Full Text for CTM Theological Observer 12-2 (Text)

nurnrbtu UJqtnlngirul ly Continuing LEHRE UND WEHRE MAGAZIN FUER Ev.-LuTH. HOMILETIK THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLY-THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY Vol. XII February, 1941 No.2 CONTENTS Page Faith. Ed. Koehler 81 Luther's Spiritual Martyrdom and Its Appeasement. Theo. Dierks 102 Teaching Situations, Outlines, and Lesson Plans. P. E. IuetzmnlUl 108 Some Observations on the Vocabulary of the Fourth Gospel. R. T. Du Hrau _____ ... ___ . _________________ .... ___ .. ________ 114 Outlines on the Wuerttemberg Gospel Selections __________ . __________________ 118 Miscellanea ___________ .. _______________________________ . __ .. __ _________ ___________________________________________ 126 Theological ObserveI'. - Kirchlich-Zeitgeschichtliches ______________ .. ____ 139 Book Review. - Literatur ______________________________________________________________________ 153 Em Predlger muss nJcht allein wel- den, also dass er die Schafe unter- weise. wle sie rechte Christen Bollen sein. sondern auch daneben den Woel- fen Ibelmm, dass sie die Schafe nicht angrelfen und mit faIscher Lehre ver- fuehren und Irrtum einfuehren. Luther Es 1st keln Ding, das die Leute mehr bel der Klrche behaelt denn die gute Predigt. - Apolol1le, Art. 24 If the trumpet give an uncertain sound. who shall prepare himself to the battle? -1 COT. 14:8 Published for the Ev. Lutb. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States CONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE, St. Louis, Mo. Theological Observer - .reitd)ltd)',8eitgefd)td)tltd)es 139 Theological Observer - ~ifdjlidj • .8eitgefdjidjtlidje~ The Resolutions of the U. L. C. A. Pertaining to Lutheran Union.- We reprint here the recommendations made at Omaha last October by the U. L. C. A. Commission on Relationships to American Lutheran Church-bodies. "1. We recommend that the United Lutheran Church in America, in convention assembled, approve the three Articles of Agreement with the American Lutheran Church submitted with this report, believing that, when similarly approved by that body, they wi11lead to full pulpit- and altar-fellowship between us. "2. We recommend that the United Lutheran Church in America approve in principle the considerations set forth in the second section of this report, herewith recording its understanding that the three Articles of Agreement herewith submitted do not in any wise alter the funda- mental positions of the United Lutheran Church in America and that they are not contrary to, or contradictory of, the positions set forth in the Washington Declaration of 1920, the Savannah Resolutions of 1934, or the Baltimore Declaration of 1938. "3. We recommend that the United Lutheran Church in America continue its Commission on Relationships to American Lutheran Church- bodies with a view to the organic union of all our Lutheran forces in America, on the basis of our Lutheran Confessions alone." The three Articles of Agreement referred to in these recommenda- tions are the so-called Pittsburgh Agreement, dealing with lodge-mem- bership, pulpit- and altar-fellowship, and the inspiration of the Scrip- tures. All three recommendations were adopted, although the first and the second did not receive unanimous approval. After the above action had been taken the following additional resolutions were adopted: "WHEREAS, The agreements reached by the Commission on Relation- ships with American Lutheran Church-bodies and the similar commis- sion of the American Lutheran Church have been approved by this con- vention; and "WHEREAS, Said agreements involve statements on matters of prac- tice and doctrine which, the commissioners of the American Lutheran Church have represented, were the only matters of difference between our two bodies and the only obstacles to the establishment of pulpit- and altar-fellowship between said bodies; and "WHEREAS, The United Lutheran Church in America has not recog- nized heretofore, and does not recognize now, any obstacle to the estab- lishment of pulpit- and altar-fellowship or even to organic union with the American Lutheran Church; now, therefore, be it "Resolved by the United Lutheran Church in America, That it hereby declares itself ready to establish pulpit- and altar-fellowship with the American Lutheran Church and authorizes the President to declare such fellowship established upon the adoption by the American Lutheran Church of a resolution of like effect; and be it further 140 Theological Observer - .!!'hd)nd)'.3ettoercf)td)Uicl)e~ "Resolved, That the United Lutheran Church in America hereby re- iterates its request to the American Lutheran Church to authorize its