Full Text for CTM Theological Observer 5-5 (Text)

Q!nutnr~ttt ml1tnlngttttl .nut~ly Coutiuuiug LEHRE UND WEHRE MAGAZIN FUER Ev.-LuTH. HOMILETIK THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLY. THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY Vol. V May, 1934 No.5 CONTENTS Page Die rechte Mitte in del' Liturgie und Ordnung des Gottes- dienstes. L. Fuerbringer . . . • . . . . . . • • . • . • • . • • • • • • • . • .• 337 The Story of the German Bible. P. E. Kretzmann. • • • • . . • • •• 344 ZUl' Lehre von del' Reue. Th. E n(elder • • . • • • • . . . . • . • • • . .. 369 Sermons and Outlines. .. . . .. .. .. .. . . . . .. . . .. .. .. . .... 382 Miscellanea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 388 Theological Observer. - Kirchlich-Zeitgeschichtliches .... 394 Book Review. - Literatur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 409 Ein P rtdfgel' musa nicht alleln w..wu.., al80 W3 er die Schafe untenreise, wie sie rechte Christen aollen &ein, aondem auch daneben den Woelfen weAren, dass 'rie die Bchaf n1cht angreifen und mit fa1t,cber Lebre yerluebren nnd Irrtum eln· fuebren. - L ulhe·. Es at keln Ding, das die Leute mehr bei der Kirche bebaelt denn die gute Predigt. - Apologia, ..trl. ~ If the trumpet give an uncertain Bound, who sba U prepare himself to the battle f J Cor. If, 8. Published for the Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States CONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE, St. Louis, Ko. ARCHIV 394 Theological Observer. - Stird)fid):,tJeitgefd)idjtridjes. Theological Observer. - ~itdjndj.geit!lefdjidjtndje~. I. 2lmerika. Has Science Arrived at Bankruptcy? - For those of our readers to whom the Ohristian Oentury is inaccessible we submit the chief thoughts of a lengthy editorial which appeared in the January 24, 1934, number of this journal under the caption "The Revolt against Science." President Hutchins of Chicago University is quoted as saying in his address at the December convocation of the University: "We do not know where we are going or why, and we have almost given up the attempt to find out. We are not disturbed because the keys which were to open the gates of heaven have led us into a larger, but more oppressive prison-house. We think those keys were science and the free intelligence of man. They have failed us. We have long since cast off God. To what can we now appeal? The answer comes in the undiluted animalism of the last works of D. H. Lawrence, in the emotionalism of demagogs, in Hitler's scream 'We think with our blood.'" The editorial continues quoting some more statements which President Hutchins made. "Fact-gathering," says Mr. Hutchins, "has reduced scholar- ship to triviality. We have been diverted from the task of understanding our facts. 'Modern empirical science, which in origin was the application of mathematics to experience by means of measurement and experiment, has come in recent exposition to be considered exclusively an affair of experiment and measurement.' 'During the nineteenth century and since we have been flinging piles of green wood on the fire and have almost succeeded in putting it out. Now we can hardly see through the smoke.' Mr. Hutchins proposes what seems in effect to be a return to the deduc- tive method. What he calls 'rational analysis' is, he insists, in defiance of Francis Bacon, logically prior to empirical operations. 'Rational thought is the only basis of education and research.' 'Our bewilderment has resulted from our notion that salvation depends on information.' 'Rational analysis flnds and orders abstractions which can be organized into systems, and it is by recognition or application of these systems in con- crete material that we understand things in nature.'" In another paragraph of our editorial the following comments on President Hutchins's address are submitted: "The president of at least one great American university thus takes his stand with those critics of our 'scientific' civilization who penetrate clear through to the cause of our cultural ills. Though his emphasis is expressed with originality and courage, he is not alone. For a generation the leaven of the same protest has been working in the body of Western culture. Voices like those of Chesterton and Beloc from the Roman Catholic side, like T. S. Eliot and Lawrence Hyde in the field of criticism, like the humanistic school of Irving Babbitt and Paul Elmer More, like Prof. A. E. Taylor and the late Bishop Gore as the finest representatives of the Anglo-Catholic movement, like Professors Whitehead and Wieman and Tilich and Reinhold Nie- buhr, - such voices, despite much dissonance when they all speak at once, are nevetheless in essential unison on the major matter, namely, that the Theological Observer. - ~itd)lid)~.8eitgefd)id)Uid)es. 395 method of science, as it has been standardized by the special sciences, falls tragically short of yielding results worthy of the power of human in- telligence. The revolt against science has been gathering force for a long time. It is not a revolt which would destroy science, but which would put it in its true place and save both science and culture from the fallacy and tyranny of irresponsible experimentalism. There is a given element in human life; it is given in science no less than in other forms of ex- perience. Science cannot get on without it, and our greatest scientists, like Eddington and Compton and Jeans, are recognizing this given element in terms of the great human presuppositions which underlie the most rigorous scientific method. . .. For a culture uncritically to relax the bonds of its own self-identity and to put itself at the mercy of the spirit of irresponsible experimentation is to vitiate experimentation and lose its own soul. It is intellectual wantonness. Yet our ·Western culture, in its enthusiasm for experimental science, has followed the lure of this siren . . . . We can look back to the period when science seemed about to over- whelm our culture with an avalanche of materialism. Happily that day is gone. But the false naturalism which succeeded it is still with us, a naturalism which reduces the supreme expression of nature, namely, our cultural values, to the biological factors into which scientific analysis thinks it can resolve them. Scientific sociology has been dominated by this fallacy. . .. Thousands of parents of high-school and college youth are in revolt against an educational system which robs their sons and daughters of that fine sense of devotion to the cultural values which fill life with significance. . .. The mediocrity of the mine-run of our scholars