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Continuing
LEHRE UND WEHRE
MAGAZIN FUER EV.-LUTH. HOMILETIK
THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLY-THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY
Vol. VI February, 1935 No.2
CONTENTS
Page
Foreword. (Concluded.) Thea. Laetsch. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 81
Zur :Bedeutung der Taufe Jesu. J. T. Mueller. • • • • • • • • • • • • 93
A Comparison of the King James and the Douay Version.
Geo. A. W. Vogel •••••••••• 102
"Die Schrift kann nicht gebrochen werden."
P. E. Kretzmann. • • • • • • • • •• 114
Der Schriftgrund fuer die Lehre von der satisfactio vicma.
P. E. Kretzmann • • • • • • • • •• 121
Dispositionen ueber die altkirchliche Evangelienreihe.... 125
Miscellanea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 133
T.l:teological Observer. - Kirchlich.Zeitgeschichtliches. . . .. 141
:Book Review. - Literatur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 153
Etn Predlger MUSS Dieht anetn 1DridM>,
alao da&s er die Schafe unterweise, wie
sle rechte ChrIaten soDen satn, BOndeI'D
aueh daneben den Woelfen fDelinm, da.sa
ale die Schate nleht uagreilen and mit
falseher Lehre vertnehren and Irrtum e!n.
fuehren. - Luther.
Es 1st bin Ding, daa die Leute mehr
bel der Klrche bebaelt denn die lUte
Predigt. - ApologU, .Arl. !~.
If the trumpet give an unceriatn BOund,
who shall preps re himael1 to the battle f
J Cor. J.6, 8.
Published for the
Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States
CONCORDIA PUBLISHING EOUSE, St. Louis, Mo.
Theological Observer. - .reircf)Hcf)"3eitgefc!)1cf)tnc!)es. 141
Theological Observer. - ~irdJndj"8eitgefdjidjtIiffje~.
I. 2lmcrikll.
The American Lutheran Conference and Lutheran Union.-
November 14-16, 1934, the American Lutheran Conference held its second
biennial convention in an Augustana Synod church in Des Moines, Iowa.
The five participating synods were represented by 150 pastors and lay
delegates. The report in the Lu,themn, on which we draw, says that the
preliminary committee of the convention submitted for adoption the fol-
lowing resolutions as the declaration of the American Lutheran Conference
ml Fellowship: -
"1. The American Lutheran Conference voices its joy over agreement
with the United Lutheran Church in America and the Synodical Con-
ference so far as official confessions of faith are concerned.
"2. vVe rejoice that in official declarations each body concerned op-
poses unionism.
"3. We rejoice that the respective bodies recognize the evil of societies
holding antichristian doctrines and warn against them.
"4. The American Lutheran Conference is earnestly desirous of pulpit-
'and altar-fellowship with the United Lutheran Church in America.
"5. The American Lutheran Conference is equally desirous of pulpit-
,and altar-fellowship with the Synodical Conference.
"6. The American J-,utheran Conference respectfully recommends and
urges the selection of committees on fellowship by the respective con-
stituent bodies in order to initiate conferences with other Lutheran bodies
relative to fellowship and to deal with similar commissions elected by other
Lutheran bodies. It shall be within the province of each church-body, if
it so decides, to act jointly with other commissions of A. L. C. so appointed.
In any case final approval or disapproval of commission or committee
recommendations in regard to altar- and pulpit-fellowship rests with each
individual church-body as far as they are concerned.
"7. The American Lutheran Conference hereby establishes a Commis-
sion on Lutheran Cooperative Endeavor, to ascertain in what matters and
'to what extent other Lutheran groups would be willing to cooperate even
before complete fellowship is established.
"8. In clarification of the meaning of unionism the following state-
ments are submitted: -
"a. Unionism is well defined in the Minneapolis Theses. Unionism
exists 'where the establishment und maintenance of church-fellowship
ignores present doctrinal differences or declares them a matter of in-
difference.'
"b. Unionism is not necessarily implied in every type of joint en-
deavor within a community where pastor and congregation may participate.