commission, or appoint another commission, to negotiate with our com- mission with a view to the organic union of our two church-bodies; and be it further "Resolved, That the President be, and hereby is, instructed to bring these resolutions to the attention of the American Lutheran Church at the earliest possible moment, so that it may have them for consideration at its convention now in session in Detroit." Dr. Reu (Ki1'chliche Zeitschrift, December, 1940) comments as follows: "Auf diese letzten drei Beschluesse bezog es sich - und nicht auf die d1'ei Saetze des Pittsburgh Agreement, wie man aus dem Bericht des Lutheran (30. Okt., S.21) schliessen musste - dem Pittsburgh Agree- ment stimmten Bagger, Krauss und Miller zu; sie waren ja Glieder der PittsbW'gher Kommission; die Delegaten der Zentral-Permsylvania- Synode dagegen werden zu denen gehoert haben, welche gegen dies Agreement stimmten - werm in del' Schlusssitzung am 16. Oktober drei Glieder del' Pittsburgher Kommission: Dr. H. Bagger, Paul Krauss und Clarence Miller, und die 70 Delegaten der Zentral-Permsylvania-Synode unter del' Fuehrung ihres Praesidenten Dr. M. R. Hamsher ihren Dis- sensus zu Protokoll gaben. Sie gaben ihn gesondert, weil sie offenbar aus ganz verschiedenen Gruenden diesen letzten drei Beschluessen nicht zustimmten." After Dr. Reu has reported the action of his own synod, the American Lutheran Church, on relations to the U. L. C. A. and on future negotia- tions in general (see CONe. THEOL. MONTHLY, Dec. 1940) , he submits these comments, which should be made lrnown to our readers: "Was soIl en wir zu all dies em sagen? Wir freuen uns natuerlich von ganzem Herzen, dass die Vereinigte Luthel'ische Kirche die drei Saetze des Pittsburgh Agreement mit grosser Majoritaet angenommen hat, und erkerm(m darin auch wirldich einen Beweis dafuer, dass das konservative Element in diesel' Kirche erstarkt ist, wofuer wir besonders Praesident Dr. Knubel zu dank en haben. Abel' die Wahrheit verlangt es auch, zu sagen, dass diese unsere Freude doch noch durch allerlei getruebt ist. Del' erste Beschluss billigt wohl das Pittsburgh Agreement, fuehrt aber mit der Hinzufuegung des Partizipialsatzes "believing that [the adoption of the Agreement] will lead to full pulpit- and altar-fellowship between us" einen eigentuemlichen Grund fUel' diese Billigung ein. Zur Annahme des Pittsburgh Agreement sollte nul' eins fuehren, naemlich die Ueber- zeugung, dass es mit del' Schrift stitmnt. Kirchenpolitische Gesichts- punkte sollten dabei entweder ueberhaupt nicht in Betracht kommen odeI' doch nul' in ganz sekundaerer Weise. Hier ist es del' einzige Grund, del' erwaehnt wird. Nun haben ganz gewiss viele fUel' die Annahme del' Saetze gestimmt, weil sie von ihrer Schriftgemaessheit ueberzeugt sind, abel' genarmt ist nul' die Hoffnung auf die aus del' Annahme resultierende Aufrichtung von Kanzel- und Altargemeinschaft. "Auch del' zweite Beschluss enthaelt Elemente, die einen stutzig machen. Damit, dass er sagt: We 'approve in principle the consideration set forth in the second section of this report,' scheint er die Annahme Theological Observer - .Ritdjndj'3eHoef(~i(~tH41es 141 q,erselben doch stark einzuschraenken. Man wird aber noch mehr stutzig, wenn man die Fortsetzung des zweiten Beschlusses liest: "'Herewith recording its understanding that the three Articles of Agreement herewith submitted do not in any wise alter the fundamental positions of the United Lutheran Church in America and that they are not contrary to, or contradictory of, the positions set forth in the Wash- ington Declaration of 1920, the Savannah Resolutions of 1934, or the Bal- timore Declaration of 1938.' "SolI das heissen, dass das Pittsburgh Agreement nUl' eine durch die Verhaeltnisse wuenschenswert gewordene weitere Ausfuehrung des im Konstitutionsparagraphen niedergelegten Bekenntnisstandpunktes ist und dass auch del' im Pittsburgh Agreement enthaltene Satz ueber die Schrift zwar ueber die bekannte Baltimore Declaration von 1938 hinaus- geht, abel' doch nicht in Widerspruch zu ihr steht? Sci moechte es die Liebe auslegen, und wenn diese Auslegung richUg ist, wuerde del' zweite Beschluss sein Befremden verlieren. Eines will bloss nicht recht dazu stimmen, naemlich del' Umstand, dass die Baltimore Declaration gerade im Unterschied und Gegensatz zu del' damals schon von uns vorgelegten Form 'ohne Irrtum und Widerspruch' angenommen wurde, waehrend man jetzt zu dem 'irrtumslos' sich bekennt. Ich kann sehr gut die Ruecksichten verstehen, die zur Vorlegung dieses zweiten Beschlusses gefuehrt haben, aber sie scheinen mil' wieder auf kirchenpoUtischem Ge~ biet zu liegen, und Ruecksichten solcher Art sollten in Dingen, von denen das Agreement