(ttnurnrbia
m4tnlngital &tntIJly
Continuing
LEHRE UND WEHRE
MAGAZIN FUER E v .-LUTH. HOMILETIK
THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLY-THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY
Vol. XV August, 1944 No. 8
CONTENTS
Pap
Fetlowship with God. c. A.upst llardt ___ ______. __ 505
Walther and the Free Lutheran Conferences of 1856-1859
___ 529E. L. Luker
____ S63Outlines OB the Standard Gospels
Theological Observer 572
Eln PrediIer muas Dicht alleIn tOft Es 1st kein DIng. das die Leute
den, also daas lIE die Schafe unter mehr bel deJ" Klrche behaelt dem
weise. wle lie recbte ~ 801len die gute :Predl8t. - Apologfe, Art. 24
seID. 8OIl~ auch ~ den Woe1
feD. to.hnm, -daas Bfe die Sehafe atcht
aoare1feb. und mit falllcher Lehre ver If the trumpet give an uncertafn
fuehren un4 IrrtuDl elnfuebren_ sound. who &ball prepare himself to
Luthet' the battle? - 1 C07'.14:8
Published for the
Ev. Lath. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, aDd Other States
CONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE, st.Louis 18, Mo.
ftIRDII m v ... ,..
Walther and the Free Lutheran Conferences 529
cession for us." 143) His blood cleanses,144) and keeps on cleansing,
us from all sin, thus making it possible for us to continue in fellow-
ship with the Father, Son, and Spirit. By that faith we live and
hope to die. By that faith we look with expectant eyes and longing
hearts for the consummation of our fellowship with God at the
coming of the Lord, when the vision of the seer on Patmos shall
have been fulfilled: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. And I,
John, saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down from God
out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And
I heard a great voice out of heaven saying: Behold, the tabernacle
of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall
be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their
God. And God shall \vipe away all tears from their eyes, and
there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither
shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed
away." 145) Then Paradise lost will be Paradise regained, and in
that P aradise we shall enjoy blissful, unbroken communion with
our God forever and ever. Until that day dawns, may the saving
grace of the Lord J esus Christ, the redeeming love of the F ather,
and the sanctifying fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with us all.
Milwaukee, Wis. C. AUGUST HARDT
Walther and the Free Lutheran Conferences
of 1856- 1859
I. Incidents Leading to the F irst Conference
The minutes of the first session of the Fourth Free Conference
contain this sentence:
"The meeting expressed its heartfelt sorrow because Professor
Walther , who gave the first impetus towards the calling of free
conferences and through whom God Himself caused so many bless-
ings to be added to the conferences, was prevented this time by
a severe throat illness from participating in the transaciions of
the conference." 1)
The immediate cause of the conferences was undoubtedly the
attempt made within t he General Synod to overthrow the Un-
143) Heb. 7:25.
144) Here we have the durative present, %(1ll(lQ£~EL, 1 John 1: 7.
145) Rev. 21:1-4.
1) Lutheraner, XVI, 10.
34
530 Walther and the Free Lutheran Conferences
altered Augsburg Confession by substituting for it an American
TecensL__ cal: __ ' the Definite Platform. This recension UIaS ap-
proved by the Wittenberg Synod in September, 1855.2 ) Walther
2) The nature and tendency of the Definite PlatfoTnt, may be seen
from the following quotations selected from Part I ("Preliminary Prin-
ciples") nf the Platform:
"Thus also did the Lutheran Reformers of the sixteenth century,
when cited by the Emperor to appear before the Diet at Augsburg, present
the Confession, bearing the name of that city, as an expose of their
principal doctrines; in which they also professedly reject only the
greater part of the errors that had crept into the Romish Church. (See
conclusion of the Abuses Corrected.) Subsequently Luther and his
coadjutors still further changed their views on some subjects in that
Confession, such as the Mass, and seven years later taught purer views
ll-i the Smalcald P~rticles.