"c. While the chamcter und extent of such community cooperation
must in large measure be determined by the local congregation and its
142 Theological Observer. - .!Htc!)lid)~2eH\Jefd)id)md)es.
pastor, this guiding principle should be kept in mind, that under no cir-
cumstances shall the clear purpose of the Lutlleran Church be obscured.
or compromised. In the words of the Washington Declaration, that Church
'is bound in duty and in conscience to maintain its separate idenity as
a witness to the truth which it knows; and its members, its ministers, its
pulpits, its fonts, and its altars must testify only to that truth.' "
After printing these resolutions, the report in the Luth-eran continues:
"After considerable discussion the Conference went on record as urging
the selection of committees on fellowship to study the possibility of further
unification in the Lutheran Church. A resolution adopted asserted that
these committees, selected by the respective constituent bodies of the Con-
ference, should 'initiate conferences with other Lutheran bodies relative to
fellowship, and deal with similar commissions elected by other Lutheran
bodies. It shall be within the province of each church-body, if it so de-
cided, to act jointly with other commissions of the American Lutheran
Conference so appointed. In any case, final approval or disapproval of
commission or committee recommendations in regard to altar- and pulpit-
fellowship rests with each individual church-body as far as it is con--
cerned.''' From this it is not clear whether or not the resolutions quoted
above were adopted. Here there is further evidence that the question of
Lutheran union is bulking very large to-day and that the Scripture decla-
rations on unity, union, and unionism must again be carefully studied.
A.
The Luthe'ran Laymen and Lutheran Union. - _~n editorial in
a, Lutheran periodical (we choose not to mention names) dealing with
the present movement to-wa,rds establishing a Lutheran union bea,rs the'
caption "Lutheran La,ymen a,re Becoming Impa,tient" and makes the fol-
lawing sta.tements: "The Lutheran la,ymen are demanding to be' hea,rd .. _ ._
The moment church-leaders take. up the que,s,tion af fellowship, they a.re
apt to dig up aId controversies, get into hen,ted deba,tes, and thrmv a, wet
blanket on the fine spirit of friendliness which is blossoming forth. . . .
How can professors and editors, draw up rules and regulations fGr past{)rs'
on the firing-line?" Thlllle statements with their implica,tions call for
a few rema,rks.
1. If it is true that in certain Lutheran bodiesi the la3'IDen a,re de-
manding to be hea,rd and aTe becoming impa,tient with their lea,ders, these
bodies are in a, state of most pronounced dis,union. The situa,tion described'
by the, statements under discUBsion is tha,t of a, state of inner strife. These
bodies should, then, esta.blish harmony in their own midst before a.ttempting
to establish ha,rmony within the entire body of Lutherans. 2. If these
dissatisfied la,ymen of the va,rious Lutheran bodies, form a, confederacy
for the' purpose of putting aver .the union despite the opposition of the
"pa,stors, professors, editors, church-leaders," and succeed, they will nat
ha,ve brought about a, union, but will ha,ve imposed the s,tate of strife Upon:
the whole body. 3. These impa,tient laymen a,re either right or wrong.
If they a,re right, the pas,tors and professars, etc.,. a,re wrong. TIm laymen
are right, we shall assume. They know tha,t there is no real difference
between the Lutheran synods. They know tha,t" while formerly the synods
disagreed on the doctrines of inspira,tion, of convers,ion, of election,. etc.,.
