INTRODUCTION Theology with Augustana origins beginning in the 1930s takes on new relevance in today's tumultuous times There is much undeniable truth in the proposition that current Christian theology has fallen on hard times and is in decline. And in a somewhat unsurprising coincidence, the major denominations (Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and United Church of Christ, just to name a few) have been in decline, accompanied by internal schisms. The causes of these developments point to a large number of suspects, and whatever and whomever those might be are found in a complicated and varied context. Recent research targeting an era in which these mainline denominations were more effective, prosperous and optimistic has revealed information which is more than interesting. Rather, the information is compelling to the extent that it provides a benchmark for figuring out what has changed, or (as a less-polite description), what has gone wrong. Augustana (Lutheran) Theological Seminary facilities in the 1930s Three examples from history illustrate the dynamics of this theological golden age, thus illuminating not only a theological perspective but showing its effects in boots-on-the-ground results. These examples are drawn from the ministries of three graduates of Augustana Theological Seminary in Rock Island, Illinois, later to become the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Those three pastors (with their seminary attendance dates as students) are: Rev. Reuben Spong (1935-1939), Rev. Merle Carlson (1948-1952), and Rev. L. William Youngdahl (1951-1955). 1 - Lost Manuscript - Introduction
The boots-on-the-ground experiences of these three pastors as they implemented a theology based on social action were anchored in the influence of key figures at Augustana Theological Seminary which included A.D. Mattson (professor of theology, 1931-1967) and Conrad Bergendoff (seminary president, 1935-1948). The seminary went through a tumultuous period in the 1930s in transitioning from an inward theology of Swedish pietism to an activist social action theology which succeeded because it rode the credibility of the Lundensian theology which emerged from Lund University in Sweden through the works of Anders Nygren and Gustaf Aulen. This emerging, social-action theology influenced Spong, Carlson and Youngdahl, among others, to their radical implementation of their ministries. For Spong, the action played out in Gary, Indiana in the 1950s as he led the fight against organized crime, which included the illegal bugging of an assistant DA's office, and resulted in being threatened with jail by corrupt officials. For Youngdahl, the action played out in Omaha, Nebraska as he sought to expand the outreach of his congregation to the black community in the tumultuous 1960s, which culminated with a tumultuous result in his own congregation. The experience of Youngdahl and the congregation was told by the award-winning documentary film, A time for burning (1966). For Carlson, the action played out in Minneapolis, Minnesota beginning in 1972 as he single-handedly implemented the Shepherd on the Street program funded by the Minnesota Synod of the Lutheran Church in America following his dissatisfaction with the slow pace by which his congregation desired to support a ministry to the homeless, the poverty-stricken, the incarcerated, and others in the street who needed counseling. Spong's recovered lost manuscript, and other key sources 2 - Lost Manuscript - Introduction
Among the items of documentation which generate this new enlightenment regarding a theological movement which began in the 1930s are: The autobiography of Bernard Spong, which provides insight into his rural origins in Texas, his experience in Swedish pietism, his seminary experience, his determination to succeed, and his no-holds-barred onslaught against organized crime in Gary, Indiana which was driven by his commitment to his Lutheran-based morality. The autobiography, a typewritten manuscript, was completed by Spong in 1989 shortly before his death and was only recently discovered in family archives. The original typewritten pages are included within this presentation about his life and theology. The documentary film, A time for burning (1966), which chronicles the upclose-and-personal confrontations which ensued from L. William Youngdahl's congregational outreach program, especially including his conversations with members of his congregation and residents of the surrounding community, particularly a young black barber with a militant attitude who later went on to become an elected public officials. The TV documentary, Shepherd of the street, broadcast on WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota ( Sunday morning with John Gallos), which describes in detail the street ministry of Merle Carlson, who describes his theological basis for the street ministry, his frustration and cynicism regarding the disadvantages faced by the poor in dealing with the system, his solicitation of contributions to post bond for defendants, and his interaction with people throughout the process. These three examples of the more radical aspects of ministry by Lutheran pastors are viewed in the historical context of the evolving theology emerging from the classrooms of a small, otherwise orthodox seminary in Rock Island, Illinois. Additional documentation relating to this theological era within the Augustana Lutheran tradition amplifies the analysis, especially as provided by Lutheran historians such as Gerald Christiansen and G. Everett Arden. End of the sample within the Introduction 3 - Lost Manuscript - Introduction