"Again a quarter of a century after Luther's death, these and other
writings of Luther and l'vielanchthon, together with a..'1other work which
neither of them ever saw, the Form of Concord, were made binding on
ministers and churches, not by the Church herself, acting of her own
free choice, but by the civil authorities of certain kingdoms and prin-
cipalities. The majority of Lutheran kingdoms, however, rejected one
or more of them, and the Augsburg Confession alone has been acknowl-
edged by the entire Lutheran Church (HuUeT'U8 Red., § 116, p. 50),
"Whereas the entire Lutheran Church of Germany has rejected the
symbolicd books as a whole and also abandoned some vf the doctrines
of the Augsburg Confession, among others the far greater part of them
the doctrine of the bodily presence of the Savior in the Eucharist, and
our fathers in this country also more than a half century ago ceased to
require a pledge to any of these books, whilst they still believed and
in various ways avowed the great fundamental doctrines contained
in them;
"And whereas the General Synod of the American Lutheran Church,
about a quarter of a century ago, again introduced a qualified acknowl-
edgement of the Augsburg Confession, ii}. the Constitution of her
Theological Seminary, and in her Constitution for District Synods, at the
ordination and licensure of ministers, without specifying the doctrines to
be omitted, except by the designation that they are not fundamental
doctrines of Scripture; and whereas a general desire has prevailed
amongst our ministers and churches, to have this basis expressed in
more definite manner; and the General Synod has left the matter
optional with each District Synod:
"Therefore we regard it as due to the cause of truth, as well as
to ourselves and the public, to specify more minutely what tenets of
the Augsburg Confession, and of the former symbolic system, are rejected,
some by all, others by the great mass of the ministers and churches
of the General Synod in this countrj'.
"Accordingly, the following American Recension of the Augsburg
Confession has been prepared, by consultation and co-operation of
a number of Evangelical Lutheran Ministers of Eastern and Western
Synods belonging to the Genf'ral Synod, at the special request of
Western brethren, whose churches particularly need it, being inter-
mingled with German churches, which avow the whole mass of the
former symbols. In this revision, not a single sentence has been added
to the Augsburg Confession, whilst those several aspects of doctrine have
been omitted which have long since been regarded by the great mass
of our churches as unscriptural, and as remnants of Romish errors.
"The only errors contained in the Confession (which are all omitted
in this Recension) are ~
Walther and the Free Lutheran Conferences 531
immediately recognized the danger in this attempt to overthrow
the IV[agna Charta of Lutheranism, He had previously warr:d
Lutherans against the tendency to delete certain articles from the
Confession or to subscribe to it with reservations.S ) The move-
1. The Approval of the Ceremonies of the Mass,
2. Private Confession and Absolution.
3. Denial of the Divine Obligation of the Christian Sabbath.
4. Baptismal Regeneration.
5. The Real Presence of the Body and Blood of the Savior in the
Eucharist,
". . . whilst we will not admit into our Synod anyone who believes
in Exorcism, Private Confession and Absolution, or the Ceremonies of
the Mass, we grant liberty in regard to the other omitted topics, and
are willing, as heretofore, to admit minJ.sters who receive them, provided
they regard them as non-essential, and are willing to co-operate
in peace with those who reject them, and to subscribe the pledg~ defined
in the following Resolutions:
"I. Therefore, Resolved, That this Synod hereby avows its belief
in the following doctrinal Basis, namely, the so-called Apostles' Creed,
the Nicene Creed, and the American Recension of the Augsbtlrg C011-
jession, as a more definite expression of the doctrinal pledge prescribed
by the GenNal Synod's Cunstitution for District Synods, D.nd as a correct
exhibition of the Scnpture doctrines discussed in it: and that 'We regard
agreement among brethren on these subjects as a sufficient basis for
harmonious co-operation in the same church.
"II. Resolved, That we receive the General Synod's For'mula of
Government and Discipline, contained in her Hymn Book, as our
directory, and that any additions or alterations we may desire we will
embody in by-laws; so that our beloved Church may possess and
exhibit to the world entire harmony in the reception of one Doctrinal
and Disciplinarian Platform.
