Her style is easily readable by anyone. The issues remain contentious. Todd has framed the debate with historical perspective so as to call for a sober and dispassionate solution, based in Scritpure without misusing the holy sritings. Rev. Paul M. Dobberstein Intentional Interim Pastor Elmhurst, IL