Opposition From Confessional Lutherans
Polarization in the LCMS dates back at least to the Seminex controversy of the early 1970s. Kieschnick's first presidential term was stormy. He faced the opposition of more conservative members within the church hierarchy, including four out of the five vice-presidents and a majority on the Board of Directors.
During the 1990s members of the LCMS' "activist" wing (who align themselves with the goals of such non-Lutheran groups, such as the Church Growth or Megachurch movements) have been in conflict with the "traditional" wing (who often dub themselves Confessional Lutherans.) Both wings have established networks of internal caucuses, organizations, and news services to promote their viewpoints and to campaign for Synod leadership candidates.
Issues of disagreement range across the whole life of the church, including worship style, ecumenical fellowship with other church bodies, the role of women in the church, methods for training leaders and expanding congregations, approaches to scriptural interpretation, the proper relationship of the sacred and secular spheres, and the appropriate division of powers between the Synod and its constituent congregations.
Read more about this topic: Gerald B. Kieschnick
Famous quotes containing the word opposition:
“The opposition is indispensable. A good statesman, like any other sensible human being, always learns more from his opponents than from his fervent supporters. For his supporters will push him to disaster unless his opponents show him where the dangers are. So if he is wise he will often pray to be delivered from his friends, because they will ruin him. But though it hurts, he ought also to pray never to be left without opponents; for they keep him on the path of reason and good sense.”
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974)