Full Text for Foreword (Text)

<1tnurnrbitt aJqrnlngirul flnutqly Continuing LEHRE UNO VVEHRE MAGAZIN FUER Ev.-LuTH. HOMILETIK THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLY-THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY Vol. V January, 1934 No.1 CONTENTS Page Foreword. P. E. Kretzmann • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 Die grosse Klnft in der Leme von der Tanfe. J. T. Mueller 9 Beginnings in Indianapolis. H. M. Zorn. • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • 19 The "New Creation" according to Is. 65. L. Aug. Heerboth • • 29 Das Verhaeltnis des Pietismns znm Rationalismns. P. E. Kretzmann • • • • •• 37 Lutherworte ueber Gottesdienst und liturgische Gebraeuche. 45 Long or Short Sermon Texts ~ John H. C. Fritz. • • • • • • • • • • • 52 Outlines for Funeral SermOnS............ . . . . . • . . • . . • • 55 Miscellanea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • • • • 58 Theological Observer. - Xirchlich·Zeitgeschichtliches. . • • 63 Book Review. - Literatur. . . .. . .. . . . . . . .. . .. • .. .. .. . . 73 EID Predfger mU88 nicht alleln weldy on Galatians and the so-called Grosse Gene'8is, the concluding work of his thorough study of the Bible. What a treasure we have in the ten volumes of our edition which contain Luther's exegetical writings! And what a wealth of further expository material is found in his sermons, the House Postil as well as the Ohurch Postil, and also in the excursus in some of his polemical writings! Luther was a great theologian also in the field of systematic theology. True, he left to his spiritual posterity no book on dog- matics, and it may be that his humility caused him to refrain from writing ex professo in this field after Melanchthon had published his Loci, which the older man praises so highly. Nevertheless we find Luther the master also of this department of theology in his cat- echisms (including his introduction to his Deutsche Messe and his other preliminary writings), in the Schwabacher and Marburger ar- ticles, precursors of the Augustana, in his Smalcald Articles, as well as in many of his monographs, of which the greatest, in his own esti- mation, is De Servo Arbitrio, "Of the Bondage of the Will," against Erasmus. To this group belong above all many of his Disputationes, from those against Scholasticism and those against indulgences of the year 1517 to those of the Unity of the Divine Essence in 1545. 8 Foreword. What an opportunity for the Lutheran theologian who desires to grow in the knowledge of the truth! Luther was prominent, in the third place, in the field of historical theology, Some of his books show an amazing familiarity with every period of church and also of secular history. To name only two of his monographs, his Of the Babylonian Oaptivity of the Ohurch and Of Oouncils and Ohurches contain some of the clearest expositions of historical data to be found in all literature. One can certainly learn from Luther also in this respect. And as for the fourth division of theology, that of practical theology, Luther's writings are a veritable fountain of sound infor- mation, of principles correctly stated and applied. He was a master of sound homiletics, as his sermons prove, of catechetics, as his cat- echetical writings demonstrate, of pastoral theology, as, for example, the collection made by Porta indicates. His ability in the field of hymnology was as amazing as his translation of the Bible, and the incentive which he furnished has not spent its force in the Lutheran Ohurch to this day. His monographs in the field of liturgics, together with the many incidental references to this branch of theology, are fundamental for the understanding of true Lutheran worship as an adiaphoron, wisely controlled, to the present time. Even in the field of church polity Luther was a master, as his many excellent exposi- tions show, even though he could not apply the pl'inciples which he found so clearly set forth in Scriptures, circumstances at that time not being favorable to the establishment of independent and autono- mous congregations. If we therefore, in this anniversary