"III. Resolved, That we will not receive into our Synod any minister
who will not adopt the Pledge defined in these Resolutions and faith-
fully labor to maintain its discipline in his charge." (Definite Platform,
Doctrinal and Disciplinarian, for Evangelical Lutheran District Synods;
Constructed in accordance with the Principles of the General Synod,
Philadelphia, Miller & Burlock, 1856, pg. 3-6.)
A "Symbolical Disclaimer" in which certain articles in the Con-
fessions were rejected was appended to the Definite Platform. The
following introductory remarks to the "Disclaimer" are significant:
"The extraordinary length of the other former symbolic books as
a whole, is sufficient reason for their rejection as a prescribed creed,
even if all their contents were believed to be true; because neither
the Scriptures nor the practice of the early centuries, affords any
warrant for an uninspired and therefore fallible creed, nearly as large as
the entire Old and New Testament together. The exaction of such an
extended creed is subversive of all individual liberty of thought and
freedom of Scriptural investigation."
"The following extracts from the former symbolical books we
reject, not because they do not contain some sentences of truth; but
because the particular doctrine taught in each is regarded as erroneous
by the great mass of the churches in connection with the General
Synod" (op. cit., 20).
3) He criticized the deflections of the General Synod (Luth. VI, 35;
et a1.), He opposed Sprecher of the college in. Springfield, Ohio, for
maintaining that the Augsburg Confession provided only "historical
532 Walther and the Free Lutheran Conferences
ment inaugurated by the Wittenberg Synod caused him grave
anxiety for the future of Lutheranism. He wrote in Lehre und
Wehre: 4 )
"When in September of the previous year the Wittenberg
Synod of Ohio brought forth its Definite Platform for a so-called
American Lutheran Church, together with her official repudiation
of the constitution, the Magna Charta of our Church, the Unaltered
Augsburg Confession, and exhorted all who shared their opinions
to quit traditional Lutheranism, then it seemed as though a de-
structive storm was gathering and threatening to strike the Lu-
theran Church of our New Fatherland."
The storm, however, did not strike as devastatingly as Walther
had feared. Only three synods subscribed to the Definite Platform
by January, 1856.5 ) Only three leading church periodicals showed
interest in the Definite Platform.6 ) Other publications rejected it.
information and witnesses of faith" (Luth. VI, 57) . He received for
publication an article which censured the Iowa Synod because said synod
subscribed to the Augsburg Confession but qualified its subscription
in such a way as to leave room for "doctrinal progress" (Luth. XII, 2) .
On the other hand, Walther praised those who were loyal to the Con-
fession. Thus he spoke of Professor Reynolds of Columbus, Ohio, as
one "who is loyal in attitude toward our Church and her Confessions"
(Luth. VI, 134).
4) 11,3.
5) These synods were the Wittenberg Synod, the Olive-Branch
Synod, and the English Synod of Ohio. By the end of the year, however,
the Northern Synod of Indiana, the Kentucky Synod, the Miami Synod,
and the Synod of Central Pennsylvania had adopted the Platform, while
the Pittsburgh Synod had shown definite leanings toward it (L. u. W.,
II, 223; 280) . The Alleghany Synod discussed the selection of a committee
to alter the Augsburg Confession, but action was postponed (L. u . W .,
II, 223) .
6) The Lutheran Observer, the Lutherische Kirchenbote of Gettys-
burg, and the Evangelical Lutheran of Springfield, Ohio (L. u. W., II, 3) .
The Lutheran Observer became the chief open exponent of the movement.
