The Fundamentalist-Modernist Conflict of the 1920s in the Augustana Synod—and Beyond

Abstract

The Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church, known more often as the Augustana Synod, was the only enduring Swedish American Lutheran denomination in American history. Despite its institutional unity, the denomination experienced internal struggles, exemplified by the conflict in the 1920s between so-called "Fundamentalists" and "Modernists" for the "soul" of the organization, which can be observed in the course of debates related to educational policy and the ownership of church-related educational institutions. These debates reveal that conservatives, often called "Fundamentalists," displayed considerable diversity amongst themselves concerning how to articulate biblical and theological authority, which invites contemporary reflection in light of more recent schisms that have resulted in a fragmented Lutheran field in North America.