handelt, nicht bestimmend wirken. Sie schaffen auch keine wirkliche Ueberzeugung, und nul' feste Ueberzeugungen wer- den das auf diesem Gebiet nicht immer leichte praktische Handeln er- zeugen und zum Beharren dabei fuehren. So, wie del' zweite Beschluss lautet, kUngt er aIs eine Einschraenkung des ersten, und del' kuenftige Kirchenhistoriker, del' einerseits das Handeln in Baltimore genau kennt und Einsicht in das Protokoll unserer letzten Sitzung in Pittsburgh nimmt, wird schwerUch andel'S urteilen koennen. Das Pittsburgh Agree- ment ist in seinen ersten zwei Saetzen allerdings nul' Wiederaufnahme del' entsprechenden Washingtoner Erklaerung, aber in seinem dritten Satz, del' Ausfuehrung ueber die Schrift, geht es in dem Sinn ueber die Baltimore Declaration von 1938 hinaus, dass hier ausgesprochen wird, was auszusprechen man sich in Baltimore noch geweigert hat. Wie gut und notwendig war es unter diesen Verhaeltnissen, dass es von unserer eige- nen Kirche in Detroit unmissverstaendIich ausgesprochen worden ist, in welchem Sinn und Umfang sie dem Pittsburgh Agreement zustimmt: 'with the definite conviction that this agreement is in complete harmony with our Declaration and the Brief Statement.' "Am dritten Beschluss faellt auf, dass die Kommission del' Vereinig- ten Lutherischen Kirche mit allen andern lutherischen Kirchenkoerpern 'with a view to organic union' verhandeln solI. Hier verfolgt man ein Ziel, das wenigstens vorderhand noch phantastisch und vielleicht fuel' immer bedenklich ist. Jedenfalls hat unsere Kirche durch ihre Kom- mission von Anfang an erklaert, dass sie mindestens zur Zeit an keine organische Verbindung mit andern Kirchenkoerpern denkt, und die be- 142 Theological Observer - .Ritd.J1Id.J~8eitgefd.J\dJtlIdje!l schlossene, aber noch zu ernennende neue Konunission hat keine Autori- taet, in dieser Richtung zu handeln. VerstaendUch ist, dass als Basis fuer solche Unionsverhandlungen nichts anderes als die historischen Be- kenntnisse der lutherischen Kirehe dienen sollen. Es bleibt bloss die Frage, was damit gemeint ist. SolI das heissen: Der Umstand, dass ein lutherischer Kirchenkoerper nach seiner Konstitution auf den symboli- schen Buechern WlSerer Kirche steht, ist ausreichende Grundlage, auf der man sieh mit ilun organisch zusammenschliesst; oder soIl damit eine gegenseitige Vergewisserung verbunden sein, dass die doctrina publica und das kirehliche Handeln der in Betracht kommenden Kirchenkoerper den Bekenntnisschriften unserer Kirche entspricht? In welcher Form diese Vergewisserung vor sich geht, ist von geringer Bedeutung, sie seIber aber ist unerlaesslieh. 0 wie wuerden wir uns gefreut haben, wenn die Omaha-Beschluesse nicht so bedenkliche Limitationen in sich zu tragen schienen; und wie wuerden wir Gott danken, wenn sie in der gesamten lutherischen Kirche unsers Landes - auch bei uns seIber fehlt es vielfach - ohne Einschraenkung durchgefuehrt wuerden!" A. The "Journal of Theology" Report on the Fifth Biennial Convention of the American Lutheran Conference. - As many of our readers know, the Journal of Theology is the official organ of the American Lutheran Conference. It is edited by a committee on which the various synods composing the American Lutheran Conference are represented. Its editor-in-chief at present is Dr. J. M. Bruce of the seminary of the Nor- wegian Lutheran Church at St. Paul, Minn. In the December number of the Journal, on three and one half pages, an account is given of the events at the meeting of the American Lutheran Conference held Novem- ber 13-15 at Minneapolis, Minn. We submit some of the chief items. The convention was opened with a divine service on Wednesday morning, November 13, in which the sermon was preached by Dr. E. E. Ryden, the president of the body. In the various devotional services, addresses on topics pertaining to doctrine or the religious life of the Church were delivered. The subjects discussed in these addresses were: "Open Doors for the Church in the World Today"; "Dangers to the Church in the World Today"; "The Hope of the Church in the World Today." At a fellowship banquet Dr. Conrad Bergendoff, president of the Augustana College and Theological Seminary, Rock Island, TIl., spoke on the topic "The Lutheran Church in Today's World." The officers of the American Lutheran Conference as elected at this convention are: President, Dr. E. E. Ryden, Rock Island, TIl.; First Vice-President, Rev. Alfred Wilkie, Minneapolis; Second Vice-President, Rev. Clarence J. Carlson, Minot, N. Dak.; Third Vice-President, Rev. Karl Wilhelmsen, Racine, Wis.; Secretary, Rev. L. M. Stavig, Northfield, Minn. Subjects discussed on the basis of committee reports were: "Church Unity"; "Student Service"; "Parish Education"; "Social Relations"; "Home Mis- sions." Since the American Lutheran Conference has now been in exis- tence for a decade, anniversary addresses were given by Dr. P. O. BerseH, president of the Augustana Synod, speaking on the subject "Ten Years of Fellowship in the American Lutheran Conference," and Dr. T. F. Gul- lixson, president of Lutheran Theological Seminary (Norwegian), Theological Observer - SUtd)tid)'8eitgefd)idjttl!