Full Text for CTM Book Review 7-2 (Text)

aus. lBefonbets roettboU ift aud), bail in febet ein3efnen mefetung nicljt nut dn l!5eqeicljnis bet im ftUb i d)en SU1J\Jutut gebtuucljten SUbfUqungen ficlj finbet, f onbem auclj cin l!5eqcicljniS unb eiue Cl:rHatung bet muffotetifcljen stetmini aUf cinet befonbem ~utte. Sl)as gan3e ®etf in feiuct neuen SUufIage ift ein '1JConumentalroerf, unb bie qltibifegiette ®Utttembetgifclje lBibefanftalt betbient ben Sl)anf aUet st!)eologen, baf> fie hliebet ein folc1jes ®etf of)ne lJiiicfficljt aUf bie gtoilen &'detfteUungsfoften au einem fo an~ ne!)mvaten qlteife batbietet. Sl)enn iebe mefetung foftet fationieti (7 X 10 30U 154 Book Heview. - ~itetatttr. grot) nut 1.50 ffidcf)smatf. linb fett 6e~tembet l)aben alIe bcutfdjen medeget ben ~teis il)tcr 15iid)ct, hJenn fie ins Illuslon)) gef)en, um 25 ~ro3ent etniebtigt hJegen bet be!onntcu (inthJettung bes amerilanifdjen :'Dollars im Iffie(tmatft. ~. (\' ii r 11 r i n get. The Venture of Belief. A Letter from N. S. D. to T. H. S. With Intro- duction by Samuel JJI. Shoemaker. Fleming H. Hevell Company, New York. 54 pages, 5 X 7%. Price, $1.00. The author of this "letter" does not care to identify himself beyond the bare initials which he supplies; for not his own identity should be remembered, but the message which he offers, the "collvincing proof that modern intellectuals need God and can find Him," as S.::\1. Shoemaker of the Calvary Rectory, New York City, declares in his Foreword. But it is Buchmanism, which is here held forth, and Buchmanism, advanced not in learned theological parlance, but in brief, simple, practical applications of its basic principles, which do not conform to the standards of Christian faith, but represent a neopagan, naturalistic system of faith. The writer defines religion "as a man's personal adjustment to the universe," his "at- tempt to give to life an intelligible unity, a satisfactory explanation of its meaning, and a rational objective to' which he may confidently aspire (p.ll). Hence religion principally belongs in the sphere of this present life, it being the "universal explanation which man needs to understand life and to steer his course wisely" (p. 13). In this process, reason plays a pre- dominant role. ''Religion must conform to the test of what is reasonable" (p. 16). "Evils, cruelties, and base injustice have come because of the in- sufficiency of human reason; we are so stupid!" (p. 50) . Heligion, how- ever, is founded upon, and drawn from, the religious experience of men, and of these the irreducible minimum is the "certainty of the presence of God in this universe" (p. 24) . A person desiring to know the religious ex- perience "must first desire to have it" (p. 25). For this purpose a "de- cision" is required, the "willingness to make the great venture of faith" (p. 26); and this, again, must culminate in "surrender," a "readiness to listen to Gael and let Him take commanel" (p. 29). "Surrender," however, demands "the expulsion of all conscious sin," it being the "abject capitula- tion of pride, wilfulness, selfishness. the abandonment of all deceptions, of all that is unclean" (p. 33). The writer says of himself; "Once contact was established with God, He gave me not only the power to overcome conscious sin, but He revealed, and keeps on revealing, further sins to be conquered" (p. 33) . "Surrender" furthermore means to "deal drastically with sin"; and to accomplish that, the venturer must "share his sins com- pletely with some one in whom he has confidence" (p. 33). "vVhat we call repentance is the logical result of our facing sin squarely and hating it" (p. 34) . "Surrender" also demands that we "do God's will"; and what the will of God is he will know "who listens to Him" or who "synchronizes his thoughts with God's" (p. 38) . The man who thus lives close to God "will act like Christ" (p. 49) . The supreme virtue to be sought is love, whose "highest expression is in the love which Christ experienced and re- vealed" (p. 53) . "The Church is a holy place for worship, for communion, for the apprehensioll of the deeper spiritual values, for the revelation of Book Review. - S3iteratur. 