Friedrich Wyneken Defends Confessional Lutheran Theology

Friedrich Wyneken was not always a strong voice for Lutheran theology. Like many of his contemporaries, he joined the German Awakening in his college years. At the University of Halle, Friedrich found a mentor in Augustus Tholuck. Through his influence, Wyneken became an “awakened” and “believing” Christian.

Upon graduation, Wyneken served as a private instructor in the home of Consistorial Counselor von Henfstengel at Leesum, a town near Bremen. This experience had made him into a strong, convinced Pietist, full of zeal for the Lord and “a fanatic full of fire to oppose strict churchliness.”

Friedrich slowly began to change when the Methodist Church’s mission to Germans came to Ft. Wayne. The German Methodists maintained that German Lutherans were heathen in need of conversion to the Christian Faith. Already in late 1839, Wyneken was complaining that the Methodists were taking advantage of the lack of Lutheran pastors by luring Lutherans into their congregations.

Beginning in 1841, Wyneken had increasingly harsh things to say
about Methodism. On 25 April, he begun a heated exchange of words with Wilhelm Nast, a leading Methodist missionary to Germans. Responding to the Methodist Pastor’s attack on Friedrich Schmidt in the Nast’s newspaper Christlichen Apologeten, Wyneken accused the whole Methodist movement of deliberately causing division within Christianity and of systematically attempting to convert Lutherans to their new denomination.

Having much time to think during a voyage to Germany, where he campaigned to raise money and recruit pastors for America, he became convinced that a return to Lutheran theology and practice was in order. Through the efforts of Wilhelm Löhe and other confessional leaders, he completed his adoption of truly Lutheran theology and tradition.

When Friedrich returned to Indiana, he proceeded to abandon practices which diluted Lutheran theology or practice, minimized the differences between Lutherans and other denominations or allowed reformed pastors to enter Lutheran pulpits. He energetically opposed both Methodist and Reformed theologies.

More than a few in Wyneken’s flocks were confused or angered by the change in their shepherd’s teaching and practice. The reformed members withdrew to form their own parish. Wyneken also came under attack from the Methodists, who asked, “Why Have You Become an Apostate?” and from pastors within his own Synod of the West, who accused him of being an “Old Lutheran” and a Jesuit in Lutheran clothing.

Since few of his members had even been exposed to truly Lutheran theology, Wyneken needed to clear the air. 175 years ago, in October of 1844, the Synod of the West convened in Fort Wayne. The embattled pastor invited his members to bring charges against him to the body. In a two hour apologetic, Wyneken defended his teachings and practice from the Lutheran Confessions. He won over most of those present. His congregation no longer doubted Wyneken the Confessor and his Synod sent him the General Synod of 1845 as their delegate. While in the midst of this defense, Wyneken received a copy of the first issue of Der Lutheraner, C. F. W. Walther’s magazine. “Thank God!,” he exclaimed, “There are still Lutherans here in America.”