Theological Observer. - .Rird)lid)=8eitllefd)id)tHd)elJ. 143
these differences now have been removed. Only the pa,stors, professors, etc.,
,choose to erea,te strife. The la,ymen a,n~ fighting the Lord's ba.ttle. The
pastors are fighting aga,inst the Lord. What then? It is the sa.cred duty
,of the laymen to discipline their pastors. They will not have time to
work towa.rds a, general union, Their first duty is to set their pastors
right. 4. Let us assume '~ha,t these impa,tient laymen a.n~ wrong. They
do not know the true s.itua,tion~ They ha,ve not been informed of certain
'weighty ma,tters of doctrine and pra.ctise. Or if they a,re informed on
these rna,tters, they brush them a.side a.s unimportant. Wha,t then? It is
the sacred duty of the respective pa.stors to meet their laymen in a, course
·of indoctrina,tion. And if the laymen refuse to bother with ma.tters of
.doctrine, they mus,t be dealt with as the case requires,. And if a, pa.stor
takes this same' a,ttitude, if he insis,ts that there, nmy be a, God-pleasing
"Union in spite of weighty doctrina.l differences, or if he is unable to see
the differences.,. he must also be taken to task by his. brother pastors, by
lIis visitor, and last, but not least, by his lay brethren. Tha,t is the
Lutheran way of deaHng with the'se matters. The Lutheran Church is
a doctrina.l Church. She' g,tresse's. the doctrine. And she indoctrina,tes the
laymen. She wants her lay members indoctrinated to such a degree as to
enable them to correct, if need be, the pastor. 5. As to the, intima,ted state
of opposition be,tween the professors, and the, pastors, rema,rks. 1-4 apply
;also here. Besides, we are rather una.cqua-inted with the sta,te of affairs
,existing in those bodies - if there a,re any such- where "the professors
.and editors clra,w up rules and regula,tions for pas,tors on the firing-line .. "
Down here in Missouriland such a, state, of affairs' does not exist. Nor
do our professors and editors have' a, different outlook and spiritual con-
stitution from that of the pastors. They are taken from the rankl'! of
-the pastors.. ActuaUy, they think a.Iike. Our proiessnrs and editors. a.re
not, when inducted into, their new offices, subjected to some proce'Ss which
changes their outlook and constitution. 6. "The moment church-leaders
take up the question of fellowship, they a,re a,pt to dig up old controversies·,
get into hea.ted deba,tes, and throw a, wet blanket on the fine spirit of
iriendliness which is blossoming forth." That s.ta-tement is not true. The
utterer of it 'will be held a,ccountable for filling the minds of some laymen
with suspicion and distrust of the pastors and other church-leaderI'!. The
'well-infmmed laymen should take' him in hand. 7. The movement towa,rds
Lutheran union now in progress is. going to try men's souls'. It caUs" on
the one hand, for the stalwa,rt, uncompromising a.dherence· to the truth
·of God's Word and the Lutheran Confessions. and, on the other hand, for
the exercise' of much Christian forbearance, infinite pa,tience, and dis-
,crimina-ting wisdom. All carnal motives, and passions mus.t be suppressed.
'Casting doubt upon the honesty of the' motives of the men engaged in this
business will wreck the movement. And if the movement should eventua,te
in a, unioTL which is not hased upon the. unity of doctrine, but is accom-
plishccl through clamor and tumult, the blessing of God cannot rest
upon it. E.
Scientists Oppose Materialism. - A new book has appeared which
·should be of some value in combating the materialism which is now flood-
ing our country. The title is The Great Design. It is written "by fourteen
,.eminent scientists," "edited by Frances Mason," and published by the
144 Theological Observer. - .\l:itd)lidH3eitgefd)icl}md)e~.
Macmillan Company. Its price is $2.50. Reviewing this book in the Ohris-
tian Oentury, N. M. Grier says: "Is there a living intelligence beyond
nature, or does the great cosmos run itself, driven by blind forces? ...
To the mechanist reality was unknowable, yet was conceived to take the
form of a purely mechanical system in which only simple particles were
at work in an aimless fashion. Hence no guidance, plan, or design.
Everything was contingent, or happened by chance; in the last analysis
there was only the survival of the fittest. While we owe to the stimulus
of mechanism many scientific discoveries of surpassing importance as re-
gards the welfare of humanity, Mind, on the other hand, was not regarded
as an entity in itself, for conscious life was conceived merely as the
mechanics of the brain 'as seen from the other side.' Thus science had
asked and answered its own questions, Whither? and How? but beyond
was the inevitable test of Why? before which mechanism has seemed in-
adequate to many. Now come fourteen eminent men of science with their
evidence as to the purposeful and directing Mind at the back of thc great
drama of creation and in further testimony that the discoveries of science
strengthen, not weaken, a belief in an infinite Creator." Mr. Grier then
describes the position of the physicist who made a contribution to the
volume and according to whose researches protons and electrons are trans-
formed into photons, that is, radiations of the smallest wave length, which
are considered the "fundamental stuff of which the universe is made.
