Authority Vested : A Story of Identity and

Like other major Protestant denominations in the United States, the 2.6-million-member Lutheran 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.

Mary Todd is associate professor of history and director of the Honors Program at Concordia University, River Forest, Illinois.

Foreword

ix

Martin E. Marty

Acknowledgments

xiii

Abbreviations

xvi

Introduction

1

(16)

Defining Decade, 1831-1841: The Formative Years

17

(48)

Establishing an Identity: The Nineteenth Century

65

(32)

Identity Redefined: A Twentieth-Century Church?

97

(46)

The Issue of Authority: Woman Suffrage

143

(60)

``Not in God's Lifetime'': The Significance of the Ordination of Women

203

(56)

The Problem of Authority

259

(22)

Appendix

281

(14)

Bibliography

295

(36)

Index

331

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

FREE SHIPPING

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

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

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials