In the mid-1800s, the Missouri and Buffalo Synods were considered offensively liturgical by their Eastern Lutheran counterparts, with accusations of "Romanism" regularly thrown their way, but as the General Synod began to recover more aspects of the traditional Mass (ultimately resulting in the publication of the Common Service), those perceptions began to change, as can be seen from the following quote:
"Many of our good people have the erroneous idea that liturgik and symbolik are necessarily concomitant [this perception still lingers today]. Facts disprove that assumption [as, again, they still do today]. Not a few of our General Synod men who are not suspected of strong confessional leanings are still ardent supporters of the liturgy, and the Missourians, who are distinguished for their symbolism, have little or no liturgy as we understand the word. Their altar service is more simple than that of most of our own unliturgical churches."
Nevertheless, the Missouri Synod still persisted in retaining certain liturgical aspects which were uncommon in the General Synod. These include the use of crucifixes, candles, statues, and the black clerical gown.
"The use of the clerical gown has not become general [in the General Synod], and the most of those [General Synod] churches in which it is worn by the minister, introduced it with their origin. There are very few indeed which have adopted it as a new element, after they had been in existence for some years without it. It is an innovation which few would sanction, and it has never been considered of sufficient importance to awaken much interest in the church."
Both of the above quotes are from John G. Morris, Fifty Years in the Lutheran Ministry (Baltimore, 1878), 351).
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