is becoming apparent. Many of them are no better oriented in the world of culture than the barber across the street from the college campus. Their lack of any high awareness of the nobility of life is beginning to be rec- ognized. They are not to be harshly blamed. They are themselves the product of an educational system which worships at the shrine of a trun- cated seience, and they do not know the treasures which tradition and art and religion have carried down the centuries and laid in our laps." -The editor thinks that this revolt against science will arouse resentment among scientists, and he fears, in addition, that it will give comfort to Funda- mentalists. It certainly does demonstrate that anybody who considers science an infallible guide is certain to be disillusioned sooner or later. The editorial concludes with a thought about which we should not remain silent: "The supremely important fact about all these elements of our religion is that they belong to the cultural heritage which we have received, whatever may be their source or the route by which we have received them. Our religion is what it is. We shall never deal adequately with it till we see it, not as a theology nor an ecclesiology, but as a cultus, a phase, and the most radical and creative phase, of our total culture. Our theology deals with religion on a too narrow basis. It assumes that the creeds must be proved; otherwise they are false." This is saying that it does not matter whether what we believe is true or not, that the only question must be whether it is satisfying and helpful. From such a view, which is really nothing but the old skepticism, hiding behind barricades of emotionalism, may God mercifully preserve us! A. 396 Presbyterians Not "Extreme Fundamentalists." - Ohristianity To-day firmly repudiates the charge that Presbyterians who are loyal to the Westminster Confession of Faith are "extreme Fundamentalists" and suggests as a more appropriate designation the term "consistent con- servatives." In many respects the editorial voices our own sentiment and OpInIOn. "Ve quote the editorial in part: "This paper (Ohristw,nity To- day) is not an organ of 'Fundamentalists' unless it be understood that the word is used in its broad sense as an antonym of the word 'Modernism.' In that sense we are 'Fundamentalist' and rejoice to be classed as such. 'Modernism,' in any of its consistent forms of expression, we look upon as a form of religious thought and life that lack everything distinctive of real Christianity. This means, therefore, that, when employed in this broad sense, the word 'Fundamentalist' includes all those who hold to the Christianity of Christ and His apostles as it found expression in the Bible and as it has found more or less adequate statement in the great historic creeds. It is true of course that the word is often used in a narrower sense, as when it is used, for instance, to designate those who belong to the World's Fundamentals Association and who regard the brief creed of that or some similar organization as adcqute. We have great sympathy for 'Fundamentalists' in this less inclusive sense of the word and rejoice in their testimony to the Bible and the Gospel it con- tains. In our judgment their testimony is not so much false as in- adequate. It seems to us that we stand for all they stand for, and more. Be that as it may, what we stand for is the Reformed faith as it has found expression in the Westminster Confession of Faith. "Ve stand not merely for the five doctrines in that confession that the Auburn Affirm a- tionists have denied or declared unessential, but for that confession as a whole. In all heartiness and sincerity we have accepted that Con- fession of Faith as containing the system of doctrine taught in Holy Scripture. . .. Rather it seems to us the fullest and most adequate statement that has as yet come from the hand of man of all that enters into the substance of, and gives content to, the religion we profess and which must be conserved if evangelical Christianity is not only to persist, but in some measure to conquer the world. "It is hardly necessary to add that we regard ourselves as 'extreme conservatives' as little as we do 'extreme Fundamentalis.' We do not object to be called 'conservatives.' We admit the charge. What we deny is that the genuine 'conservative' is a reactionary standpatter. Rather we claim that 'conservatism' is a condition of true progress_ The trouble with the so-called 'progressive,' as a rule, is that he does not discriminate between motion and progress. Moreover, it should be remembered that, while the 'conservative' thinks of Christianity as a 'deposit,' as 8, faith 'once for all delivered to the saints,' he thinks of it at the same time as a dynamic, as an energizing force, in human life. The Christ in whom he trusts is not an inert Christ, and the Christianity he professes is not a quiescent thing, but an omnipotent energy that will continue to turn and overturn until all the promises of God are fulfilled. It would be more accurate, we think, to call us consistent conservatives. That at least is what we seek to be. It is a consistent body of truth, not a hodge- podge that meets us in the Westminster standards." J. T. M. Theological Observer. - .Ritdjndj~Seitgefdjidjt1idjes. 397 H;ow. the Chiliasts Interpret Scripture. - The favorite method of chiliasts is literalism. VVill the Jews as a nation be converted and be invested with the leadership of the Church of the Millennium? Surely; for it is written: "He shall assemble the outcasts of Israel and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth," Is. 11, 12. Occasionally, however, where the plain meaning of the text is unacceptable, a more heroic method is employed - a more fitting word is substituted. "And so all Israel shall be saved," Rom. 11, 26, is made to read: And then all Israel shall be saved. Then, again, anything is made to mean anything. That is the method used by Dr. J. H. Ford for the pur- pose of proving his case for the Jews. He writes: "The greatest sign of all is the Jew, who is once more in the center of the picture and who is evidently moving to his ancient homeland, Palestine. The Jew is the miracle of the ages and has been on the verge of annihilation many times; but it is God's purpose that the Jew is to become a blessing to all genera- tions after the restitution of all things. Among the trees of the Bible the fig-tree is th-e national symbol tor Israel. Jesus says: 'When his branch is tender and putteth forth leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh. So likewise ye, when ye