year of the completion of the German Bible, remind every Lutheran theologian of the work of Luther, if we call attention to the motto "Baek to Luther!" it is not with the object of according to a mere man an honor which should not be given to any human being, but it is to recognize in Luther God's own instrument in bringing about the reformation of His Ohurch and to call men back to the study of the Bible, which was the secret of Luther's remarkable power and success. But his example will be of value only in the measure in which the Lutheran theologians of to-day also follow his method, so that they do not lose themselves in the maze of extraneous material, abstruse technicalities, and inconsequential details, but make the study of the Bible the chief part of their work. And let this be said by way of conclusion: Even as Luther studied the original languages of the Bible in order to penetrate more deeply into the meaning of the divine truth, although he was largely self-taught, so must we also study these languages and the German of Luther if we want to get his spirit. No Lutheran theologian can afford to dispense with at least a good reading knowl- edge of Luther's German, the language in which most of his books 5Die Iltube SUuft in bet .\.)e~te bun bet 5taufc. 9 were written and in which they set out on their victorious march through Germany and almost all the countries of the world. With this spirit to lead us, under God's guidance, we may look forward to new victories of the Gospel. P. E. KRETZMANN. SJie grD~e SUuft iu ber £eijre tJlm ber :taufe. 1. ~uf3erft in±ereffant unb fjiidjft toidjtig finb bie jett immer fjiiufiger toerbenben $eridjie frber bie fogenann±en "maffentaufen", bie nameni~ ridj unfern miffionaren aUf neuen 2frliei±§geliie±en bergiinnt finb. mit ber @5adje berfjiirt e§ fidj f 0: fommen miffionare ober 9teif el'rebiger in ein neue§ miffion§geliiet, fo madjen fie regefmiii3ig S)au§oefudje. Stiaoei finben fie benn "ganae maffen" bon SHnbern, bie nidj± getauft finb . .;sn bieIen l'SiiIIen Taffen fidj bie (frtern aur :;raufe ifjrer SHnber oetoegen, unb fo gefdjiefjt e§, bai3 oft an einem einaigen @5onntag breif3ig, bieraig, ja fUnfaig unb nodj mefjr Sl!inber unb junge 2eute getauft toerben. ~{udj in georbneien ~arodjien madjen ~aftoren biefelbe (Zrfafjrung, fo baf3 auclj ba "IDlaffentaufen" borlommen, namentriclj in ben groi3en @5tiibien, too man bie ~arodjie gefjiirig nadj miffion§maierial abfudj±. Stiie (frfliirung fUr bief e (Zrf cljeinung ift nidjt f djtoer au finben . .;sn ben @5eftengemeinfdjaften unfer§ 2anbe§ i1± bie :;raufe fo gut toie gefaIIen. Stiie ~rebiger fiimmern fidj nidjt barum, 00 bie Sl!inber ge~ tauft toerben ober nicljt, unb ba§ gemeine ~on toeii3 iloerfjaupt nidjt meqr, toa§ e§ mit ber fjeiHgen :;raufe aUf fidj fjat. @So toadjfen benn unaiifjlige Sl!inber ofjne :;raufe ljeran, unb tod! bann flJiitcr noclj ber djrif±Iiclje llnterrid)t auf§ f djmiiljHd)fte bernacrMHigt toirb, f 0 erfIiirt e§ ficlj, toie e§ lommt, .bat toir in unferm 2anbe fedjaig miIIionen ~erfonen ljaben, bie giinaIidj firdjIo§ finb. Stiiefe undjriftIidje ~ernadjriiHigung ber ljeiHgen :;raufe mag man aum grot en :;reiI bet ljeut3utage ilberaII ljier3ulanbe graHiercnben @Seudje be§ moberni§mu§ auldjreiben. 5Eler moberni§mu§ ift niimlidj aofoluter %lofaII bon ®oite§ )fiort unb ilieloetoutte 9teoeIIion bagegen. @5ein ganae§ $eftreben geljt tarauf fjin, bie djriftridje 2efjre mit aIIem, toa§ baau gefjiirt, ilU avrogieren. man fjat ifjn bafjer gana mit 9tcdjt bie "grote 9teboIution" genannt. '2.Hier ber moberni§mu§ ern±d nur, toa§ ber 2toingliani§mu§ gefiii fjat. 5Eler moberniftifdje 9tationali§mu§ ift nur !onfequent burdjgeffrfjrter wlbiniftifdjer 9tationaIi§mu§. Stier llnglauoe, ber in ben moberniftifcljen $frdjcrn unb @5djriften in OCi}ug aUf ben locus De mediis gratiae aum 2fu§brucf fommi, finbd fidj fCfjon toefentridj in 2toingli§ Fidei Ratio. (Z§ ift niitig, bat toir un§ bier e :;ratf adje bergegentoiirtigen, um bor bem "anbern ®ei1±" aUf ber S)u± au fein, ben feIof± tie fjeutigen calbiniftifdjen l'SunbamentaHften an ber Sl!appe ±ragen. ~udj tie veften reformierten