155 God's purposes and power, and for a real fellowship, that makes a man much more effective as a citizen and social reformer" (p. 50) . Such is the theology of the new "venture of belief," fostered by Buch- manism. Intellectuals may be gained "for God and religion" by this theology, but not for the God of the Bible nor for the religion of Jesus Christ and His Gospel. It is a "venture of belief" without the Holy Scriptures for its source and rule, without any distinction between Law and Gospel, without any idea whatever of the holiness of God aml the "terribleness" of sin, without any regard for the need of the divine-human Savior and His vica- rious atonement, without any knowledge and appreciation of the means of grace, the work of the Holy Ghost, without whom no man can call Christ Lord. It is pharisaic in its scope and aim, naturalistic in its underlying principles, modernistic in its rejection of Christian theology. Its Christ is only an example, a teacher by example; its hope, only a deeper valua- tion of the values of this life. The book has been written to win unbelievers back to religion, but its religion leaves the sinner without God and with- out hope. J. T. MUELLER. Release. By FI-edrik A. Schiolz. Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapo- lis, Minn. 167 pages, 5 X 7%. Price, $1.00. The Oxford Group Movement. By G. T. Lee, D. D. Augsburg Publish- ing House, Minneapolis, Minn. 15 pages, 6X9. Price, 10 cts. The author of the first title is a pastor of the Norwegian Lutheran Church. The title is based upon the words in Luke 4, "He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives." One might find fault with the ex- tension of "release" to bondage of fea,r, sin, and self, whm'eas not sanctifica,- tion, but regeneration is the message of the text. But we have more serious objections to the book. Even a superficial reading reveals the fact that the author has been influenced by the Oxforcl Group. We are informed that he attended a "house party" of the group in Canada and had inter- views with Frank Buchman and other leaders. vVe do not recognize the Lutheran doctrine, but find a very considerable infusion of Buchmanism in Schiotz's description of the "surrender," pages 56-59, and particularly in his discussion of the "Quiet Time" (preferably part of the morning "spent in the presence of God"), some of the instructions being undiluted Buchmanism; and in the chapter on "Guidance." Typical sentences are: "To the person who begins the day by dedicating it to God it will not be unusual to have experiences of guidance at intervals through the day. They may come as a strong urgency to do or say something - and again to refrain from a certain action or speaking an idle word. Often circum- stances will guide: God may open a door long closed. In other instances a door may close to prevent the action we purposed (p. 106) . All that has been saicl in the CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY in criticism of the Oxford Group's Quiet Time and Guidance applies to these chapters. They will, however, have their appeal through the wealth of spiritual expe- riences, of struggles with sin and obsessions of fear, in which these pages abound. The Christian concept of sin and grace, of repentance and jus- tification, is fundamental to the book, and the, Oxfo'rd Group elements a,p- pea,r like s,trange gra.fts on the tree of L,uthma:n pastoral theology. The second title is a reprint of an article by Dr. Lee, editor of the Lu- 156 Book Review. - £iteratut. themn Herald, which appeared in the Theological F01·um. It is a dispas- sionate criticism of the principles and practises of Buchmanism and em- phasizes, in contrast to the dramatics of the Oxford Group and its enthusiast tendencies, the old Lutheran type of pastoral ministration. "We shall have to continue our work as before, instructing the children in home and in 'school, support our religious institutions, working perhaps slowly, but continually at the difficnlt task of character-building. There is nothing Jlramatic about this work; it does not receive much newspaper publicity, ;}Jut it is God's way of building His kingdom." In the conflicting attitude of Rev. Schiotz and Dr. Lee, both members 'of the same Lutheran body, there is a lesson for those especially in the Norwegian Luthel"<1n Church who urge a union of all Lutherans because "'we are all of the same faith anyway." Tn. GRAEBNER . .2ut~et~ @~e6udj. ~as 9.Jcartin £Jut~et GI:~elofen, ();~eleuten unb ();!tem 3u fagen ~at. ~in 5Suel) SUC @efef)leel)ts, unb @efc~leel)terfrage. ll.lon;;S u 1 ius 5S ii ~ me r. ll.letrag nn(1)rucf bon ;;sol)annes Sjettmann, ,3roicfan. 1935. 310 6eiten 6 X9. q:lteis, gCfJeftet: l'iI. 7; \leineno.anb: l'iI.8. stlie Sjerausgeber idjteiben mit medjt: "allle t\'ragen, Me Bufammen9angen mit 5ScbiiHerung, 91 ael) rouef)s, C\:rbhanf~eiten, lBauemreel)t, alrbeiterfef)aft, S'~altbroeder' tum, biilfifel)em ~efen, ftefJen jett bunfJau§ im ll.lorbetgntnb. ~o alier fame bas aUd beutfidj,et nns £Jidjt, !UD luerben roiel)tiQctC ctntfef)eill1lngen auf allen biefen GIlelJieten gettDffcn, roo offenlJaten fiel) buntlerc 9ciite, tiefere ~unben, grcUere ,l5el)reie aIS ba, roo es um bas miinnIicl)e unb lneioIid)c @efd)leef)t, um ba~ gegen, fcitige ll.let~iHtniS bet ®efd)lecf)ter ge~t? ~as bet ~enner !ang;t Iuei]l, t\'adjleute immet aUfs neue oerounoernb l'reifcn: 100 aud) immet \lut~et fl'tief)t, fl'tief)t et ,gut nno gtot, (lieict et 9eeucs 11l1b9Jlatgebenocs. 6inn un)) Qlcbeutung, llI5a!)r~ Ddt unb ~ett ber !)iet borgclegten, roeit Uber 500 Wraeren Docr liingeren BuH)er, il'rUdjc But @efel)led)ts, unD @efcf)lecl)tetfrage roerben ben .I3efern unb 5Senutem bes 5Suel)cs in einem langmn ll.lorroort su ~denntnis unb ll.lerftanbniS geora.ef)t. ~s ~anbeIt fief), um cin roegroeifenbes Sjanobuel), eine lua~re t\'unbgrnbe, cin .I3ut~er, tued ~iicl)ften manges au allem, luns ~~elofe, C5:f)eleute, ~ftern ange!)t." 9.Jcan ift cs ja geroo!)nt, in ben aln3ei\len bet Sjerallsgcuer bid ~eH)taudj 311 finbcn; in biefem t\'al! abet ift bas £Joli DUtel)aUs oeteel)tigt. ~as fJiet geooten ift, ift dnmal :(lUS bet (l'tfa!)rung !)etborgegangen. :Der ll.lerfaffer obet 6ammler f agt, bat es lieru!)t aUf IIme!)t benn bier ;;safJqel)nte ro(i!)renbet 9JHtarlieit an ben lll\eden ber Sittlicf)£eitsberctne nno ffiCittcrnael)tsmiffionell, uus bott \\el)ultenen ll.lortragen unb ftattge!)abten ~htsfl'tael)en". (6.9.) :Die ,l;laul'tfaef)e im Qludj finb natUtIidj bie (l'63etl'te aus \lut~ers I5djtiften, liei benen geroii!)nliel) allgegeoen ift, aus roeld)em ~a~te fie ftammen unb roelel)et l5,el)tift .I3utfJets fie entnommen finb. ~er rool!te nie!)t bem l5ammler SDanf roijien filt eine folel)e ,3ufammenftellung aus ben l5ef)tiften bes Qroten meformator1J? c\:s ift mafl', £Jut!)et tebet oft berli nnb ve, bient fief) alusDtiicfe, bie roit jett niel)t gernc in ben ffiCunb nc!)men; aoer nie ftellt er fid) in ben stlienft bet voien \luft. ~er £Jutf)er tennl, luitD D. Qlol)mcr teef)t geven, tnenn er urteilt (6.54 bet ~infil!)rung): ,,91iemalS roar e~ iY'teube ·tlm 6cl)mut unb am ®emeinen, roas if)n !)fet etfUl!te unb triev, fonbern tiefe ~a!)t!)aftigfeit, !)eHige C\:ncrgie. ~aser fitt fcf)ledjt, gemein, ungiittlicI) 9icrt, ocaeidjnete er mit fdjmutillen 9lamen; ... abet nie bert at Fdj aUf biefem 0leliiet bie getinllfte 6innIicl)feit, feinetlei 61'ut bon Bilftern!)eit (libido).11 @erabe bie, jenigen, bie fi.e!) mit ben .I3ut!)etlafterungen cines stlenif!e unb @tifar auseinanber, Book Review. - mtctatut. 