Full Text for CTM Book Review 16-6 (Text)

Book Review 427 Book Review AIl books reviewed in this periodical may be procured from or through Concordia Publishing House, 3558 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis 18, Mo. The Power of the Keys. The Original Faith of the Lutheran Church Presented in Quotations from Luther and the Lutheran Con­fessions. By Uuras Saarnivaara, professor of systematic and exegetical theology, Suomi College and Theological Seminary, Hancock, Mich. Brochure, 64 pages. 25 cents. [If ordered by students of seminaries or colleges (10 or more copies) or for free distribution, 10 cents.] Order directly from author; address: Suomi College, Hancock, Mich. Because of the importance of the subjects treated and also on account of various doctrinal aberrations defended in it, this brief pamphlet deserves perhaps a more lengthy discussion. With great seriousness, and evidently desiring to restore erring Lutherans to pure Lutheranism, as taught by Luther and the Lutheran Confessions (the author believes that "the Lutheran Church [today] has only the crumbs left of the Gospel that Luther proclaimed and that therefore a return to the original faith of our Church is sorely needed," p. 62), the writer directs himseif (in the main) against externalistic and indifferent despisers of the means of grace as also against sectarian enthusiasts to impress upon them the importance of the fifth and the sixth chief part of Luther's Catechism: Confession, Absolution, and the Lord's Supper. He presents the subject matter by first quoting on a given point Luther and the Lutheran Confessions and then putting a number of either-or questions which should move the readers to consider whether or not they are sincere Christians and true Lutherans. The material is discussed under sixteen questions: "What is the Christian Church?" "Where shall we find Christ and His grace?" "What is true repentance?" "To whom should we confess our sins?" "What sins should we confess in private confession?" "What is the value and benefit of private confession?" "What is the Power of the Keys?" "What is the spiritual priesthood of Christians?" "How do we receive the forgiveness of sins?" "How can we appropriate the righteousness of Christ?" "What is the meaning of the laying on of hands?" "Does absolution depend on contrition and should it be pronounced conditionally?" "How are we to believe in the forgiveness of sins?" "Should we use private confession and abso­lution before going to the Lord's Supper?" "How should the celebration of the Lord's Supper be arranged, and who should be admitted to it?" "Who receives the Lord's Supper worthily?" To these questions there is added a "Conclusion," with the charge that today Lutheranism (not liberal, but orthodox) has apostatized from the doctrine of Luther and the Lutheran Confessions (confession and absolution) and must therefore return to its origii1al pure form. The reviewer, having had corre­spondence with the author and understanding the background of his problem, hastens to assure his readers that his statements and strictures are well-intentioned, and he urges his fellow ministers to order the 428 Book Review pamphlet and study it thoroughly, especially as the doctrines which Pro­fessor ~,aarnivaara discusses are sorely neglected irl. uUH1'~ Lutheran circles, For the greater part, the au.thor is right in what he says, and l:-Js soul-searching questions are indeed vital in view of the prevailing formalism and indifferentism. But he errs in putting too great stress on private confession (e.g., pp.17, 20, 23, 52, etc.), just as if it were impossible for a Christian to obtain forgiveness without it. Again, there is too great an emphasis on the absolution pronounced by the pastor (e. g., 26, 34, etc.), as if those who did not receive absolution from the confessor could not have full assurance of the forgiveness of their sins. Moreover, the impression is created as if the Gospel preached by a hypocritical pastor were not valid (p. 32) . Then, too, the writer seems to present the spoken Vvo!'d as if that alone Vlere the ch~""1ne] of C~~~~ e.bsolu.~.:,::.. ~~. 37; E"",~~ul and Eolj7 Commur...: ..... u ~e of CQ-...~ recognized as means of grace). Lastly, it is said that the laying on of hands is not a mere ceremony but a means by which forgiveness (ex opere operata?) is imparted (pp.41, 5: -some ( les the langu2ge is not sufficiently clear for the reader to determine just what is meant, b1..et there is no d01.'.bt an overemphasis on pr~vate cc~ ____ :m and ,, __ l)astor's :lbsolution. There are numerous grammatical en'()l'S which should be COiTected (pp, 46, 50, i50, 61, etc.). ]",'niessor S2ar!li,'Jaara eli l'-llS de( .. ns Luf cl the I Ul Con: s, but ( in \ way r " ~'_= quotations ""re mis12adi: ..i (e. g., , "Accor to the ordinance of God, sh"1S are forgiven through the laying on o:E hands") . Frequently the following quotations explain and amplify Luther's briefer statements. Upon the whole, the reader will find the pamphlet most interesting, thought-provokir:, and mstJ--ctive; -,-" notwithstanding its faults it deserves a word of commendation for bring­ing the doctrine of confession and absolu.tion so emphatically before Lutherans for examination and study. JOHN THEODORE MUELLER Our Creed. By J. M. Weidenschilling, M. A., S. T. D. Concordia Pub­lishing House, St. Louis, Mo. 35 cents. The contents of this booklet (136 pages) were originally prepared as a course for the Bible classes in our Church. They appeared in the January, 1942, issue of Concordia Bible Student. Our Synodical Board for Parish Education encouraged the author to issue this course on 01:-Creed in book form, as a companion volume to his previous manual Our Bible and Our Church, which found favorable reception. Here we have a manual which pastors can urge their members to purchase for their private indoctrination and which they can use for Bible-study groups and societies in the congregation. L. J. SIECK Let Your Il e Troul Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, Mo. 15 cents. In an attractive cover we find 16 pages, one of which is dedicatory, the others each captioned by and based on a comforting text, with a brief poem or Scripture lesson the bod: of the page. We have not sec~ ;;'~~J' folder :v ~~press sympathy and ,-,,;er comfort to the bereaved '.Vlu"'l