“The Walkout.” 

“Seminex.” 

“The controversy in the 70s.”

Spend any significant time in the LCMS, and you eventually hear one or more of those terms. February 19, 2023 will mark 50 years since what has been called “The Walkout.” In observation of this significant event, the Synod archives have published a book of essays that describe the various issues that led up to this event which continues to shape our church body.

From the back cover:

The Walkout and the creation of Christ Seminary—Seminex was the culmination of theological conflicts that had been brewing for decades. Rediscovering the Issues Surrounding the 1974 Concordia

Seminary Walkout presents the important doctrinal issues that contributed to the conflict and, ultimately, the shattering of a church body. In this book from Concordia Historical Institute, twelve theological scholars examine the causes and issues involved during this tumultuous time. Was it a battle for the Bible? Or was it primarily a contest between two men—Jacob A. O. Preus and John H. Tietjen—revolving around the historical-critical method’s approach to biblical interpretation and the understanding of what constituted unionism? Was it primarily a political institutional power struggle? Or was there more to it? Each chapter addresses a different doctrinal issue and explores the historical and theological background of it.