see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. This generation [Greek, race] shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled.''' That is worthy of Origen at his best. And the IAi-theran Companion (Feb. 10, 1934) saw fit to publish it. - What would Dr. Ford make of Matt. 21, 19 in this connection? E. University Pastor Deposed for Alleged Heresy. - The theological fitness of Rev. Donald H. Stewart to serve as student-pastor of the Presby- terian Church at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, has stirred the commonwealth of Virginia and the Southeast somewhat deeply. The West Hanover presbytery meeting in Charlottesville, December 12, 1933, served notice on Mr. Stewart and all concerned that good works and an attractive presentation of the Christian message alone were not enough. Not by a long recital of historic confessions was it enough! The presbytery voted 30 to 6 to rescind a recent action putting Mr. Stewart on probation for one year in the university pastorate and declared his theological views on such questions as the Virgin Birth, the bodily resurrection of Christ, and the inspiration of Scripture to be out of harmony with historic Presbyte- rian dogmas. The withdrawal of :Mr. Stewart was set for January 1. He came to the university from Birmingham, Ala., where he had been reported in good standing. "The case was brought to light for the second time since last October, and final drastic action was taken upon the insistence of the Presbyterian church of Covington, Va., that it be relieved of the responsibility of con- tributing to the salary of the university pastor, which the presbytery had agreed to share in raising. "A similar case in the Southern Presbyterian Church was noted in the university town of Chapel Hill, N. C., last year." - Christian Century. The Church of Jesus Christ or "St. Blank's Club House." -In a recent issue of the Lutheran, Pastor D. G. Jaxheimer of Freeport, N. Y., in an article "Happily Busy," writes, among other things: "Jesus Christ has laid upon His followers a definite type of work and witnessing, and if the Church fails to do it, no one under the sun will do it, and the light 398 Theological Observer. - .feircl)licl),,Beitgefcl)icl)tHcl)e§. of the Gospel is hid under a bushel, and the salt is good for nothing. Sin is committed by reason of the fact that the real work of the Church remains undone while our women stand over the boiling pots of our church kitchens or lean over a card-table for hours, and our people gather to split their sides over the vaudeville attempts of our young people. If this practise is to continue, we may as well be frank with ourselves and change the names of our churches to read 'St. Blank's Club House.' This may be putting the matter too strongly, but I feel strongly about it. The Church is due for a complete overhauling of its methods and practises and perhaps a thorough shaking up of its organizational life to conform to its God-given task. More emphasis must be put upon our Leaching program, if we have one. The Century of Progress in Chicago reminds us of how far our moral and spiritual advance has lagged behind the scientific and industrial march. We will never effectively impress our people with the spiritual ideals of Christ nor permeate our communities with the spirit of Jesus nor inject noticeably into the political, economic, and social life of our times the leaven of justice, righteousness, and love by our present methods. Instead of wasting the time of our workers on trivialities and confusing the work of the Church, we ought to be training them, however small the group at first, for the spiritual job of soul-winning. If this is not the Church's business, whose is it? . .. You recall how the Augean stables, according to the legend, contained 3,000 oxen and how they had not been cleaned for thirty years. Hercules in a single day cleaned them and accomplished the seemingly impossible task by turning the river .Alpheus through them. The Church of Jesus Christ in these days is due for an .Augean cleansing. Right-thinking leaders in our churches will have to be Herculeses to turn the purifying and purging rivers of water through the mess of worldly and unchurchly practises that have gathered for years on the floors of our church activities. Without it the Church will not measure up adequately to its God-given task and mission to lead the world to righteousness and salvation. But it will not be done in a single day. This kind of program requires of pastors a willingness to· endure persecution and unpopularity. It requires searching prayer, work, and everlasting push. We must be patient, but persistent." J. H. C. F. Dr. Macartney's Tribute to Luther. - Dr. Clarence E. Macartney, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, known to our readers as an outstanding protagonist of Fundamentalism, recently toured Ger- many. .After his return he paid this high tribute to Luther in the Pres- byterian: "Luther was a man sent of God, a world-shaker, such as makes his appearance only a few times in the history of the world. 'rhe two great doctrines which he rediscovered and loosed upon the world were, first of all, the Scriptures as the final authority for the Christians and, second, justification by faith alone, but not by faith which is alone. To-day the Protestant Church stands in sore need of a reemphasis and rediscovery of those two great Reformation propositions. When Luther said, 'Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. So help me God,' he was taking his stand npon the Scriptures. But where does the Protestant Church to-day stand as to the Scriptures? Does it stand anywhere? .And when the authority of the Scriptures is gone, all that we have is a vague 'I think so.' Human Theological Observer. - ~itd)nd)~,(leitllefd)id)tfid)es. 399 wisdom and speculation is a poor substitute for a 'Thus saith the Lord.' The other great doctrine of Protestantism, salvation by faith alone, that, too, seems to be in a bad way to-day. The Roman Church, by its abuse ,of the doctrine of repentance and penance, had established the idea that men are saved by their acts of penance, by their prayers, by the ministry 'of their priests, by the intervention of the Virgin, and, worst of all, by money given for papal indulgences. Theologically [?] the Roman Church 'has always taught salvation by the merit of Christ's death; but practically in Luther's day the above was true. Hence the mighty protest of the Reformation. Now Protestantism, born out of the doctrine of salvation by grace, by faith alone, has been turning more and more back again to the weak and beggarly elements, the ill-favored doctrine of salvation by works. This time not penance and indulgence and pilgrimages, but works 'of charity and philanthropy and personal character and integrity. This is just as false as the other. 