157 jcllen miiffcn, tuerben in bcn einleitenben sau§fii~run\Jen be~ sautot~ ttcffHdje§: lJJlatetia! unb fe~r tuertbolfe ~ift!ltifd)e ~rtua\Jllngen finben. idiet unb ba fann man alfetbings nid)t uml)in, ein j}ragegeid)en an ben mann 3ll jellen. ®enn 3um i.!:leii-lJicl D. i.!:liiljmer na.d) feinet i.!:lej-lJted)ung ber SDo-lJ-lJelelje ~l)mjJ-lJS bon .\'deffen au bem UrtcH fommt (6.63 bet ~infiil)tung): IIXlu±ljets metgaHen an bicier 6teUe ift getuib gu liebauem, abet in feinem ~unU ganalid)' au berUtteHen, tuog! abet aus riimijd)datgolijd)er mergangengcit au berftegen unb· teHtueife gu entjd)u!bigen", fo fragt man ficlj, oli troll bet offenliaren salifid)t, 2utgtt miiglid)ft tn 6d)ull iU ne~men, bas UrteH nid)t bod) ettuas ljarter ausgefaUen ift a1i.l noHg. ~benjo fonnten tuit nicl)t umljin, un;) oll fragen, oli bicfcr 6all tuitHid)' betcd)tigt ift (6.47 bet ~infUf)rung): lI:;Sn Xlutf)ers ~luffaffung unb SZ(u§fiilJ~ tungen bon bcr ~lje f)at ftcifid) nod) Ms in feinen lellten G:rbentagen feine riimifd)~ tatf)olifd)c llnb miind)ifd)~mitte!Qltcrlid)e metgangenljeit nad)\Jetuirft." :£Jod) litaud)t Dicfe gclinbe an Xlutljer geiibic ~titH llns nid)t mit morutteil gcgen bie~ i.!:lud) 3tt trfiiUen; fie 1ft im @egenteH ein i.!:letueis, ball bcr metfaffer fid) liemii~t, au cinet objeftib tid)tigen i.!:lemteilung bon Xllltl)er~ 6tcUung 3U gelangen. 60 fei benn bies i.!:lml) unjem Xlcjetn angelcgentHd) em-lJfoljlen. ®. sa r n b t. The Modern Flood Theory of Geology. By George MoOready P1'ice~ ilI. A.. Fleming H. Revell Company. 118 pages, 5X71j2' Price, $1.25. Order through Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, Mo. Here we have the latest volume from the pen of a m3~n who has done yeoman's work in defending the truth of Scriptures concerning the uni- versal flood against the vagaries of a science falsely so called. Those who have his books The New Geology and 'The Geologica~-ages Hoax will wel- come this book with its brief, but clear exposition of the investigations made by the author and others in demonstrating that the account of the Flood, as given in Genesis, is in full agreement with the story of that great catastrophe as written in the rocks in various parts of the world. There is a statement in the introduction which will well set forth the object of the book: "To those who have stood loyally by the primal or- thodoxy of Christianity regarding the Flood and a literal creation it should now be a matter of satisfaction that the scientiflc answer to evolutionism has at last been found and that the Flood theory is now in a position of such scientific reasonableness that it enables all to accept the early chap- ters of Holy Scriptures at their full face value, just as the Christian Church used to believe them. The one simple postulate that there was a universal flood clears up beautifully every major problcm in the sup- posed conflict between modern science and modern Christianity. Rea- sonable men who are searching for ultimate truth will not ask for any- thing more." (P. 6.) The entire book is very fascinatingly written and affords excellent apologetic material. P. E. KRETZMANN. Doran's Ministers' Manual, 1936. By Rev. G. B. F. HaUock, M. A.., D. D. Harper & Brothers, Publishers, New York. 638 pages, 5%, X81f2. Price, $2.00. This book of over 600 pages furnishes such homiletical helps as we have been furnishing our preachers in the Ooncordia Pulpit and by for- merly publishing the Homiletic Magazine, which a few years ago was 158 Book Review. - '\)Ueratm. merged into the CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY, in which publication we print a series of outlines for successive Sundays and festivals of the church-year and for special occasions. Every preacher needs homiletic material and suggestions in the form of commentaries, sermons, model sermon outlines, good illustrations, pertinent historic facts, etc. But is it wise to furnish ready-made