When the editor of the Evangelical Lutheran was urged to champion
the Platfonn, he indicated that he would resign (Evangelical Lutheran,
Feb. 1, 1856) . Later the Evangelical Lutheran gave its subscription list
to the Luthemn Observer and ceased to appear (L. u. W ., II, 156) . The
LtLtheran Observer continued the struggle for the Platform. It challenged,
for example, the Virginia Synod for calling the Augsburg Confession its
confession and maintained that the Augustana was only a relic of the
Reformation (L. u. W ., II, 28). When confusion and dissension arose
because of the Definite Platform, the editor of the same paper declared
that the Recension contained nothing new, that all members of the
General Synod had always dealt according to the principles therein
contained (Lutheran Observer, Jan. 25, 1856; L. u. lV., II, 64). In the
Feb. 15 number of the Observer, the editor urged a compromise by which
the Augsburg Confession would be left unharmed but at the same time
the friends of the Recension would be satisfied. He urged the adoption
of the following resolutions: 1. That the errors in the Augsburg Con-
fession should not be taught; and that, accordLng to our opinion, a correct
interpretation of the Confession excludes such errors entirely; 2. That
whatever opinions a person may have regarding the points mentioned,
,
Walther and the Free Lutheran Conferences 533
The Lutheran Standard of Ohio strongly opposed the move-
ment;7) the Missionary agreed with the condemnation of the Re-
cension voiced by the East Pennsylvania Synod;8) the Lutherische
Herold 9) likewise rejected the shameful attempt to overthrow the
constitution of Lutheranism.
The strong opposition to the Definite Platform filled Walther
with joy and caused him to hope that a united Lutheran Church
of America would soon come into being. In order to hasten the
formation of such a united Lutheran Church, he published the
following appeal for free Lutheran conferences in Lehre und
Wehre: 10)
"This constellation [that is, the united front of those loyal to
the U . A. C.] certainly fills all who love the Lutheran Zion of this
land with great joy and also with hope for the future. It has
our preachers and our people have the fullest freedom, and by right must
have such freedom, to believe regarding the Confessions what, according
to their opinion, the inspired Word of God teaches, and that neither
Church nor Synod has the right to disquiet or disturb them in their
belief. Walther pointed out that the General Synod might have effected
such a compromise before the Definite Platform appeared. That document
had opened the eyes of many. Furthermore, human right granted to
all the privilege to believe as they chose; God, however, requi.red that
everyone believe the doctrines of the Bible (L. u W., II, 95) . The Lutheran
Obse1've1' continued to attack doctrines taught in the Augsburg Con-
fession, e. g., the Real Presence, rebirth through Baptism, confession and
absolution, etc. (L. u. W., II, 140) .
7) L. u. W ., 11,3
8) The Missionary seems later to have disappointed Walther. The
Pittsburgh Synod at its meeting at Zelienople declared itself opposed to
alterations in the Confession and formally subscribed to the A. C. At the
same meeting, however, it rejected the "error" of "the real presence or
the Roman Catholic transubstantiation" and also "priestly absolution."
Furthermore, it declared, if the Augsburg Confession were properly
interpreted, it would not disagree wit..l} the convictions held by the Synod
on the points mentioned (Luth. XII, 181) .
9) L. u. W. II,3. Other voices opposing the Platform were heard.
W. J. Mann, pastor of St. Michael's and Zion Churches, Philadelphia, in
a pamphlet entitled "A Plea for the Augsburg Confession in f...nswer to
the Objections of the Definite Platform" (Philadelphia, 1856), vigorously
attacked the Platform and above all the conceit of synods which would
ban ministers from Lutheran congregations because they adhered to
certain articles of the Augsburg Confession. (This "Plea" was answered
by S. S. Schmucker in a pamphlet entitled "American Lutheranism Vindi-
cated: or Examination of the Lutheran Symbols on Certain Disputed
Topics," Baltimore, 1856. This pamphlet attacked especially the teaching
of the Real Presence and rebirth through Baptism. The pamphlet was
endorsed by the Lutheran Observer.) .Another pamprJet, published by
Pastor J . R. Hoffmann, with the title "The Broken Platform" (Phila-
delphia, 1856), likewise attacked the Recension. Hoffmann belonged to
the General Synod and had hoped that tl1is organization would unite
American Lutherans. The Definite Platform opened his eyes to the
dangerous tendencies within that Synod. His attitude is shown in the
motto of his pamphlet: "0 Teucri, ne credite equo."
