teaching of the Bible, he answered: 'Even if five hundred Bibles should
say so, he would not believe it!' And to our knowledge he was never
called to account for this statement." (20.) The autocratic actions of
the leaders of the North Carolina Synod and their adherents virtually
resulted in a rupture of Synod in the same year. For the dissatisfied
party held a synod of their own at Buffalo Creek, at the time specified
by the constitution, and ordained Bell and David Henkel.

73. "Synod of Strife" (Streitsynode).--The meeting at Lincolnton, N.
C., 1820, which followed the "Untimely Synod," was marked by painful
scenes and altercations and the final breach between the majority, who
were resolved to unite with the General Synod, and the minority, who
opposed the union and accused the leader not only of high-handed,
autocratic procedure and usurpation of power in contravention of the
constitution, but also of false doctrine, and publicly refused to
recognize them as Lutherans. On Sunday, May 28, Synod was opened with a
service in which Stork preached German and Bell English. Monday morning
the preachers, delegates, and a great multitude of people from the
neighborhood returned to the church. They found it occupied by Pastors
Paul Henkel, Philip Henkel, David Henkel, and Bell, who refused
admission to the rest. After some parliamenteering, written and verbal,
both parties entered the church. The Henkels report as follows: "They
[the opponents] took their stand on the fact that the majority was on
their side and according to it everything should be decided.
Accordingly, before they came to us in the church, they first delegated
one of their preachers with two questions directed to one of our
preachers. The first was: 'Whether he intended to separate from the
North Carolina Synod?' The second: 'Whether he was willing to be
governed by a majority of preachers and delegates in the matters
disputed?' He, giving him no decisive answer, came to the rest of us and
told us. We answered in writing: 'That we neither intend to separate
ourselves from Synod, nor would suffer ourselves to be governed by a
majority; but that we wanted everything investigated and decided
according to the doctrine of the Augsburg Confession and according to
the constitution or order of our church, nothing else.' In the mean time
the minister delegated came to us where we were gathered and demanded a
verbal answer to the same questions. We then gave this answ