sermon outlines, often well filled out with sermon material, for every Sunday and festival in the church-year? Would it not be better to furnish text studies on a series of texts, as we also have been doing at times, and a comparatively small number of outlines which in every respect are models from a homiletic viewpoint? This might well be supplemented by occasional articles on the various phases of the art of sermonizing. After all, a preacher shoulcl make his own sermon outlines after a thorough study of the text, which includes of course the study of the original, the context, parallel passages, and of commentaries. A preacher who relies altogether or to a great extent on sermon helps call1;ot do justice to his pulpit work. The congregation suffers as a result. Those of course who furnish sermon helps for the preacher do not in- tend that these should be a substitute for serious and painstaking work on the part of the preacher himself. I'Ve are pleased to read that the compiler of Damn's Ministet,s' lJlanl1al calls attention to this fact in his foreword. He says: "The primary purpose of this book is, as Mr. Spurgeon so aptly said of his Sermon Notes, 'a little priming to stimulate the wells of thought.' The book is not for one moment intended to take the place of any minister's own thinking, but, on the contrary, to promote it. Every page aims to be a challenge to more extended study and thought. The whole work is intended to be germinal, suggestive, illuminative, inspira- tional, a stimulus to creative reflection, each section a starting-point from which one can build bigger thoughts and better sermons. At the same time it seeks to supply an expert research service of the same character as that enjoyed by other professions." We cannot agree with the compiler of Doran's .lJ'Iinisters' Manl1al when he says: "The publication has no denominational bias, but has been pre- pared for interdenominational use." Preaching should have a confessional character, that is, it should be distinctive of the church-body which the preacher represents. Preachers who make their sermons merely along the broad lines of so-called Fundamentalism and preach sermons which could well be preached in the pulpit of any Christian church denomination are not faithful to their calling. The preaching of a Lutheran preacher should be distinctively Lutheran. By avoiding the confessional character of preaching Damn's Ministe1'S' Manl1al is promoting that doctrinal indif- ferentism of which we have so much in our day. I'Vhile the compiler of the Manl1al under consideration avoids what he calls "denominational bias," he does not hesitate to give such secret orders as the Odd-Fellows and the Freemasons a place in his book and, in the pulpits for which his book has been written. He speaks approvingly of the religion of these secret societies, which, as we know, is not at all Christian. Nor can we approve the selection, as a rule, of short texts for sermons; for they do not furnish sufficient sermon material. The preacher who Book Review. - £itercttm:. 159 preaches on short texts bases his sermon on dogmatics instead of exegesis or preaches his own ideas. What is a preacher going to do with such a text for an evening sermon as "He made as though He would go further," p. 110; or with such a text for a morning sermon as "Behold My hands," p. 350; or with such a text for Palm Sunday as "A colt, the foal of an ass," p. 143; or, instead of the glorious Easter-message, with such a text for 1':aster as, "Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest Thou? Jesus answered him, 'Whither I go thou canst not follow ~I[e now; but thou shalt follow Me afterwards," p. 152? It took a large amount of painstaking labor to collect the large variety of material for the more than 600 pages of this book; but, after all, it is not a book which we can recommend to Lutheran pastors. J. H. C. FRITZ. Jonah. Six Medita,tions Broadcast over "WT~I[J, the jJlilwa'ukee Jou1'?