10) n,3-6
534 Walther and the Free Lutheran Conferences
become evident that the number of those who do not bow, nor wish
in the future to bow, their y.nee to the Baal of the so-called 'de-
velopment' and the so-called 'higher enlightenment' of the 19th
century, is without a doubt greater than our feeble faith or despair
had believed. The more this strengthens the faith and the courage
of all true Lutherans here, the more compelling is the challenge
therein contained to nurture with supreme faithfulness and greatest
diligence the unity which God through His marvelous grace has
already wrought among us. We, at least for our little part, feel it
a sacred duty to add our little bit.
"Our brothers in Germany, working apart in various state
churches, have utilized free conferences, religious assemblies, etc.,
as a means toward the promotion of their unity in faith and con-
fession. We are convinced that after a time hl which the various
local churches lapsed into a deep and general decay in matters of
doctrine and practice (as occurred in the last century), there is
no way more fitting, with the exception of published written testi-
monials, for awakened individuals within the various church bodies
to strengthen and advance the church unity which has become
lpparent which h _.- ___ chosen w____ mother
Church. Since we are living under different circumstances, may
we not hope that smiliar general conferences would be more pro-
ductive here, in proportion to the extent that the Church is frce
from the bonds of the State and mere theories alone militate
against church life in this land? We do not doubt it.
"So we venture openly to inquire: Would not meetings, held at
intervals, by such members of churches as call themselves Lutheran
and acknowledge and confess without reservation that the Un-
altered Augsburg Confession of 1530 is the pure and true state-
ment of the doctrine of sacred Scripture and is also their own
belief, promote and advance the efforts toward the final establish-
ment of one single Evangelical Lutheran Church of America? We
for our part would be ready with all our heart to take part in such
a conference of truly believing Lutherans whenever and wherever
such a conference would be held pursuant to the wishes of the
majority of the participants; at the same time we can promise in
advance the support of numerous theologians and laymen to whom
the welfare of our precious Ev. Lutheran Church in this new
fatherland is equally a matter of deepest heartfelt yeaTIling and
"vith '\vhom \ve have discussed the thoughts here expressed.
"Since it is true that many differences of opinion still exist
among those Lutherans who hold with all their heart to the funda-
mental Confession of our Church, the treatment of which in our
periodicals can more easily hinder than advance unity among us,
the personal and verbal statements and expressions of opinions
Walther and the Free Lutheran Conferences 535
would above all else surely bring about this unparalleled blessing,
l1al'uely, that the contest within our Churc] / {hict ":1 ab ,~
be necessary) will receive and keep the nature of a mutual com~
petition among brethren for the faithful preservation of the pre-
cious gem of doctrinal purity and unity. In order, however, not
to overreach the brethren, we shall refrain from expressing our~
selves further on the proposal made." 11)
Walther invited others to express their opinions, either in
personal letters or in periodicals and publications. Such opinions
were soon expressed. In Lehre und Wehre 12) an article written
by a person with the initials A. B. endorsed such a conference.
The author felt that the following rules should govern the con-
ference:
1. That the conference be an open one and the minutes thereof
published;
2. That only those who expressed adherence to the entire Book
of Concord be permitted to participate in the discussions;
3. That the conferences be held annually;
~. Th le pl T1Jose of the con' 'lce i 1d n, ~ to 0_
solve any Lutheran body in America;
5. That those who attended the conference should bear in mind
that the purpose thereof was to unite and not to separate;
6. That the Leipzig Conferences should be taken as models;
7. And that theses for the conference should be dravvll up in
advance.
Walther opposed the suggestion that theses be drawn up in
advance. He was also opposed to limiting the membership of the
conference to those who subscribed to the entire Book of Concord.
