Pastor linked to Lutheran church group also linked to neo-Confederate movement

"One group whose conference Colonel John Eidsmoe addressed, the Council for Concerned Citizens (CCC), was credited by racist mass murderer Dylann Roof for contributing to the radicalization of his views on race, which culminated in his deadly attack on Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in June 2015. The LCMS is the second-largest Lutheran body in the United States after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)."

"Asked if he was a neo-Confederate, Eidsmoe said no, I would not, however: I believe that there are some good values in southern culture, and I believe that the South had a constitutional right to secede. Eidsmoe also denied any direct links to LCMS, saying: I wouldn't say there's really any relationship with the Missouri Synod."

"The Pew Research Center's most recent religious landscape study estimates that about 1% of the US population, or about 2.6 million people identify with the Synod, putting the denomination at approximately half the size of the ELCA. The revelations about Eidsmoe, whose links to neo-Confederate organizations have previously ignited scandal for high profile Republican politicians, are just the most recent in a series of connections between LCMS and far-right and white supremacist individuals which have roiled the congregation since 2023."

A Presbyterian pastor connected to LCMS-aligned or affiliated organizations has a documented history of associations with the neo-Confederate movement. The pastor accepted speaking engagements for prominent neo-Confederate groups and publicly defended the Confederacy and Confederate monuments. One conference he addressed, the Council for Concerned Citizens, was cited by Dylann Roof as contributing to his racial radicalization before the 2015 massacre at Mother Emanuel AME Church. The LCMS comprises about 1% of the US population, roughly 2.6 million people. The pastor confirmed ordination as a Lutheran minister serving a Presbyterian congregation in Alabama, denied being a neo-Confederate, and denied formal ties to LCMS while noting pan-Lutheran affiliations.

Read at www.theguardian.com