~al Sta,tion, by Pastor Philipp Lange. Published by the Lutheran Radio CO'mmittee, Milwaukee, Wis., 1935. 24 pages, 6 X 9'. These medita.tions are simple, Biblical, sound, without the flashiness of a, great deaI of radiO' oratory, hut with a. genuine appeal to all listeners and with the application of its truths to the lives Oof men to-day. We most heartily recOommenel the mOodest pamphlet to our readers. P. E. KRETZMANN. Elementary Bible History. Second Edition. Concordia, Puulishing House, St. Louis, Mo. 211 pages, 6 X 8%. Price, $1.000. This is· the secon.d edition of the Elementary Bible History, soo well known in our circle,s,. used in most of our schools and Sunelaey-schools. The· chief change that has been made is in the, fonnulation O'f the' headings., standa.rd headings having been supplied thrOoughout; e. g., the heading of the, first lesson has been changed from "How God Made All Things" to «The Creation. Part L", the second story "The, Creation. Part II." In the New Testament the story of the elaughter of Jairus has been placed be,fore the story of the young mall of Na,in, while' the stories of tlw centurion of Ca,pernaul1l and Zacchaeus ha.ve been placed in their proper chronological oreler. May God's bless.ing accompany also the seconel edition. of this, splendid book! THEO. L·AETSCH. Lutheran Annual, 1936. Ame,rikanischer Kalender fuel' deutsche Lutheraner auf das Jam 1936. - ConcOordia, Publishing House, St. Louis.. Price, each 15 cts. It seems almost supe'rfiuous tOo announce these publications. For a, pas- tor of our SynO'd the Ann1w;l (or Kalender) is absolutely indispensable; the rOoSter of pasto,rs and tea,chers, the names Oof the officials, the list of institutions of lea,rning and of charity, the title,s and the prices of the periodicals, the list of all the synods cOomposing the Synodical Confe,rence, Kieffer's· "Sta,tistics o,f the ReligiOous Bodies in the United Sta,te.s," etc., etc., - a. pastor must refer to, them 80' fTequently that it is difficult to imagine 110W we, could get along without them. It might be well, however, to po,int out that these pUblication:> are nearly as inclispensa.hle for the wiele-awake church-member; and it may help tOo make· others wide awake 160 BQQk Review. - 53iteratur. and active when the~ see how far-spread the great work is that their SynQd is ca.rrying on. The present editiQn again cQntains a, list Qf Bible- lessQns selected fQr daily reading; it fills twO' pages (Qne sheet), which may be cut Qut and placed intO' the Bible and used fO'r family devQtiQn. 'l'he- reading-matter (twenty pages, different in the' twO' editiQns') is interesting and instructive'. Time and effmt spent in assuring the-Be publica,tiO'ns a, wide distribu- tiQn will pa,y bQth pastms and cQngregatiQns. THEO. HQYER. ~hnti;lfafeltbcr Hir ebangcHfd)e @lciftHdje 1936. ~lt lJiad)foIge bon ~Dg. :3cribers of our periodicals and considering our large aggregate subscription seen that it amounts to quite a sum during a year; for the a notification to each individual periodical. Our sub- scriber~ can us - one notification (postal card, costing only 1 cent) will takr Ci!l'C :::;everal publications. We shall be very grateful for your cooprr:ltion. Kindly consult the address label on this paper to ascertain whether your subscription has expired or will soon expire. "Feb 36" on the label means that your subscription has expired. Please pay your agent or the Publisher promptly in order to avoid interruption of service. It takes about two weeks before the address label can show change of address or ackn,-)wledgIllent of remittance, When paying your subc;;cription, pleaRe mention name of publication desired and exact mune and address (both old and new, if change of address is requested). CONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE, St. Louis, Mo.