()e§ 143 St. Paul, Minn., on the subject "The American Lutheran Conference in the Future." An editorial in the same nwnber of the JOU'rIUlJ contains a few paragraphs which we here reprint because they are the nearest approach to a discussion of the difficulties confronting the Conference that we find in this issue. "From expressions heard in private conservation and in groups, it was evident that many had come to this convention with more or less pronounced misgivings as to the character, success, and results of the convention. We are confident, however, that no one left this meeting without a sense of gratefulness to God for the heartening fellowship enjoyed, the fine spirit that prevailed, and the significant ac- complishments achieved. No one could leave the convention without the feeling that it had brought Lutherans of five independent church-bodies affiliated in the Conference to understand one another better, to ex- perience an increased sense of unity of spirit and a recognition of the fact that a closer and wanner bond of fellowship had been established between them. The convention was in the best sense a love-feast, a cloud-remover, and a workshop. Whatever misgivings and doubts may have been entertained beforehand seemed to vanish like dew before the sun as the convention advanced from session to session. The voices of the few fearful members which voiced warnings and tabus, restraint and repression, were soon silenced, not by rebuke or censure, but by the very spirit that prevailed and gradually placed its spell over all. Even the voice of a rather officious and superior-minded church official, who rolls out his words with ponderous accents on every syllable, even when uttering the most puerile thoughts, and pours contempt and scorn on the opinions and work of others, tapered off materially from session to session as the impact of the real convention spirit made itself felt with increased power and effect. "One clerical representative came to us and confided that he had prayed much for this convention, saying that he had prayed God to give the Scandinavians and the Germans sense enough to part company, for they were not of the same spirit. We assured him that God would not hear such prayers, and we are confident that the last day of the con- vention especially vindicated our assertion. We need not close our eyes to racial differences or to differences in traditional, cultural, and re- ligious backgrounds, for knowledge and recognition of these should enable us to evaluate one another more correctly and deal with one another more intelligently and sympathetically; but we need to empha- size the barrier-destroying, unifying, equalizing, and harmonizing power of the Spirit of God more, so that the oneness in Christ, the communion of saints, which we confess, may become more apparent and effective in our mutual relations." It will be noticed that this report, like the one we submitted last month, makes no mention of any earnest endeavor to come to grips with the questions pertaining to doctrine and practice which agitate the Church at present. We cannot understand the course which is being followed. How can true unity be established if there is no discussion of great pending issues? A. 144 Theological Observer - mn~Ucl)'.Beltoefcl)td)tlicl)el) What Constitutes Unionism? - Under this heading the Australasian Theological Review (July-September, 1940) which just reached our desk contains a brief but exceedingly lucid and infonning "help toward the solution of the very real, very perplexing, and very painful difficulties" arising in connection with the problem of unionism, by the able pen of Prof. Henry Hamann. Defining unionism (syncretism) as the "estab- lishment or practice of religious fellowship where theTe exists 11,Q true union based on doctrinal and confessional unity," the essayist first states five "fundamental Scripture axioms" that must be considered at this point, namely: 1. Only Scripture is the source and norm of all teaching in the Church; 2. the Church must be a confessing body, declaring all truth of God and Christ and rejecting, and bearing witness against, all erl'Or; 3. no one has the right to teach otherwise in the Church than God's Word teaches; 4. persistent false teaching, continu~d against all