Monthly Meetings at Ozark Peace Lutheran Church
A recent post from the Southern Cultural Center, a neoconfederate group based in Wetumpka, highlighted that the Ozark Peace Lutheran Church is hosting a monthly gathering for members in the area.
Pastor Chad Ingle confirmed to APR that he is aware of these meetings occurring at his church. However, when pressed about the group’s recent focus on an all-white reconciliation and how this aligns with the church’s beliefs, Ingle suggested an in-person discussion at the church rather than responding to multiple requests for video calls.
Prince of Peace is affiliated with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, which has around 2 million members, making it the second largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S. While it holds more conservative views than the American Evangelical Lutheran Church, the largest branch with over 5 million members, it maintains a clear opposition to racism.
The church’s official website states, “The Lutheran Church – Missouri Conference condemns racism and asks members to fight it in both the church and society, as highlighted in eight treaty resolutions.”
Although the Southern Cultural Center does not explicitly label itself as racist, last month it featured Eric Orwal, a speaker known for creating all-white communities in Arkansas, who aims to replicate that success in Alabama.
This “national conference” includes speakers who endorse beliefs suggesting white superiority or the idea that different races cannot peacefully coexist.
The SCC’s primary goal is to establish a new independent Confederate army based on certain “traditional” values, including opposition to anything perceived as undermining marriage and family. The group’s website refers to “Southerns” rather than specifying race.
A summary from last year’s national conference claimed that all groups, except “South White Christians,” are protected by federal law, emphasizing, “our ancestors were white, not just in the South but also in the UK.”
Rev. John Weaver spoke at the group’s inaugural national conference in 2022. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, he is a prominent member of a conservative council known for opposing interracial marriage and has long been influenced by racist extremists.
The group also features Jared Taylor, publisher of American Renaissance Magazine, which is criticized by the anti-defamation league for promoting ideas about the supposed intellectual and cultural superiority of white people and discussing societal decline linked to integrationist policies.
In a 2005 edition of the magazine, Taylor stated, “Black and white people are different. When black people are completely left to their devices, Western civilizations – not any kind of civilization.”
James Edwards, founder of far-right radio shows like “Political Cesspool,” has also been a speaker for the group, advocating for increased white birth rates to alter demographic proportions worldwide.
