A Tale of Two Synods: Events That Led to the Split Between Wisconsin and Missouri

The author does a very fine job of detailing the significant events that led to the split/schism between the Wisconsin and Missouri synods. The author himself hails from the Wisconsin synod but I found that he was not biased as he described the issues and events that alienated the two synods. Issues such as prayer fellowship with other Lutherans and whether one can have chaplains in the army all led to a parting of the ways. Quotes from Lutheran publications and interesting anecdotes are shared. For instance, a young seminarian asked a leading theologian in the early part of the 1900s whether it was a sin to smoke or not. The professor took out a pipe and said, "If you dont smoke then you are not yet part of Missouri." If you are a confessional Lutheran hailing from the LCMS, WELS, the ELS or one of the newer micro-synods you will find this work a detailed, informative and interesting read.

This book is a really good read for Lutherans, (WELS, ELS, LCMS & CLC in particular,) who are interested in church history. Mark Braun does a great job at tracing the history and roots of the conflict that reached its summit in the early 1960's with the dissolution of the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference. Very well written, informative and easy to read - I tore through it in a matter of days.