Except the corn die

by Robert J Koenig

474 pages, Paperback

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, well, well…this book was a surprise on many levels. First of all, that someone would decide to write a fictionalized account of the founding of the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. It doesn’t seem like the kind of topic that would lend itself to being told in novel form, complete with a romance, but there you have it. Secondly, I expected that since the goal was to tell the history of the founding of the LCMS that it would be pretty dull and probably poorly written, but it wasn’t dull and the writing style was better than I expected, although the author’s depiction of Louise (one of the truly fictional characters) was definitely written from a man’s point of view. I’m sure he tried his best, though, to portray a young woman from that era. Thirdly, I was astounded that the emigration of this large body of Lutherans from Germany was so poorly founded on what amounted to almost idolatry of the man they followed, Martin Stephan. When it was discovered after they arrived that he had mismanaged their funds, bought an unsuitable property and seemed to grant himself privileges beyond others, the pastors that followed him continued to make excuses and look the other way. But then some of the young women came forward with confessions of having been involved in inappropriate sexual relations with Stephan and the whole house of cards crumbled. The pastors tried to continue on, but the structure of leadership within the church did not allow for meaningful contributions from more knowledgeable lay people when it came to law, property and building. One man, a fellow named Vehse, continually warned the pastors that they were leading their flocks to destruction unless they allowed more lay participation, but the pastors, did not listen until too late. So in the words of our current culture, the LCMS arose out of what could only be described as a “hot mess.” Chapters that depict actual people from that time in history (the pastors and some of the lay people) are interspersed with chapters that tell the story of a couple, Karl and Louise, that are entirely fictional, based loosely on an amalgamation of events and people of that time.

It was an interesting book! Don’t expect soaring prose or witty dialogue - it’s fairly uninspired on that score. But as a history of a church denomination told in a fictional format, it delivered more than I expected.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having come into the LCMS later in life than many, I have been curious to know the roots of my chosen denomination. What a pleasant way to learn about the history of the Saxon immigration to America, not from a dry list of historical facts, but by way of a engaging narrative which brings these factual characters to life by their interactions with one another. Too bad the book is currently out of print. I have secured a copy for my church's library. I hope someone there will enjoy it as much as I did.

[Jim B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm reviewing this book 40 years after reading it. As I remember, the language was simplistic, but I enjoyed the effort to put the beginnings of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod into my head. I'm not a member of that denomination, but reading this book helped me appreciate the migration and early years of that historic event in American Lutheranism.