protests, instruction, and admonition, must at last lead to separation, either through the withdrawal of the orthodox from the heterodox or through the exclusion of the hetel'Odox from the orthodox Church, where toleration of the error, in the sense of bearing with the weakness of some members, is no more possible; 5. such separation excludes or precludes church-fellowship on the part of the two factions now repre- sented, that is to say, the mutual recognition by word and (or) deed as Christian brethren and members of onc spiritual family. Judging according to these principles, Professor Hamann next tabulates "what is always and necessarily unionism," namely: 1. church union without doctrinal and confessional unity; 2. pulpit-fellowship, or the exchange of pulpits, on the part of those differing in doctrine and confession, though not every filling of a heterodox pulpit by an orthodox preacher is unionistic; 3. altar-fellowship, that is, "open," or ''mixed,'' Communion, since Holy Conununion is justly regarded as a symbol of unity (1 Cor. 10: 16, 17); 4. union services, united services, combined services, of every kind., participation by pastor or congregation in such services; 5. united prayer on the part of officials or representatives of various churches; 6. the support of heterodox churches and missions and of union en- deavors which are evidently of a religious nature; 7. remaining in heterodox bodies and in communion with them in spite of better knowl- edge. "All these and similar instances constitute unionism, since they represcnt a public and official exercise of church-fellowship or religious fellowship." The writer, however, readily admits that sometimes there is room for doubt even if there is public or even official connection with heterodox or unionistic bodies. Here the principle obtains: "Not the external presence, contact, or connection but the unwarranted fellowship is to be avoided." The canon applies: "WhateveT cleeLrl1J violates our duty to confess the tndh, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth of the divine W01'd, and hence also violates the corresponding dut1J to denounce and j'eject ever1J en'or opposed to theLt truth; wheLtever compromises or contradicts our confession of the truth and, on the other hand, invali- dates, nullifies, ?'enders of no effect, ou?' protest against error; what- ever assigns to error equal place eLnd equal right with truth; whatever clearl1J creates the imp1'ession of church-fellowship, of full agreement Theological Observer - .Rtr(~nd),geltgtfd]ld)mcl)tll 145 and harmony, where these do not exist, - all this is plainly unionism, indiiJeren.tism, syncretism." (Italics ours.) So also in the case of "unionism in the private conduct of Christians": "There can be no ques- tion oj unionism where the presumption oj unwarranted church-fellow· ship or religious jellowship, or the presumption oj the toleration of error, cannot in reason and in fairness arise." (Italics original.) "If, thus, I am in some one's house (some one's not in communion willi me) or he is a guest in my house, I cannot see the least justification to excuse myself at that stage or to show by an attitude of studied indifference or non- attention that I dissociate myself from the proceedings." "The parties are meeting not as members of differing church-bodies but as relatives or friends, or their relation is for the present merely that of host and guest, and usually the matter of church-fellowship, of confession and doctrine, does not at all arise." If against this, the charge of "fellowship in prayer" is raised, such fellowship is "merely external," for here no "establishment of religious fellowship is contemplated or insinuated or indicated or consummated, and no such purpose can even be presumed." "Of course, in the circumstances spoken of, situations may arise that would require us to act differently. 1fI have reason to suspect that my host or my guest considers my conduct as equivocal or that he thinks I am dealing with him on a basis of real fellowship instead of merely accepting a situation from which I cannot in decency escape, then it is my duty to disabuse his mind of this mistake. Or suppose that my host and I had been discussing questions of doctrine and after tea he were to say to me: 'After all, these doctrines are of little consequence; let us show that we still acknowledge each other as good Christians and brothers in the common faith by uniting in reading the Scriptures and in offering prayer,' at once the circumstances would be materially altered. I should find myself in statu confessionis, and it would be my duty to say, 'Quod noni'" In the concluding paragraph (the article is by far too long to be quoted extensively) Professor