The Missouri Synod at its Best
C.F.W. Walther, in the new reader’s edition of Law & Gospel, Thesis XXV (pg. 459) puts his finger on what sets the Missouri Synod, at its best, apart from other church bodies:
If you should comb through all of church history — trust me on this — you will see that, despite its weaknesses and its defects, there are few church bodies that have seen the successes that our synod has. That is not because of our cleverness. It is not because of our hard work. It is not because of our self-denial. No, the true reason is that we have preached the genuine Gospel to the people.
The LC-MS has nothing greater to offer to people than the Gospel, purely preached. Everything that does not point to or proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ is at best filler and at worst a hindrance. May the Lord grant us grace as we, the Church, proclaim the Gospel to the world, and may He have mercy on us when we fail.