After quoting the above-mentioned suggestions, he criticized some
of them with the following words:
"There is no doubt that the person who without reservation
subscribes to the Unaltered Augsburg Confession cannot reject
one single phrase in the other Confessions, inasmuch as these
are nothing else than a further development and apology of that
which is contained in the Augustana. Nevertheless, as church
conditions have been here L'1 the last decades and to some ex~
tent still are, there may well be many a genuine Lutheran who
is loyal from the heart to the Augsburg Confession yet does not
have the clear kno-",rledge rightly to subscribe to the whole Con-
cordia. Also such Lutherans are, without a doubt, our brethren.
For that reason the free: general conference should not adopt a basis
11) Walther adds that those in attendance at such a conference
should not come as representatives of their respective synods but only
speak for their own persons.
12) II, 84-85
536 Walther and the Free Lutheran Conferences
by which it would give the impression of not being willing or
able to extend the hand of brotherhood to all upright, honest,
Lutherans who hold that general Confession with us; nor should
they, we feel, despair of the blessing which could easily come
if their basis would make room for those Lutherans, who, with all
firmness (Entschiedenheit) for the teachings of our basic Con-
fession, still have scruples (Bedenken) concerning the capstone
of our confessional structure, the Formula Concordiae. We be-
lieve one of the most important duties of the conference would
be just this, to remove the uncertainties from the minds of those
brethren who still harbor scruples against the consequent un-
folding (Durchfuehrung) of the doctrine confessed at Augsburg
and, by the grace of God, to lead them to the blessed, happy con-
,riction that the other symbols of our Church are impticite con-
tained in the Augustana, which they accept."
Other opinions on Walther's proposal were soon expressed.
The Lutheran Standard quoted Dr. Walther's appeal in full (Feb.
18, 1856) and later assured the movement its wholehearted sup-
port (April 4, 1856).13) The editor of Lehre und Wehre received
many _______ __ ___ throughout the United ~_
urged and endorsed the conference.14) The New York pastors,
at their conference held in March, 1856, endorsed the free Lu~
theran COJ:1..ierence as proposed by Walther. The Luth", , '~LI'''' .Her-
old (April 15, 1856) quoted the original proposal in full and sug-
gested topics to be discussed at the conference.16) The Missionary
of Pittsburgh (June 1, 1856) agreed with the purpose of the free
conference, but held that the time for such a conference had not
yet come, since many ministers who could not understand German
would not be able to take part in the discussions. It suggested
that local free conferences be held for the purpose of discussing
doctrine. Walther, however, felt that general conferences should
first be held in order that the participants would first of all be
13) "It seems as though a general interest in the importance of any
step of that nature is stirring in all parts of the Church .... We can
assure the friends of this movement that if such a conference is held .••
the brethren in Columbus, if such be the general wish, will gladly
receive them or meet with them at any other place." - Luth 'It
Standard (translated from Lehre und Wehre, II, 152).
14) L. 'U. W., II, 148.
16) These topics included the following problems: In what ma •• ~rs
must all Lutherans agree? How far does such unity exist among us?
Which synods or our country, by the standards of the A. C., are still truly
believing? In which matters may differences be permitted, and wl .
attitude should the synods take toward one another in view of th,
differences? Would it be advantageous or not to solve those differen.
at the p:c'esent tillle, and if so, what means should be adopted to rem,
them? What rules are to be followed in establishing new congregatiu.""
and in those matters pertaining to the ministry, etc. (Cf. L. '!t. W., n,
150-151.)
Walther and the Free Lutheran Conferences 537
assured of their unity and then work for unity in smaller circles.17 )
The Evangelical Lutheran (Feb. 15, 1856) hailed the proposal of
Walther as an indication that the exclusive, "hard-shelled" IS)
Missourians were yielding.19)
17) L. u. W., 11, 185-186. The Missionary held to its opinion. Later
(Oct. 23, 1856) it proposed that not only those Lutherans meet at free
conferences who adhered to the U. A. C. but all who called themselves
Lutheran.