CHAPTER ONE (Historical context for the autobiography of Rev. Bernard Spong, is provided for his previously-lost manuscript, which is published in its entirety within the research narrative.) Andrew and Augusta Spong circa 1900 Parents of John Spong Grandparents of Bernard Spong How did a man who was born on a poor cotton farm in Central Texas turn out to be a firebrand Lutheran pastor who fought organized crime in Gary, Indiana, which included risking going to jail because of his obstianance in front of a grand jury and his participation in getting secret recordings through a hidden microphone in a public official's office? How did his Augustana Lutheran pietism morph into social-justice crime-fighting? What new, theological tenets for social justice did he encounter and embrace at Augustana Theology Seminary in Rock Island, Illinois amid the faculty upheaval in the 1930s? The children of John and Elnor Spong: sons Wilfred and Bernard (tallest, in back), and daughters Martha, Helen, Ingeborg and Gunda. Elnor had passed on, and John was not in the photo. Palm Valley Lutheran Church Round Rock, Texas This now-available manuscript and personal account of Rev. Bernard Spong fills in new details regarding these events as a welcome addition for researchers, historians, theologians, and others who study the importance of the era. The struggles and faith of immigrant origins Andrew Spong (1857-1942), Bernard's grandfather, immigrated to America in 1881 from Anderstorp, Smaland, Sweden. His family joined him a few months later, and the family continued to grow. Andrew followed the standard model for making his way as a Texas farmer. He started as a field worker to pay off his sponsors, who likely were the Palm brothers of Round Rock, then worked as a tenant, and with continued success then became an owner of a farm. His son, John, one of 13 surviving children in the family, and father of Bernard, had a farm near Round Rock, Texas. It is on this Round Rock farm where Bernard's Autobiography begins with the accounts of his early childhood. While many of the Andrew and Augusta Spong sons and daughters, together with the families into which they married, were among the founders of Hutto Lutheran Church, John and his family attended Palm Valley Lutheran Church, another Swedish congregation seven miles to the west, because of its proximity to their farm. 1 - c
The fascinating story of how and why the Spong family ended up in America is told in detail in an eight-minute video produced and narrated by Eric Johnson 1 for the 2011 Spong Family Reunion. The details include the frustration encountered by Andrew Spong in not being able to make a living as a resident soldier because those in his charge wouldn't provide a house for him and his family as they were obligated to do under the arrangement. The video is at http://tinyurl.com/87qn4xq. Olavus Petri Laurentius Petri The Spongs and other Swedes who immigrated brought with them religious views which reflected intensive Lutheran pietism following evolving political events. After Martin Luther's Reformation was exported to Sweden from Germany by Olaus and Laurentius Petri, which was followed by major political struggles which culminated in formation of the Uppsala Synod in 1593 and the Battle of Stangebro in 1598, Lutheranism became a state religion reflecting the classic doctrine embraced by Martin Luther: justification by grace through faith. This faith, and the accompanying pietism, was the benchmark value for tightly-knit families like the Spongs, and that didn't change after they relocated across the Atlantic Ocean. In the new land, however, in order to push faith forward through churches, they had to build those churches and the colleges, seminaries, organizations and bureaucracies necessary for their success, only now they had to do it apart from the incubator of being a state-supported religion. As reflected in his Autobiography, the life choices made by Bernard Spong were driven by that heritage. But the heritage and accompanying theology evolved for him and other enlightened pastors of his generation (and later generations) as that pietism ran headlong into a culture which was quickly becoming more secularized along with educational progress a progress which intellecutalized and intensified understandings of doctrine and scripture. Bernard Spong participated in and was a product of that progress, which came from genuine pietistic roots, but which faced new challenges in the vibrancy of the American melting pot and its secular inclinations along with the insights provided by quality educational institutions. Much of Spong's personal growth within that matrix occurred as Augustana Theological Seminary grappled with these issues of change in the 1930s, and that growth continued as he encountered the challenging situations of his ministry after he graduated from seminary and was ordained to become a parish pastor. The details of this theological and doctrinal transformation, both for Bernard and for his seminary and national church, are described more fully in this commentary when the subject comes up in the Autobiography. 1 Eric is the brother of Kurt Johnson and also a fourth-generation descendent of Andrew and Augusta Spong. 2 - c
CHAPTER TWO BEGINS HERE (An introduction to the autobiography) Childhood, death, and race The Andrew Spong homestead (circa 1917) five miles north of Hutto was busy with activity. Bernard's family moved to one of the farm's outbuildings in 1917 and then into this main house when Andrew Spong moved his family to Hutto. The historic home was demolished in the 1970s, giving way to the massive Williamson County landfill. The home was located about 50 yards north of the present landfill gatehouse. --- End of annotations sample --- Two of the original manuscript's typewritten pages follow this page as an example of the revealing information about Rev. Spong's experience in fighting the corruption in Gary, Indiana Bernard attended the historic Monodale School, some two miles away, beginning in 1917. 3 - c