'When we have done what we ought,' said Jesus, 'we are unprofitable servants.' The Luther commemoration will have done the Church good if it shall bring us back to a contemplation ,of that soul-stirring truth, that tIle sinner is saved by his trust in the infinite mercy of God, vouchsafed unto us in the death of His eternal Son." Evidently Dr. Macartney has gained much by his trip to "Luther land." Tet in his fine statement there is one sentence which has kept us guessing. It is said that Luther taught "justification by faith alone, but not .by faith whioh is alone." Both quotations are correct; only Dr. Luther never com- bined them as Dr. Macartney does. When dealing with justification, Luther taught; "We are justified by faith alone," and ther'e he stopped. vVhen treating of sanctification, Luther said: "Justifying faith is never alone"; that is to say, justifying faith always proves itself by fruits, or good works. But Luther always kept justification and sanctification apart. If the two clauses are combined as they are above, they may be misunder- stood in the sense of the papistic fides caritate tormata, or that faith is rendered effective by works. vVe doubt whether Dr. JliIacartney thus wished to misinterpret Luther, but the point is nevertheless worth calling at- tention to. J. T. M. Immortality Attacked and Defended. - An exchange relates that a prominent official of Columbia University, New York, Dr. Howard Lee McBain, dean of the graduate faculties of the university, recently in an address spoke of immortality as an "unproved fact" and asserted that "the certainty of an after-life would have graver and more devastating effects upon us than the certainty of extinction." Another contention of the dean's was that through the advance of science, belief in immortality had lost much ground. Bishop JliIanning, the Episcopal leader in New York, took up the challenge and the Sunday following the delivery of the dean's address preached a sermon on "Immortality." We quote these paragraphs from the sermon, which was based on the words of Paul: "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead?": "The suggestion is sometimes made that all people of intelligence or all real scholars have given up their Christian belief; but a mere roll-call of the Christian scholars and thinkers of the world would be sufficient answer to a statement of that kind, and we must remember also that the deepest things of God and the human soul are often hidden from the wise and 400 Theological Observer. - .Ritd)lid)~.8eitgefd)id)md)e!J. prudent and revealed unto babes. It is true that we cannot prove the fact of immortality by logical demonstration; but this does not in the least detract from its credibility, as, of course, we all know. None of the great ultimate facts of life can be proved by argument; but all sane people accept them nevertheless. All material science relies ultimately on assumptions which cannot be proved. Science acts on these assumptions and accepts them as facts because they fit in with all that we know of the universe. It is so with the fact of immortality. It fits in with all that we know of God, of the world, and of ourselves. It gives us the key to our whole experience of life, its disciplines, its training and development of character, its sufferings, its joys, and its sorrows. In the light of immortality our life has purpose and meaning. There is no ade- quate or satisfying or reasonable philosophy of life if we limit our view to our brief existence in this world. No God and no future! Then those blessed relationships of life and fellowship which we are forming in our lives here are to end only in blank hopelessness and crushing grief. If this life is all that is given to man, who can blame him if he says, 'It is all meaningless; let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die'? Then, why should life not end in a suicide pact such as we have just read of in the case of two students of this university? It is God, our Oreator, who has woven this hope of immortality into our souls. And to this hope, which He has planted in us, God gives the answer, a perfect and complete answer, in Jesus Ohrist." A. A New Fuudamentals Association. - The SundaY-8chool Times re- ports the organization of a New Fundamentals Association in Victoria, B. O. The movement was launched in December, 1933, under the name of Victoria Evangelical Association and is strongly supported by the Rev. G. F. Oox, the "fighting Fundamentalist" of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in Vancouver. The objects of the new association are described as follows: Aggressive personal and mass evangelism, the presentation and defense of the evangelical faith, the holding of meetings in the interest of spreading the Ohristian truths, circulation of confessional Ohristian literature, and above all the securing of central halls to give prominence to the visits of outstanding Ohristian speakers in 'Vestern cities. - The doctrinal basis of the New Fundamentals Association embraces the following truths: The full divine inspiration, authority, and sufficiency of the Bible as the Word of God; the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, with emphasis on the personality of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; the Virgin birth and deity of the Lord Jesus Ohrist; the fall of man; his consequent moral depravity and the necessity of regeneration for salvation; the substitutionary atonement of the Lord Jesus Ohrist upon the cross and His physical resurrection; election by sovereign grace, justification by faith alone, redemption through faith in the blood of our Lord Jesus Ohrist; the regenerating and sanc- tifying work of the Holy Spirit; the priesthood of all believers; the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Ohrist; the resurrection of the body, of the just to eternal life and of the unjust to eternal punishment. The sharp emphasis on doctrine here voiced, is truly gratifying; yet we deplore that no word is said about the function and efficacy of the means of grace, which Holy Scripture teaches so clearly. Quite manifestly the doctrinal platform of the Victoria Evangelical Association is strictly Oalvinistic. Theological Observer. - ,reitdjTidj'3eitgefdjid)mdjes. 