18) It is hard to understand how Walther, who for years had cham-
pioned the doctrine of the invisible Church and its universality, could
be called exclusive or how the person who made the following statements
could be called "hard-shelled". Walther made many statements similar
to the following:
"The Lutheran Church is not limited to those neoole who from
their youth have borne the name 'Lutheran' or have-taken that name
later on. To every person who honestly submits to the whole written
Word of God, bears the true faith in our dear Lord Jesus Christ in his
heart and confesses it before the world, we extend our hand, regard
him also as a fellow believer, as a brother in Christ, as a member of
our Church, no matter in what sect he may lie concealed and captive."
Luth. I, 5.
"As far as our relation to the Indianapolis Synod is concerned,
inasmuch as they stand on the same confessional basis with us and
are shaping their chu rch practice more and more h. accordance there-
with, w e haVe decided to propose closer church fellowship to them. For
it would not be in harmony with the Word of God and church practice
if we, living in the same country and being in church matters essen-
tially one, would exist side by side as two divided church organizations."
Luth. VIII, 17. (For doctrinal differences betweeen the two synods at
this time see Luth. VIII, 39.)
"Weare not fighting for a particular constituted division which calls
itself Lutheran. It is not our goal to bring matters to such a pass that
all Christians accept a so-called Lutheran Church polity and Lutheran
ceremonies, join a Lutheran Synod, or bind themselves by Lutheran
symbols. . . . The object of our struggle is nothing else than the true
faith, the pure truth, the unfalsified Gospel, the pure foundation of
the Apostles and Prophets." Luth. I, 100.
"We do not hereby mean to indicate that we are among those who
believe that their understanding requires no development or correction.
It is rather our constant, serious endeavor to make progress in
the recognition of truth and, with the help of God, to free ourselves
more and more from the errors which still cling to us." Luth. XIII, 1.
"We, only a short time ago, were held captive by many errors, and
God had patience with us and with great long-suffering led us unto
the way of t r uth. Remembering that, we also will show patience with
our erring neighbors and, by God's grace, will refrain from all sinful
judging and condemning. We will not attack erring persons but r ather
the er rors. Nor w ill we pose as people who alone are true Lutherans
a..T1d alone possess the truth, but only bear testimony that God has done
great things also for us and has brought us to the knowledge of fue
saving truth." Luth. I, 1.
"People thought that after withdrawing from the left there was
no possibility of erring in the other direction. Thus it has come to p ass
that no one has departed farther from true Lutheranism than those who
want to be the strictest Lutherans. They did not consider that also
the way of truly pure doctrine is everywhere a narrow way, on which
538 Walther and the Free Lutheran Conferences
only he remains who with holy earnestness is intent on turning neither
to the right nor the left. It was assumed that the praise of being strictly
orthodox .. ~~ ~~~.Y to obtain, .:.~. L. required "L~ __ rnest study,
searching deliberation, prayer, struggle, and the conquering of many
temptations; every unconverted man had only to attack every apparent
heretic and everything which had the appearance of being ecclesiastical
laxity with utmost ferocity and to press and urge everything which
had the appearance of being churchly, then the deed was accomplished,
the prize of orthodoxy won, the Great Inquisitor had established him-
self, and all now had to fear his citation to judgment. Thus it has come
to the stage that no teacher stands more in the way of the so-called
'strict churchly Lutherans' than - Luther." Luth. XIII, 58.
19) Was Walther yielding? He is ready to call men brethren with
whom he had controversies. Walther always considered error a terrible
thing. Time and again he indicated that he felt that "every error, when
it becomes active in a man, is a deadly poison to the soul" (Luth. I, 14).
On the other hand, he also realized that no human being was free from
errors or could perfectly understand or explain Scripture. Luther
erred (Luth. 1, 3); Walther erred (Luth. XIII, 1); it is wrong to say
that the true preacher cannot err (L·utherane·r 1, 83). But let it not be
overlooked that Walther wrote against unionism even while the free
conferences were being held (Luth. XII, 193; XIII, 167; XIV, 53, 150; XV,
79, 117, 121, 185; XVI, 46). These articles, however, as were most of
Walther's ~_ ~:_~ ___ c_.inst union, .. 'ere in the early years directed against
union with ., e Rerormed. Walthe>" nnnn