Hamann writes: "I believe that there are, and always will be, situations where the decision as to whether unionistic practice is involved is both difficult and doubtful, with the consequence that there may be a difference of opinion among orthodox Lutheran theo- logians; for we are now dealing with a practical question, involving the application (italics original) of certain Scripture-truths to new sur- roundings and to a great number of changing and shifting circumstances. It follows that various incidents which may from time to time have to be examined jor unionistic implications belong to the field of casuistry and that something will often have to be left to the individual conscience." (Italics ours.) "This is not to say that uniformity of practice is not desirable and should not be aimed at." Professor Hamann's essay on unionism is valuable not only because it clearly defines the essence of unionism, but also because it shows that the fact or occurrence of unionism must not be judged in a mechanical or external manner, as if a mere accidental juxtaposition of orthodoxy and heterodoxy constituted this offense, and again, that on this point we are dealing with a practical question, involving the application of 10 146 Theological Observer - .lth(I)lidj.,lJeitllefdjidjttldjell Scripture-truths to new surroundings, so that "something will often have to be left to the individual conscience." Professor Hamann thus com- bines in splendid harmony the full rigor which God's Word demands on this point with that charity which we owe a brother or sister under given difficult circumstances, always remembering, however, that uni- formity of practice is highly desirable and should always be aimed at, for which reason the question should have our constant prayerful study. His detailed description of unionism (given above in italics) is, we be- lieve, classic both as substance and form. J. T. M. Vagueness in Doctrinal Statements. - The following appeared in the TheologicaL Forum (Norwegian Lutheran Church) in 1934 (October issue p.1S7). Our readers will understand why we call attention to it at the present time. "One of the grave dangers that are threatening the Christian Church today is that many who profess to be its members no longer accept the Bible as God's inspired Word. Even among Lutherans strange sounds are sometimes heard regarding this subject. 'There are some Lutheran theologians who find it rather difficult to declare unequivocally their exact position on the doctrine of the verbal inspiration of the Bible. To some of these it seems an unpleasant task to make their position clear, and often the distinction in sounds is such that it is impossible to say what has been piped or harped (1 Cor. 14: 17).' " E. Is the Pope the Antichrist?-The Journal of the American Lutheran Conference, December, 1940, says on page 875: "The early reformers be- lieved the Pope to be the Antichrist. Now, we know that the Pope may have belonged to the antichristian system, but he was not the final Anti- christ. Two reasons suffice. First, the evil Popes have come and gone, and the world still goes on. Secondly, the Popes admitted there was a God, and the final Antichrist will not admit any God besides himself. The final Antichrist wUl be atheistic in spirit. It may be that the final Antichrist will be a Pope who will go farther than any of his predecessors and will claim divinity for himself. "Communism of today fits this description of the final Antichrist better than does the pre-Reformation Papacy. But we are not safe in saying definitely that this prophecy is fulfilled in its entirety today. We cannot tell. We shall not know untU the Son of Man Himself de- scends from heaven with a shout. The final Antichrist may arise from the line of prelates in Rome, a more iniquitous figure than any Reforma- tion Age Pope. It may be that he will arise out of Communism or out of Fascism. Had the end come in Luther's time, Christ would un- doubtedly have considered the Pope as sitting in the temple of God, as the Antichrist. Had Christ come during the eighteenth century, He would have found the spirit of Antichrist in the likes of Voltaire and the Encyclopedists. If Christ comes today, Communism with its opposition to Christianity and to all religion except the worship of Lenin would be the Antichrist. But Christ may postpone His return, and in latter times a more literal fulfilment of the prophecy may be apparent," One statement in the above is correct, that of the opening sentence. The "early reformers" certainly taught that "the Pope is the very Anti- christ." (Smale. Art., n, Art. IV, § 10.) E. 147 Orphaned Missions. - This is a term used to designate those missions in foreign cOWltries