Check out the Lutheran Historical Conference, where I first presented this material.  My article will soon appear in the conference's journal. 

German Lutheran immigrant Friedrich Schmidt began a German-language Lutheran newspaper in August 1838.  Initially, Schmidt and his Lutherische Kirchenzeitung got along quite well with Benjamin Kurtz and the well-established Lutheran Observer.  Indeed, Kurtz chaired the committee that launched the Kirchenzeitung, and Schmidt’s first number spared no praise for the Observer.  The two men would later participate in one of the earliest open battles between Confessional Lutheranism and American Lutheranism.

Each paper seemed to have an unwritten agreement to be the primary Lutheran paper for its own language sphere.  However, over the years it became apparent that the differences between the papers were much deeper than the language.  In 1841 Schmidt commented that the Observer was always defending and recommending religious innovations of the 2nd Great Awakening called the New Measures, which included practices like revivals and altar calls.  Yet, the Kirchenzeitung consistently defended Old Lutheranism.  Schmidt kept his concerns to himself until he published a letter complaining that the Observer had, in poor taste, attacked the chorrock, the traditional liturgical garb of Lutheran pastors.  The Observer declared that the Kirchenzeitung was now its opponent.  So, Schmidt responded by denouncing the Observer’s various unLutheran, (Schmidt called them unchristian) views on the sacraments and other doctrines.

At the heart of the short newspaper war was the argument over the Church.  Kurtz and others would argue that the American Lutheran Church had never been strictly confessional.  American Lutheranism was its own brand of Lutheranism—never mind that it largely mirrored and conformed to mainstream American Christianity which was dominated by Calvinism.  Schmidt was likely the first in 19th century America to so publicly argue that true Lutherans were identified by holding to the Lutheran Confessions because they correctly confessed the teachings of the Scriptures.

While some Lutherans denounced Schmidt for being a divisive influence, many others stood by him.  Schmidt’s battle challenged many heretofore indifferent Lutherans to examine doct

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  • Benjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018.
    Ben loves all things history and enjoys traveling. A descendant of over a dozen Lutheran pastors, Ben has an interest in his family roots, especially 19th-century Lutheranism, and has written several papers and journal articles on the topic. His 2018 thesis on Wyneken won the John Harrison Ness award and the Abdel Ross Wentz prize. He is also the recipient of two awards of commendation from the Concordia Historical Institute.
    Ben is currently a doctoral student in historical theology through Concordia Seminary's reduced residency program in St. Louis.