401 "Election by sovereign grace" then means absolute election, and the "second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" is His supposed "millennial advent," which practically all Calvinistic Fundamentalists advocate. The cleavage between confessional Lutheranism and Calvinistic :Fundamentalism which showed itself at Marburg continues to this day. J. T. M. Higher Criticism. - The following letter appeared in the correspon- dence column of the Living Ghurch, January 13, 1934:- "To THE EDITOR: Fr. Simpson has given a very interesting account of the so-called results of the so-called higher criticism [L. G., November 4]_ It is not too much to say that, if the view that Fr. Simpson, speaking for the cTitics, sets forth is true, the Old Testament is nothing but one gigan- tic lie. This is in substance admitted by our author when he says: 'The history of the nation was rewritten to enforce this lesson,' etc. And again: ' ... and the prophets [were] thus erroneously represented as alternating their oracles of doom with messages proclaiming the future glory of the nation.' "The rock on which this whole 'critical' system shivers is archeology. Throughout its whole career this science has been constantly demonstrating the extreme accuracy of the Old Testament. Beginning with the 'critics' of seventy-five years ago, who said that Sargon, as mentioned by Isaiah, was a myth, the very first discovery of archeology was the palace of that same Sargon! . . . "Another curious thing about the 'critics' is their exceedingly limited outlook. Beyond their main interest in the ejection of anything super- natural and their method of pulling texts to pieces they seem unable to see anything. . . . "The Old Testament as a whole is great literature, probably [!] the world's greatest literature. According to Fr. Simpson, representing the 'critics,' the bulk of this came from some unknown men among a small body of oppressed exiles and amid a still smaller body of returned and almost equally oppressed exiles (see Nehemiah, for example 9,36.37) and was writtcn with a conscious effort to deceive. It is not so that great literatures are written. They come from the living impact of genius upon the circumstances of its times .... "Or, again, - that same inability to see values, - take the Ten Com- mandments. One has only to open any treatise of moral theology written by any Catholic theologian, and by many another moralist besides, to find that these Ten Words lie at the very basis of all moral sciencc. Did these Ten Words, with their profound moral insight, come from a wandering shepherd of a nomad tribe, or did they come from the majestic Source from which the Catholic Church has always believed? "And this brings us to anotller defect of the 'higher critics': their rejection of all divine revelation. Fr. Simpson is not quite consistent with himself in this article, but he represents the critical point of view well enough in this sentence (and other): 'There the spiritual leaders of the nation worked out a thorough and far-reaching reformation. Forced by their contact with other peoples, who made great claims for their gods, they thought out the implications of thei1' faith.' (Italics ours.) Truly, a pretty poor substitute for 'Thus saith the Lord'! It is part of the Catholic faith that the Holy Ghost ' ... spake by the prophets.' And, on 26 402 Theological Observer. - .Ritd)!id)~8eitgefd)id)tnd)e~. the face of it, it is asking a good deal to believe that the Eternal Word could, and did, utter no word on earth until His infant cry at Bethlehem. This objection, of course would not appeal to a 'critic,' but should appeal to a Catholic. . .. (Rev.) Edwin D. Weed, Duluth, Minn." What the Pope Thinks of Protestantism. - "The New York Times, in its issue of January 28, reported the gist of an address delivered by Pope Pius XI to a delegation of Roman Catholics in which the Pontiff pointed to the enemies of pure religion. Among them were Communism and materialism. But the worst foe, the Pope is reported to have said, is Protestant proselytism, because it misleads the people into dependence on a form of godliness of which the substance is lacking. One realizes once more that Romanism never changes, and one regrets that Pius XI ... should not merely have linked Protestants with atheists and materialists, but should have appraised them as more harmful to the kingdom of God. The statement reaches the American people in the midst of wide-spread efforts to assuage bigotry, and almost on the day when a commission con- sisting of prominent Catholics, Protestants, and Jews returned to New York after a transcontinental speaking tour 'in the interest of better rela- tions among these groups.' Neighborliness among Protestants and Catholics will not be improved when this papal statement is read in Roman Catholic parishes. And yet it should not long surprise anyone who has given a little attention to the teachings of Rome concerning herself." (The Lu- theran, Feb. 8, 1934.) What surprises one is that, when representatives of these three religions are sought to take part in a "forum" or a similar conference, prominent Catholics are always found who are ready to do their part. In view of the fact that the Papacy hates nothing so much as the chief doctrine of Protestantism, justification by faith alone (see Oanons and Decrees of the Ooundl of Tr-ent, Session VI, Canons IX, X, XI, XII) and in view of the fact that every intelligent Catholic must know his catechism and the mind of the Pope, it is surprising that Catholic men are always found who are ready to serve at these gatherings. And these affairs must also cause great surprise to the bishops, archbishops, and the Pope. They know that the Protestant members of the conferences are acquainted with the Canons of Trent and the pronouncements of the Popes up to 1934. It certainly must surprise the bishops to find these Protestant theologians willing to recognize the Pope as their spiritual brother. E. Unionistic Practises. -In the Minneapolis Journal of February 12 appears the following announcement: "Preparations for the observance of Lent, which begins Wednesday, have been completed by many church groups. More than one hundred Protestant pastors of Minneapolis will assemble at 8 A. M. Wednesday for a day of spiritual fellowship in Grace Lutheran Church, Delaware and Harvard streets, S. E. "Dr. J. A. O. Stub of Central Lutheran Church will lead an opening service of meditation and prayer, and Dr. Charles N. Pace, district super- intendent of the Methodist Episcopal Church, will present a Lenten message." We have frequently called attention to such gross unionistic practises of pastors of the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America and of pastors of other churches which are mem'bers of the American Lutheran Conference. Theological Observer. - .reitd)1id)'8eitgefd)id)md)e~. 