which are cut off from their home base. It refers particularly to German and Scandinavian Lutheran missions, which on account of the war can no longer receive supplies from the home Church. That the men and women who carryon the work of these missions are facing or even enduring dreadful sufferings is not surprising. In our Synod moneys are being gathered to help these people in their physical distress. In Lutheran circles outside of the Synodical Conference an agency has been organized called Lutheran World Action. It represents the bodies sponsoring the Lutheran World Convention, and its aim is to assist orphaned missions. Mr. Paul E. Empie, assistant director of the Lutheran World Action, in the News Bulletin of the National Lutheran Council, has published information on conditions in the orphaned mis- sions which we herewith submit to our readers. Mr. Empie writes: "Lutherans in America who are joining together in their efforts to rescue orphaned Lutheran missions are mindful of the dire circumstances existing in these missions and ask us continually with deep concern, 'What are the conditions over there at the present time?' We cannot always answer to their satisfaction. Letters are infrequent, and authentic information is rare. This is a case where the old adage 'No news is good news' does not apply. We know that ordinary channels of com- munication have been cut off, that special eharmels are expensive and uncertain. We think nothing of writing a letter to a friend but should not forget the instance told us during the Emergency Appeal of the missionary in China who had to use his last few pounds of rice in order to purchase an air-mail stamp. Few of us have ever had to count pennies like that! "Two letters from the mission-fields arriving in New York about the beginning of December provide illustrations of the present circumstances. One coming from Canton, China, and signed by a missionary says in part: 'I beg to apologize for not having written to you earlier to express my hearty thanks for the kind assistance which you rendered for the work of the Berlin missionaries in China. . ., May I assure you that without your help we would not have been able to continue our work. Your kind attitude brought us new hope and made us sure of the fellowship of the Christian communion, which cannot be destroyed .... Some time it seemed to us rather hopeless to carryon, as we even had not the minimum to meet our expenses for living, not to say of what the work required. . .. The Chinese people suffer unutterably; starva- tion is quite common and help insufficient.' "The other letter came from the Danish mission at Beirut in Syria, a portion of which was written in late August. The following are extracts from a very lengthy description of the work and conditions: 'You will no doubt be wondering why you do not receive more word from Syria, but perhaps you realized before this that the ordinary mail routes have been interrupted ever since May. Now and then we receive a letter by air mail, but for the most part we are in the dark about what is going on in America. I fear the same may be true of you in reference to us. . .. We were greatly cheered [in receiving a letter] about the aim of the Lutheran Church to secure $20,000 for the year for Syria. 148 Theological Observer - mt~nd)~>13eit\1efd)\d)tHdfe§ You have no idea how happy this word made the Danish missioilaries when we had the privilege of passing it on to them. "'We have received no support from Denmark since the early spring of this year. . •. The medical work has been continued all through the summer by keeping the out-patient department open and taking in the most urgent cases. At the end of the summer vacation the hospital will open normally, and we hope to open all our schools as welL This is made possible only by the willingness of the Syrian mission-workers to begin the new year without any promise of salaries. . .. We hope and pray that God will make it possible for us to continue mission-work here. No other Protestant mission is working here in these parts. "'Bird's Nest is the name of a lovely home by the seashore of Djaubeil, Lebanon. There the Danish Women's Missionary Board has been caring for Armenian children from the most miserable and starving families.' (Here a description is given of the school classes, infirmary and internal routine of this fine institution. - ED.) "'In April this year we suddenly found ourselves cut off from any communication with our native country and ow' Missionary Board. Later we received word through the International Red Cross that it was impossible for them to send US help of any kind; so we had to face the sad task of cutting down the work and perhaps closing the