They are something more than simple particles; indeed, they can be fully
described in the symbolic language of mathematics, and hence behind them
and in them are reason and order." The contributing chemist shows that
in the "infinite permutations and combinations" of the atoms with which
he deals, simple rules and not mere chance, or contingency, are observable.
In the same way the astronomer and the geologist set forth the reign of
law in their respective spheres. The biologist, too, has to admit that life
cannot be explained by any mechanistic theory. The psychologist dwelling
on the experiments of Driesch, "a noted German experimental embryol-
ogist," likewise holds that every theory which looks upon life as due to
machinelike development fails to do justice to patent facts. The con-
clusion of all these men is that there is "order, plan, and design in evolu-
tion which can never be the result of mere chance." "Nfr. Grier correctly
says: "May we not say that, wherever we meet plan and design, in reality
we are faced by a spiritual agent 7" - This position of course is still
many miles away from the Christian faith, but it constitutes one of the
foundation stones on which all religion must rest. A.
The Religious, Situation in Me,xico. _. In an illumina,ting a,rticle
the Luthemn Standard, in its issue of December 15, 19'34, discusses the
struggle which the' idea of religious liberty is experiencing in our neighbor
country to the south. It is there pointed out that already in 1857 there
wa.s, a, sha,rp clash between the interests of the Roman C'a,tholic hierarchy
and those of the patriotic Mexicans who wished to see their country freed
from the usurpations of Roman ecclesiasticism. While Mexico is 9'5 per
cent. Catholic, it has many citizens who feel tha.t the hiera,rchy has abused
its powers, aJJ.d is' in a. high degree responsible for the intellectual and
economic impotence, which cha.racterizes a la.rge· pa.rt of the popula,tion.
Theological Observer. - ~it~l1cl)'3eitgef~i~tlicl)cg.
In 1917, when the constitution wa,s revised, some stern measures we,re
re'solved on aga,inst the Ca,tholic Church; it was forbidden "to own real
esta,te, church-buildings 01' any other buildings, to' PO'ssess investecl funds
or other prodnctiYG property, to maintain co.nvents 0.1' nunneries" to eon-
duct prima,ry schools. to' direct 0.1' administer cha,ritable institutions, or to
hold religious ceremonies outside of church-buildings." When in 1926 the
Mexican Congress passed an enforcement act, many priests of foreign birth
had to. lea,ve the country, and much church prO'perty waH corrfisea ted.
The StandM'd states tha,t at this time twenty-five thO'usand priests, left
their churches in protest - a COlIrse whieh provoked the opposing p~Lrty
to be unrelenting in e:>e8cuting its stern clecrees. AccO'rding to the
Standard's informant one must not forget that Mexico, at present has
a, OnG-paTty gove,rnment, simila.r to that nf Russia" Italy. and Germany,-
and that whoever oppo.ses its aetion is considered an enemy O'f the state.
This authority ho~ds tha,t, if the Church withdmws entirely from pnliticS'
and devotes itself entirely to spiritual a.ctivities, the violent outbreaks
of hO'stility against it will cea,se. The Standard concludes' quite well:
"Whether a, government with atheistic tendenciesi and a, Church with
political aspirations can. walk together remains to be seen." A.
A Word from the United Presbyterian Camp. -In the Lutheran
recently a few paragraphs were printed that had appeared in the United
Presbyterian, issued by the church-body bearing that name, and we think it
proper tha,t our readers should see with WM,t venom this Presbyterian jour-
nal speaks of the antiunionistic element in the Lutheran Church.
"To an outsider it would seem that the difficulties in the way of union
among Lutherans are greater than those which exist in the other large
PrDtestant families. vvilile doctrinally the Lutheran branches may be close
together, in their attitude, outlook, and practises they differ sharply. Some
of them are evangelical and socially minded, while others are reactionary
and sacramentarian. At least one of the conservative branches maintains
a hauteu1- and exclusiveness equal to that of the Roman Catholic Church.