403 Up to this time we have not heard of any discipline or criticism of such practises, and we are obliged to believe that they are becoming a fixed policy in the American Lutheran Conference. Dr. J. A. O. Stub is a very promi- nent pastor in the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America, being the pastor of the largest church of that denomination in Minneapolis. There should be no question as to what attitude members of the Synodical Con- ference ought to take toward these churches. That they are going the way of the Reformed Churches cannot be truthfully denied. J. E. T., in Luthera,n Sentinel. Nielsen to Return to China. - Undaunted by six months as a pris- oner of Chinese bandits last year, Dr. Niels Nielsen, missionary physician and graduate of the University of Minnesota, is planning to return to his station at Siu Yen, Manchukuo, this year. Dr. Nielsen was captured by bandits in April of last year and held for 196 days. A ransom of $170,000 was asked, but finally he obtained his release by the payment of about $4,000 to discontented guards. - Ohristian Oentu,ry. Controversy on Barth. - If the contention which is voiced at times is correct, that one of the marks of a great man is that there is a disputc about the meaning of his utterances, then Professor Barth of Germany is entitled to the appellation of a great man. Some time ago the Ohristian Oentury published an article by Prof. Henry Nelson Wieman, weU-known religious philosopher of the University of Chicago, who somewhat critically reviewed an English translation of sermons preached by Barth and Thurneysen. This review was attacked in the February 28 issue of the Ohristian Oentury, the champions of Barth being William Pauck of Chicago Theological Seminary and E. G. Homrighausen of a Reformed church in Indianapolis, Indiana.. Professor Wieman was shown the criticisms of his review and wrote a rejoinder, which is published in the same number. Here, then, you have a sort of symposium on Barth. The point in Pro- fessor Wieman's review which is especially objected to is the charge that Barth indulges in "day-dreams" cut off from "every test of truth" in "sub- jective states of feeling." The following paragraph will best bring out Professor Wieman's view: "When a man holds as true that which he be- lieves and claims it is revealed to him by God and makes that an excuse for absolute dogmatism, repudiating every test of reason and evidence, he is opening the gates to witch-hunting, superstition, Spanish Inquisition, fanatical cruelty done in the name of God, all that bloody horror into which men have fallen when they have cast out the tests of reason and intelligence and claimed that their beliefs and impulses were beyond ques- tion because they were God's very own. That way leads back to the shambles of religious bigotry and the nightmare of torturing beliefs and practises which we have so hardly escaped." In another paragraph he says: "Certainly the Church has struggled with the problem of the right verification of its claims. In so far as we of the Church do that, our procedure is worthy of respect and honor. But my whole criticism of Barth was precisely that he does not struggle with this problem. He repudiates the problem of verification. He pours scorn and contempt on any attempt to verify. 'God reveals Himself,' says Barth, 'and our verifi- cation has nothing to do with it." There seems. to be a good deal of truth 404 Theological Observer. - ~itcf)ncf)~8eitgefcf)icf)tricf)es. in what Professor Wieman says. If Barth took his stand on the inviolable Scriptures, he could repudiate what is here alleged against him - un- willingness to verify his message. But he himself disavows the infallibility of the Bible, and hence he is theologizing without a foundation. A. II. ,l.u5itmll • .8nitiinllc nnll )80tfolUlUniffe in bet ~etttidjen ~l1angclifdjelt ~itdjc. ,,~urdj )8erfilgnng be§ )Bifdjof§ bon )Bedin, D. Sfarolu§, bom 27. :;sanuar 1934 luurbe bem zsilqrer be§ jj3faner~lJl:otbunbe§, ~farrer ~JCar±in lll:ie~ miiller, ~aqrem, auf \'fnorbnung be§ !)teidj§bifdjof§ ... borHiufig bie ~ru§~ ilbung feiner nmt§gcfdjiifie un±n:iagt. ~er )Bruberrai be§ ®efamt~jj3farrer~ lll:o±bunbe§ er~ob gegen hiefe j8erfilgung gefdjloffen @:infprudj unb erfliirte, baB er in feiner iilleife in ber Eage fei, bon jj3faner lll:iemiiller ab3uriiden, folange bie firdjIidje Obrigfeit nidj± cine fadjIidje )Begrilnbung i~rer j8er~ filgung gebe unb flar fage, luorin fie lJie amt§luibrige &)aHung ~farrer lll:iemiiller§ fe~e. :;sn3luifdjen luurbe ~faner lll:iemiiller aUf ®runb bon § 3 unb § 6 .ber reidj§firdjIidjen lJl:otberorbnung bom 4. :;sanuar 1934 bom ffieidj§bifdjof af§ preuBifdjem Eanbe§bifdjof penfioniert unb mit fofortiger iillirfung beudaubt." (Wllg. @:b.~Eutq . .\'t'il., 2. IDCiira.) &)iirt fidj hie gegen~ luiirtige firdjIidje Obrigfeit berpfIidjtet, iqre j8erfilgungen in I!Xnffage ba~in, baf3 ber lReidjebifdjof mit femer !8erorbnung" (ba13 ni:i:mIidj gegen firdjlidje I!Xmteiriiger, bie bae S1'irdjenregiment Durdj !8erbreitung bon @Sdjriftcn angreifen unb bae @ottee~aue aum Btuecfe firdjenpoIiHfdjer l!Xueeinauberfetung mi13btaudjen, bie fofortige borlfutfige (fnt~eoung bom 2fmi ber~iingt unb bae fiirmlidje SDifaipnnarberfa~ren mit bem Bide ber efnt~eoung bom ~Xmt eingeleitet lui).:b) "ernftIidj benen @e" tualt anbro~t, bie um i~ree @etuiffen~ unb um ber @emeinben tuilIen au ber gegentui:i:rtigen llCot ber S1'trdje nidjt fdjtueigen fonnen, unb ilum anbern oefenn±nietutbrige @efei2e bon neuem in Shaft fett, bie er feIort um ber l8efriebung ber S1'irdje toillen aufge~ooen ~atte. illSir edliiren, ba13 fein toiberfprudjebollee !8er~arten ce uw unmogHdj madji, i~m bae l8ertrancn entgegen3uoringen, beHcn er in feinem 2hnie oebarf. )fienn tuir une fetner !8erorbnung tuiberfeten, fo ljaubeln tutr bem 21ug§ourgifdjen l8efenninW gemi:i:f:j, tueIdje§ in bem &rtifeI bon ber l8ifdjiife @etuaft forgenbe~ aue" fpridjt: ,)fio bie l8ifdjiife eitua§ bem efbangelinm en±gegen re~ren, feten ober aUfridjten, ~aoen toit @otie~ l8efeljI in foldjem ITaTI, ba13 tDir nidji foUen ge~orfam fein. man foll audj ben l8ifdjiifen, bie orbentridj getuii~rt finb, n idjt foIgen, tuo fie inen.' n SDa13 l8ifdjofe ber SDeutfdjen efbangeIifdjen S1'irdje, einer djriftridjen S1'irdje, l1ndjriftHdje 2e~re fii~ren, ift aIIbefannt. SDer 2anbe§liif djof bon mraun" fdjtueig a. m., mifdjof mct)e, rebete oei einem Eeidjenocgiingni§ biefe "au S)eraen ge~enben )fiorle: )fiir, bie tuir ben !8erftoroenen gefannt ljaoen, tuiffen af§; llCationalfoaialiften unb af§; ,SDentfdje (\;~riften', e§ gibt cine illSaI~alI filr bic :itoien be§ SDri±±en lReidje§, unb giioe c~ bae nidjt, bann ~iitte ba§ @S±eroen nadj ben ~aljren be§ S1'am.pfe~ feinen @Sinn". SDiefem mifdjof ~atte ber jjSfarrer~llCo±onnh mrannfdjtueig - mit lRedjt - bie tucHere I!Xnedennung berfag±. (efr ~at audj feitbem fein 21mt niebergelegt, natilrlidj nidjt bem jjSfarrer"llCo±ounb i3ulieo. SDie "S'firdjen3eiiung" bom 2. miirs, bie bieB oeridjict, "gilii nadj±riigIidj nodj au§ bet :itageBpreffe bom 20. ~a" nuar einige I!Xm±§en±~eliungen oefauni, bie un±er l8elJe Bum !8olIaug lamen: SDomprebiget jjSro.pft Dr. bon @Sdjtuart, S1'irdjenrat jjSaImer, P. 2adjmunD, ITii~ret be§ ~farrer" llCoiounbe§".) ~n ber angefii~rien S1'anaeIabfiinbi" gung IUlrb gegen bie falfdje 2e~te maudjer l8ifdjiife .pro±eftierl. SDer ~ro" teft ~iitte fidj gegen roeiiere S1'reife ridjten follen - gegen ieben faIfdjen 2e~rer inner~aIli ber unierlen beu±fdjen stirdje unb fomH gegen ba~ me" ft e ~ e n biefer ~itdje. @eneralfu.perinienbent D. ,BolIner djaranerifierl bie unierle S1'itdje jjSreuBen~ - unb iett umfdjHe13t bie Union ia bie gause lReidj§l'irdje - folgenberma13en: "S)ier ~iiren tuir: SDie ganae miliel, ba~ 2rr±e llnb llCeuc :iteftament, ift eine @:inljeit unb ug efinljeit @o±±e§ )fiott .... SDor± tuirb ba~ <e :itef±ament af§; !8oU§teIigion iiibifdjen @eifte~ bon ~a~'be, bem iiiMfdjen llCaitonaIgoti, geleite±, aligeian. . .. ~ier erfdjein± (\;~riftuB aI~ mittIer atutfdjen @oti unb menfdj, er fellift ber @otimenfdj, bae fIeiidjgetuorbene )fiott; bott ift er ie nadjbem ein 2eljrer, ein efti\ie~er, ber anne lRalilii bon 91ai\are±~. SDa§ (fbangelium 0effu unb ba~ bon jjSaulu~ fei ettua§ biiIIig !8erfdjiebene~. efrft jjSaulne ~aoe bae ~iniluge±an, roa§ ljeute aIS tuefenUidj in ber 2e~te be~ (\;~riften±um§ etfdjeint .... fI - SDie S1'anaefalifiinbigung betuft fidj aUf hie 21ug§liutgifdje S1'onfeffion. SDa~ madjt llJenig efinbrncf aUf getuiffe ITii~tet ber lReidj§firdje. mei einet S'BnnD" 406 Theological Observer. - .Rir4lIi4l~3eitgef4lid)Uid)e~. gebung bon feHen ber ,,;Deu±fcfjen ~riften" in fBremen, ba~ eben dnen 2anbe~bifcfjof befommen ljaHe, ljiert ber I.J3riifibent ber fBremifcfjen @:ban~ geIifcfjen Sfirdje cine ffiebe, in ber bie Wug~burgifcfje ~onfeffion unb bie ge~ famien fBefenn±ni~fcfjriften aI~ "aIte @:lcfjmofer" beaeidjnet hnlrben, mit benen man iljm nicfjt fommen foUte. ;Der 2anbe~bifcfjof ljatte ben morfii.? bei ber Sl'unbgebung. ;Der I.J3roteft gegen bie ZSrrIeljre ift e~ aber nicfjt, iD~ eigentIicfj bem \{Sfarrer-j)1o±bunb aur 2aft geleg± iDirb. mielmeljr geIten l.J3fatrer j)'liemolIer unb bie e~ mit iljm ljaIten, ag -- merfcfjiDiirer. ID'lan batf in ber ffieid)~~ fircfje gegen bie ZSrrleljre fein; aucfj offentIiclj - in geaiemcnber iYorm - bagegen aUftre±en; alier barin ljalien bie 7,000 I.J3farrer ficfj bergangen, bat fie babei ~ircfjenfliljrer nennen mun±en unb gegen mancfje~ anbere im SHrcfjenregimen± pro±eftierten. ;Da~ barf nicfjt fein. ;Daljer l11irb dner nacfj bem anbern abgefeJ.?t. 2anbe~bifcfjof trocfj (@:lacljfen) berorbne±: "ID'lacfjenfcfjaften, hie ben iYrieben ftiiren, finb ftaat~gefiiljrIicfj. 2Bo e~ fidj urn innere CSlauben~fragen ljanbert, iDirb niemanb in feinem CSeiDiffen bebriicft. ;Die iiunere £lrbnung mut aber in einer 2anbe~firclje aufrecfjt- erljaIten iDerben. ;Darum mut ba~ Sl:ircfjenregiment eriDarten, bat feine Wutoritiit anerfannt il1h:b." Unb ben iljiiringifcfjen I.J3fatrcrn, bie jene @:r~ fliirung bon iqren Sl:anaeln berIefen qaUen unb bataufljin mit £lrbnung~~ ftrafen belegt hnlrben, hnlrbe ba~ bon bet fitcfjIicfjen £llitigfeit fo erfIiirt: ,,@:~ iDirb nidjt berboten, ban ber \{Sfarter au ben bie Sl:ircfje lieiDegenben iYragen lJerfonIiclj eine anbere @:ltelIung cinnimmt aI~ bie Sl:ircfjenbeqorbe. @:lelbft eine fadjIicfje Sl:ritif an fircfjIidjen ID'latnaqmen, foiDeH fie ficfj in an- gemeffener iYorm ljiirt, iDirb nicljt a~gefcljroffen. merboten finb aber Wn- griffe, hie geeignet finb, ba~ Wnfeqen ber Sl'ircfjenlieljiirbe 3U gefiiqtben, ba~ alIgemeine merirauen 3ur Sfircfje ober 3m: ~itcfjenleitung au erfcfjiiUern ober bie fircfjIidje £lrbnung 3U aerftiiren." (SI'"., 9. iYebruar.) ;Die ba~ getan qalien, geIten ag merfcljiDorer. fBifcfjof trocfj eraiiljIt in einem mortrag: mei einer meflJredjung, bie im meifein be~ ffieicfj~~ fanaler~ geljarten iDurbe, "bat ber ID'linifterlJriifibent um~ fillod unb fagte: ,ID'lein iYiiqrer, aI~ lJreutifcfjer ID'linifterlJriifibent be~ griitten beutfcfjen @:ltaate~ bin idj in erfter mnie tJerantiDortIidj flir ffiulje unb £lrbnung, unb barum liiHe idj, ein :itelelJljongeflJriicfj berlefen au biirfen, ba~ bor anbert~ qaTh @:ltunben ber iYiiqrer ober morfiJ.?enbe be~ I.J3farrer~j)1otbunbe~ in ;Deutfdj~ Ianb, ber bei ber mefprecfjung mit anmefenbe I.J3farrer j)1iemiiIler, gefliljrt qat. @:~ ljat foIgenben fillorilaut: ,,~ir qaben unfere ~Rinen gelegt, iDir ljaben bie ;Denffcfjrift [ba~ ift bie ;Denffcfjrift, bie ben 2iDecl ljaben forrte, ben llteicfj§bifcfjof au ftiiraen] 3um llteicfj§j.Jriifibenten gefcfjicft, iDir ljaben hie @:lacfje gut gebreljt, bor ber fircfjenj.JoIitifcfjen mefprecfjung ljeute IDirb ber ~an3Ier aUnt mortrag beim ffieicfj§priifibenten fein unb bom llteidj~!Jriifi­ benten bie IeJ.?te :OIung empfangen.'" . .. @:~ mar feThftberftiinbIicfj, ban ber 41err llteicfj§liifcfjof nocfj am feThen :itage ben I.J3farrer j)1iemi:ilIer lieurIaubt qat; b~ iDat er bem ~analer fcfjulbig". ~lber bie ilfnflage auf merfcfjiDo" rung griinbet ficfj nicfjt alIein aUf biefe§ aUfgefangene :itelej.Jqongefpriidj, fonbern aUf hie gefamte :itiitigfeit be§ I.J3farrer-j)1oiounbe§. ;Da~ £lrgan ber ,,;Deutfdjen ~riiten" rebet gana alIgemein: e§ iDiire ein "CSefdjenf ber goUIicfjen iYiigung", iDenn bie \l3fatrer be§ j)1otbunbe~ iljre "merfdjiDorer~ tiitigfeit" einfteIfen unb licfj in hie "grote ilfrbeit am filleinlierg be~ 41@:rrn" einreiljen iDorrten. (Sl:a., 9. unb 23. iYeliruar.) Theological Observer. - .!titcI)1icI)~3eit\lefcI)icI)tlicI)eil. 407 SDie ,,~b.