There is something deeply gratifying about receiving a physical, hand written card or letter as appose to an email or social media text comment. Maybe it’s the 44 cent stamp? Maybe it’s the pen or pencil on actual paper? What ever it is, I like it. Thanks to all those who have written and shared your memories and ordered a DVD copy.

This documentary, “Seminex, Memories of a Church Divided” began back in 2003 when I was producing a documentary about the origins of the ELCA. Not being a Lutheran, the Seminex story was new to me then and we included Seminex as an important part of the larger story which covered the three predecessor bodies (ALC, LCA and AELC) the Commission for a New Lutheran Church, the Constituting Convention in Columbus, Ohio and much more.

At the time, I thought the Seminex story would make a great documentary. Of course, other things got in the way and the project did not immediately materialize. In 2007 I resigned my position as Associate Director of Communication and MOSAIC producer in the ELCA Department for Communication and launched my own production company. One of my clients, the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago asked me to record material for two separate theological conferences that included Seminex faculty and student reunions. This gave me an opportunity to record many of the interviews seen in the documentary. From there, I went on my own and recorded interviews with several scholars and a trip down to the Concordia Historical Institute in St. Louis. I half expected my request to review materials would be met with rejection. Just the opposite happened. The folks at CHI were warm, open and most helpful. This project would not have been possible without them.

Once again, the project stalled. I recorded a few interviews here and there. Then, this winter, things finally slowed down and I began to dust off the media drives that contained all the raw material. Over 1 terabyte of data! Shortly after the new year, the project was ready for release.

Order a DVD of the full, 42 minute documentary today for $19. Send your check to:

Tim Frakes Productions Inc.
2 South Park Ave
Suite 2C
Lombard, Illinois 60148

and I will personally ship you a DVD.  Include your shipping address.

On February 19, 1974, students and faculty at the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod’s St. Louis Concordia Seminary marched through the campus – out the doors of an institution, church body and well established educational system – and into self-described exile. This story begins in the 19th Century when a new method of Biblical interpretation known as the “historical-critical method”, tore many Protestant churches apart. Were Adam and Eve real people? Was Jonah actually swallowed by a fish? Or, did ancient authors reflect their own historical situation when addressing the people of their time and place?

For Missouri Synod Lutherans, the full impact of these theological debates and culturally conservative verses more modern world views came to a head decades after other church bodies had divided and drifted apart. The debate ruptured the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod at a time of vast American cultural and social upheaval: Viet Nam, the Civil Rights movement and Watergate.

For many students, faculty, administrators and Lutherans throughout North America, the events in St. Louis took a personal toll. The walkout would divide families, split congregations and have a lasting impact on the future of the church.

Interviews include John H. Tietjen, Herman Otten, Gerhard Bode, the grandson of Jacob Preus, author and historian Jim Burkee, and dozens of Seminex faculty and students.

The post Seminex Letters Pour In appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

Order a DVD of the full, 42 minute documentary today for $19. Send your check to:
Tim Frakes Productions Inc.
2 South Park Ave
Suite 2C
Lombard, Illinois 60148

and I will personally ship you a DVD.  Include your shipping address.

On February 19, 1974, students and faculty at the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod’s St. Louis Concordia Seminary marched through the campus – out the doors of an institution, church body and well established educational system – and into self-described exile. This story begins in the 19th Century when a new method of Biblical interpretation known as the “historical-critical method”, tore many Protestant churches apart. Were Adam and Eve real people? Was Jonah actually swallowed by a fish? Or, did ancient authors reflect their own historical situation when addressing the people of their time and place?

For Missouri Synod Lutherans, the full impact of these theological debates and culturally conservative verses more modern world views came to a head decades after other church bodies had divided and drifted apart. The debate ruptured the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod at a time of vast American cultural and social upheaval: Viet Nam, the Civil Rights movement and Watergate.

For many students, faculty, administrators and Lutherans throughout North America, the events in St. Louis took a personal toll. The walkout would divide families, split congregations and have a lasting impact on the future of the church.

Interviews include John H. Tietjen, Herman Otten, Gerhard Bode, the grandson of Jacob Preus, author and historian Jim Burkee, and dozens of Seminex faculty and students.

The post Seminex: Memories of a Church Divided, A Documentary by Tim Frakes appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

Order a DVD of the full, 42 minute SEMINEX documentary today for $19. Our Indigogo campaign to raise funds for our next documentary, God’s Glory, Neighbor’s Good: The Story of Pietism ended on March 10, 2015.  However, you can send me a check directly at:

Tim Frakes Productions Inc.
2 South Park Ave
Suite 2C
Lombard, Illinois 60148

and I will personally ship you a DVD.

On February 19, 1974, students and faculty at the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod’s St. Louis Concordia Theological Seminary marched through the campus – out the doors of an institution, church body and well established educational system – and into self-described exile.

This story begins in the 19th Century when a new method of Biblical interpretation known as the “historical-critical method”, tore many Protestant churches apart.

Were Adam and Eve real people? Was Jonah actually swallowed by a fish? Or, did ancient authors reflect their own historical situation when addressing the people of their time and place?

For Missouri Synod Lutherans, the full impact of these theological debates and culturally conservative verses more modern world views came to a head decades after other church bodies had divided and drifted apart.

The debate ruptured the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod at a time of vast American cultural and social upheaval: Viet Nam, the Civil Rights movement and Watergate. For many students, faculty, administrators and Lutherans throughout North America, the events in St. Louis took a personal toll. The walkout would divide families, split congregations and have a lasting impact on the future of the church.

The post Seminex: Memories of a Church Divided appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.