It would look as if a gDod deal Df adjustment would be required before
this branch could become one with those branches which hold an inclusive
rather than an exclusive attitude.
"It is significant that, the farther one gets down the scale, the less
pronounced is the sentiment for union. The average of all the- little
branches is but 55 per cent. Two factors enter into this. One is that
a narrDW and intense loyalty is apt to' exist in a little g.roup, which has,
a bitter struggle to exist, a IDyalty not to the Kingdom, but to. the 01'-
ganizatiDn as such. The other factor is the cramping effect of a narrow
horizon. One can confine his thinking and energies within the limits of
his little grnup so completely a·s, to" remain in ignO'rance o.f the big prob-
lems and issues of the da,y and civiliza,tion in which he lives."
This sounds strange, does it not, especially since it comes from a church-
body which for many years refused to' affiliate with Dther Presbyterian
bodies because it insisted that in the church services not our lovely church
hymns, but merely psalms should be used as songs Df praise and that in-
strumental music must be barred from church services. A.
10
146 Theological Observer. - mtd)1id)~Seitgeid)id)Hid)e~.
John Dewey's "God." - In the Ohristian Oentury Prof. H. N. Wie-
man makes the rather startling announcement that Prof. Dewey, the well-
known New York philosopher and humanist, believes in "God." Professor
Dewey recently published a book entitled A Oommon Faith, and it is, in an
appraisal of this book that Professor Wieman makes the statement re-
ferred to. "He pronounces non-theistic humanism as futile and mistaken
and thus clearly separates himself from that movement with which many
have identified him (pp. 53. 54). Above all he declares his knowledge of
God and devotion to God." A person might be inclined to use this as
the text of a discourse setting forth that in the last analysis atheism is
found to be not workable. When OIIe reads, however, how Professor Dewey
defines or uescribes the God he believes in, one cannot wax enthusiastic
over his declaration. Who is the God that he does homage to? Is it
the God who has revealed Himself in the Scriptures, the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ? No. This is what Professor Wieman says: "We can
put Dewey'S idea of God into a single summarizing sentence: God is the
activity which connects the ideal with the actual." God not a person,
but merely an activity! Can we tUTn to an activity and say "Abba,
Father"? Professor Dewey's book may prove that he is groping for the
truth, but it likewise furnishes mournful testimony that he is still encom-
passed by abysmal darkness. A.
Calendar Reform. - This world movement received a strong im-
petus on August 29 during a meeting of the Universal Christian Council
for Life and Work at Farnoe, Denmark, when the council, under the
leadership of Dr. S. Parkes Cadman of America and the Bishop of Chiches-
ter of England, adopted a resolution pledging the churches of the world
to cooperation for calendar reform and for the stabilization of the date
of Easter. The Government and the League of Nations will be urged to
proceed with the necessary legislation. The report of a questionnaire sheet
to the American clergy of many denominations lists only 1,178 replies.
Only 39 replies are credited to Lutheran ministers. There are about 12,000
clergymen listed in the yarious bodies of our Lutheran Church. The per-
centage of those interested appeal's so small that it would be folly to base
any conclusion upon the figures. That the question of endorsement will
come up before the two national conventions in October - United Lu-
theran Church and American Lutheran Church - seems certain.
News Bulletin, N. L. O.
General Evangeline Booth. - In the election which was held to
provide a new head for the Salvation Army, Miss Evangeline Booth was
chosen. She will soon be sixty-nine years old and, according to the rules
of her organization, will have to retire from the position of general after
four years. That the Salvation Army leaders elected a woman to be their
general and representative is evidence that this body is not faithful to
Biblical teachings. Its plea that in this case it merely follows the preach-
ing of St. Paul, who has told ns that in Christ "there is neither male nor
female," is one of the many instances in which the Scriptures are mis-
interpreted and misapplied. Miss Evangeline Booth is a daughter of the
founder of the Salvation Army, General William Booth. A.
Theological Observer. - mrcl) lidj