home altogether. . .. We know that every child we are sending out will go back again to misery and suffering of many kinds. . .. Most of the children are sick and undernourished when they come, unable ~ play and laugh; but many of them soon grow healthy and beautiful; it is a joy to see them develop. . .. It has been a very hard task to decide which of our 260 children should be sent out. Again and again each child's case was examined, and about 120 of the oldest were sent to relatives. The family conditions of the rest were such that we could not bear to send them out; we decided to keep them as long as we had something for them to eat. Most of those who were sent out are now in great distress; many of them are again sick and hungry and live mostly in the streets because the street is better than the small, airless hole which is supposed to be th~ir home. They beg us to take them back, and we have already taken some because we could not bear to see their dark, begging eyes filled with tears while clinging to us, ... and constant prayer "Oh, please take me back!" is constantly ringing in our ears. "'It is not uncommon that children drop from the school-bench fainting from hunger. Many of them get only a piece of bread in the morning and stay over in school, having the same and maybe a tiny bit of cheese or a few olives. "'I would like my readers to see for themselves the Armenian refugee camp, with all its huts made up of old rubbish. Each family has only one small room, which serves as bedroom, kitchen, and alL No bedstead is found; all sleep on the floor. Rats and mice are frequent guests. Insects are iImumerable and intolerable. The water is scarce in the summer-time, but in the winter-time the camp is a pool of mud and dirt. But in spite of misery and poverty the Armenians are doing their best to survive and progress.''' Theological Ob,server - .!l'\rd)ltclH3ettoefcf)ict)tltd)ell 149 It is impossible to read messages like the above without being deeply touched. Whatever we can do to alleviate such misery we should not hesitate to undertake. It is true, of course, that we must not assist in the spreading of error; but where there is actual physical suffering, we cannot withhold our help. A. The Situation in .Japan and Korea. - On account of the attitude of the Japanese government Christian missions in Japan and Korea are in great distress. One burden laid upon them is government action which demands that the disunion of Protestant churches cease and that there be one Protestant Church-an action obedienoe to which, it seems, must involve indifference to confessional teachings. The Presbyterian of the South (quoted in the Presbyterian) made this statement: "To anticipate government action, forty Japanese repre- sentatives of various Protestant churches met in Tokyo on August 27, to discuss amalgamation of the different denominations, the cessation of financial help from abroad, the elimination of foreign missionaries, and Japanese missionary work in Manchukuo iinben lJon ~ci:ife£l @itofdj, ber nodj immer l8etueguttg£lfretljeit qat, elienfo roil'. WHffionar mabfid filr Wffam. 31uei @idjroeftern erljieIten btl'. @ldal1fmi£l 5ur miidfeijr tJon mandji aUf ifjre eigenen @itationen, roifl)renb bie anbern in mandji tJerlirewen mUflten. - ~n lJleugl1inea rourbe ber 5-!eiter ber lneuel1bettel~auer l!Riffiol1~arbei!, lill. !SHed, mit tJier anbern l!1liffionaren in ba~ camp in WuftraHen geliradjt, luo fid) fdjOl1 18 anbere 1Initarlieiter liefinben. lUott 27 llRiffionaren ftelJetl nodj 10 in ber Wrlieit, bon ben 11 5-!aienmiffionaren nodj 3. -- \}lUe lDltffionare in miebrdi±nbifelj.~nbien, audj bie ~rate, finb ittternteri, lJerlllutlidj aUf @iu. matra; btl'. !Srauen, roafjrfdjeinHdj audj bie @idjroeftern, finb in mabia an ber :Oftfiifte gemeinfam unteraeliradjt. Wudj bie lDliffionare lJon lJlia£l finb illal)rfdjeinfidj in @5umana interniert. -- ~n ber elJangertfdjen ~amelmiffion in ~ariiftina finb nodj brei beutfdje @5djtlleftern tiftig; ein l!1liffion~el)ejJaar, eine lDlifftonar~frau mit Sfinbern unb aioei @5djl1Jeftern finb elJafuted unb liefinben fielj in ber beutfdjen Si'olonte lillalbijeim in (~aliHi:a. ~n ~ran, roo bie att£lriinbifdjen l:!niffioMfdjuren bem @itaat iiliergeben toerben mUf.ltcn, lineb bie !BHnbenanftart in ben .\>iinben ber djriftrtdjen mnnbenmiffion. -- lDliffionar l!1lartin bon ber IDafIer 1Iniffion, ber in \Engfanb tntetniert roar, fome @lnbe ~uni auf ber Arandora Star nadj ~anaba geliracljt roerbw. SDa~ @5djiff ging in ber ~rifdjen @5ee unter; ber WtiHionar luurbe geretiet. @l~ roirb angenommen, baf.l bie anbet11 IDafIer lDliffionare, ,\;liigele, ~enne unb mleber, bte in @lnglanb internied loaren, andj nadj !.tanaba l1erliradjt roorben finb." \!C.