~£utfj. iSteifirdJe" bDm 4. iSebruar fdJreibt: ,,~§ gefjt in biefem S\'cnnlJfe leiber nidJt um bie m!afjrfjeit be§ gilttIidJen m!orie§, fonbem um bie lInadjt in ber aU13eren fidj±baten Organifation bet Dteidj§firdje ... , 2hldj in ben Dteifjen be§ ~farret~9Cotbunbe§ ... ift bie Bafjl berer, benen e§ tuitflidj um 6djrift unb mefenntni§ gefjt, fefjr gering. . .. ~ine S\'fiirnng ber jillirren ift nut milgIidj, tucnn erfHidj einmal alIe§ ~ontifdje au§ bem firdjIidjen S\'cnnlJfe au§gefdjieben tuitb, unb tucnn aum anbem bie, Ne fUr bie )llialjt~ fjeit be§ gotiHdjcn jillorte§ ein±te±en tuolIen, edennen, ban ber 2rbfalL ber bi§fjer in ben ll.3olf§firdjen gefjerrfdjt fjat, unb feine SDulbung fdjtuere 6 il nbc getuefen ift. ... " SDa'3 foll fidj ber 9Cotbunb gefagt fein laffen: alIe§ ~o~ fitifdJe mun au§ bem fitdjIidjen SlamlJf au§gefdJieben ltJerben I SDa§ fjeint mit anbem m!orien: bie SHtdJe mun bom 6taat geirennt tuerben. m!iirben bie 7,000 ~fartet mit ifjren @lemeinben biefen 6djritt tun unb cine iSrei~ fitdje bUben, unb atuar cine iSreilitdJe, bie nidjt frei, fonbem an @lotie§ m!Ot± gebunben ift, fo fjiitien bie trautigen ll.3odommniffe ifjten Btued erreidjt. ~in anbete§ ?8odommni§ betidJtet unb beurteilt bie CMistian Century !.Jam 7. lInatil folgenbermanen: "Dr. Alfred Rosenberg has been appointed as 'leader' of all cultural organizations, including churches. This despite the fact that in his sensational book The Myth of the Twentieth Century Rosenberg rejects Christianity as a fit religion for Germans and that he is the champion of the most brutal and unrelenting anti-Semitism. If Hit- ler's selection of Mueller was a way of whipping the Protestant pastors with whips, his choice of Rosenberg is to whip them with scorpions." SDie ll.3etfUgung be§ Dteidj§fanalet§ lautet: ,,2ruf ll.3otfdjlag be§ 6tab§leitet§ bet ~O beauftrage idj ben ~arteigenoffen ~nfteb Dtofenbetg mit bet ftbettuadjung ber gefcnnten geiftigen unb tueltanfdjauIidJen 6d}ulung unb ~riliefjung ber ~attei~ unb arret gleidjgeidjartc±en ll.3etbiinbe. SDie iSunftionen be§ ffieidj§~ fdjulung§leiter§ lllerben fjierburdj nidjt berilfjri." SDa§ "including churches" ift alfo au ftteidJen. SDa§ @5dJlunutteH bet Christian Century girt abet im gronen unb ganaen. ~. stlte "stleutfdJen InJrlften" uub ba~ \lUte S::eftament. S)ierilbet oeridjtet bie ,,2r. ~. £. S\'.": ,,2ruf bet 6±uben±en±agung ,SDeutfdje @:fjriften' in metlin gab ~farret ~off au Nefer iStage folgenbe ~rniirung ab: ,@ltunbf~lidj< ift unfere 6tellung aum mten 5tef±cnnent bie: m!ir rein en e§ nidJ± au§ bet mibeI fjetau§, roit befl'otteln unb beftitteln e§ nidjt, aber tuir gefjen mit ber iSreifjeit eine§ @:fjriftenmenfdjen baran. m!ir unterfdjeiben bei allet ~fjrfutdjt bor bet 2rutotitiit bet ~emgen 6dJrift aI§ @lanae§ ba£l, roa§. gotilidj batinnen if±, bon bem, tua§ menfdJIidj, allau menfdJlidJ, roa£l jiibifdJ ift. SDa£l ±aten natiitIidj anbere bot un§ audj, abet fie fjatten nidjt immer ben lInut, e§ au§auflJredjen. Unb ba§ unterfdJeibe± un£l SDeutfdJe @:fjriften bon ftitiflDiitigem £iberaIi'3mu£l bergangenet 5tage. m!it betradJten hie @lotte§offenbarung be§ 2rIten :iteftameni§ aluar bom boIfifdJen ®efidJt§lJunft au£l, abet mit ftDmmem ~eri3en. SDa§ unterfdjeibet un£l anbererfeit§ bon bet ftatren Ortfjobo;t;ie, ban roir bie fogenannte ll.3erbaIinfl'iration ablefjnen, ban lUit nidJt geroartfam mei3iefjungen aUf @:fjtiftu£l feten, roo feine finb, ban roit bieImefjr ben 5ton legen aUf ba§ ,,6 u dJ e tin bet 6 dj r i f t 1« SDaau lommt, ban roit neoen biefem 2rIten 5teftament audj @lotie£loffen:o barungen in anbetn bolfifdJen itbetlieferungen aI§ in ber IDlenfdJfjeit£l:o 408 Theological Observer. - .Ritd)nd)'8eitgefd)id)md)e~. gefdjidjte unb baB tuir iie im ~(aturgefdje~en anedennen. ~remdj, aIles bas fiiljd unb mU13 fiiljren aUf (il:ljdftus aIS boIffommene unb ljodjfte 0ffen~ barung @ottes.'" :Die ,,%L (:15.53. Sl'." bemedt ljierau, arrerbing~ feljr laljm: "stlie 0ffenbarung @otte~ in ber @5djrift ncb en anbere ,0ffen'oarungen' au ftellen, bertriigt fidj nidjt mit ber @5djrift. stla~ ,!!Bod @otte~' im eigent~ Iidjen @5inn ift nur in ber ?Siber au finben." ~ii±te bie ,,%I.@:. 53. Sl'." ben redj±en rutljerifdjen Sl'onfeHion~±on anftimmen wollen, fo ljiitte fie gana anbere @5aiten greifen miiffen. @o±te~ !!Bort ift nidjt nut in ber @5cljrift au finben ~ bas fag en ia audj fdjIie13lidj bie stleutfcljen (il:ljriften ~, fon~ bern bie ?Siber i ft @o±±es !!Bod, unb awar be~tuegen, weir fie bom ~ei~ rigen @eift tuiidIiclj eingegeoen tuorben ift. stlicfen ~ofaunenton mUf3 jebe Iu±ljerifdje 5rrom~ete bon fidj geben; ettua~ @eringere~ genlig± gegen @5~ob ter, lDic e~ ~farrer ~off ift, lliclj±. IE~ ftelj± llicljt in ber "tyreiljeit eine~ (il:ljriftenmenfdjen", au~ @otte~ !!Bod ljintuegautun, tua~ "allau menfdjIidj" ift. stla~ ift fein ,,@5ucljen in ber @5cljriW, tuie e~ unfer ~eiIanb gemeint ljat, fonbern ift IDeajeftiit5beleibigung gegen @ott, bie ebenfo "fritiftuiitig" ift tuie ber "mberaliBmu~ bergallgener 5rage". !!Benn ~farrer ~off fdjretbt: ,)lEir betradjten bie @otte~offenlJarung beB 2n±en 5reftament~ alvar llom boIfifdjen @eficljt5~unft, aber mit fro m m e m ~ era en", fo ift ba~ bie purfte ~eudjerei. !!Ber frommen ~eraens ift, iibt in feiner !!Beife an ber @5djrift bie Sl'ritif, ba13 fie in mandjen ~unften au "jiibifclj" fei; ja, ber betracljtet bie @5cljrift nicljt bom "boIfifcljen @efidjt5punft" au~, fonbern nur bom @efidjt5~unft eine~ bemlitigen Stinbe~ @o±±e~, in beffen ~era bas @5amueISgeoet tuaItet: "DTebe, ~@:rr, betn Sl'nedjt ljoret." ~n iljrer ?Se~ udeHung be~ %IIten 5reftament5 finb bie stleutfdjen (il:ljriften ficljerlidj nidjt djriftIidj. ~. 5r. IDe. eJntnnstJcreijrer. ftber bie ~efiben ober 5teufeI~anbe±er beroffentIicljt ber ~efuit @. 2eljmadjer in ben "Sl'atljoIifdjen IDeiffionen" unter ber ftlier" fdjrift "stla~ @eljeimnis ber 5reufeIsanlieter" eincn rangeren ?Seridjt, ber ficlj aUf feinen perfonlicljen ?Sefudj liet ben ~efiben ftli~t. Waclj 2cljmadjer aiiljlen bie ~efiben ettua alveiljunbertiaufenb @5eelen, bie in IDeefopotamien, Sl'urbif±an unb fJtuffifdj~%Irmenien anfiiHig finb. ~ljren ShlrtU~ ljaHen fie fo geljeim, baB ber ?Sefudjer nur ftlier iiu13erIidje stlinge, bie bamit ilU" fammenljiingen, informiert tuirb. stlodj berfdjtueigen bie ~efiben nidjt, ba13 fie ben @5atan ar~ "oberften @ott" bereljren. stler ~efibenfurt foll im alvo1ftcn ~aljrljunbert bon einem fagenljaften @5djeidj %IIi gegriinbet tuor" ben f etn. Waclj .2eljmadjer gefji er alier autlier aUf bie f cljon im bierien ~aljrljunberi bodommenbe "djriftridje" @5ene ber @5a±anianer. stlie ~efiben fJef~en atuei "ljetrige" ?Siidjer, ba~ ,,?Sudj ber 0ffen'barung" unD bas ,,@5djtuarae ?Sudj", beren ~nljart f 0 gut lvie gar nicljt in ber %{u13enroert fJe~ fannt ift. ~ @5o entfe~enerregenb e~ auclj ift, ba13 e~ 5raufenbe bon j).J'en~ fcljen gilit, llie au~gefprodjenerma13en ben 5teufe! al~ "oberften @oti" bet" eljren, fo biirfen tuir bodj nidjt bergeffen, ban ber 5reufer iilierljaupt "fein !!Bed ljat in ben Sl'inbern be~ Ungraulien~", 'lEplj. 2, 2, unll baB bie ~eiben bas, tua~ fie oPfern, ben 5teufeIn opfern, 1 Sl'or. 10, 20. Eu ben ~efiben geljoten fomit in tueiterer mnie aUe, bie nicljt an ~@:funt (il:fjriftum glaulien. ~. 5r. IDe.