(!tnurnr~iu
m~rnlngttal :!Inutltly
Continuing
LEHRE UNO VVEHRE
MAGAZIN FUER Ev.-LUTH. HOMILETIK
THEOLOGICAL QUARTERL Y-THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY
Vol. X October, 1939 No. 10
CONTENTS
Pap
Lather's Position on the Lord's Supper. H. B. Hemmeter _ ___ m
Kleine Prophetenstudien. L. FuerbrlDger ______ ___ __________ 742
The False Arguments for the Modem Theory of Open Questions
Walther-Guebert ____ ._ .. ___ .. ___________ 752
Predigtentwuerfe fuer die Evangelien der Thomasius-
Perikopenreihe __________ _ .._________________________ .. ______ .. ____ 758
Miscellanea _______ . __ . ______________________ _ 7n
Theolorical Observer. - Kirclilich-Zeitgeschichtliches ___ ._ .. ___ 7'19
Book Review.-Literatur ______ .... __ .... ___ ._._ .. ____ .. _________ .. _ 793
EID Predl8er mUll! Dfcht aIleln toet-
cleft. 1180 da8I er cUe Sc:hate unter-we_ w1e lie rechte Chrlaten IOllen
IeIn. IODdem aueb daneben den Woel-
ten to.lan". d ... lie dle Schate Dlebt
lIII"lten UDd mit talacher Leme ver-
tuehren UDd Jrrtum elntuebren.
Luther.
Es fat kel.n DIn& do dIe IAutI
mehr bel der ltlrche behaalt dena
die lIUte PredfCt. - ApoloQte. At1. ...
If the trumpet I1ve lID UDcertaJn
IOlDld who aball prepare Idm8alt to
the battle? -1 Cor. If ••.
Published for the
£Yo Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States
CONCORDIA PUBLISHING BOUSE, St. Louis, MOo
779
Theological Observer - ~irdjndj~geitgefdjidjmdje~
Dr. Reu on Scripture and Its Divine Origin. - In Kirchliche Zeit-
schrift, July number, Dr. M. Reu has published a scholarly and intensely
interesting lecture on "What Is Scripture, and How can We Become
Certain of Its Divine Origin?" Dr. Reu points out that Scripture is
more than a code of morals or of divine teaching; that it is "the book
of the history of God's dealings with men, of His revelation and of the
reaction of man toward this revelation." "It is the history of salvation,
the history of the preparation of salvation in the Old Testament and
the history of the establishment of salvation in the New Testament."
Regarding the origin of Scripture Dr. Reu emphasizes strongly verbal
inspiration, for instance, in the excellent interpretation of 2 Tim. 3: 15-17,
which culminates in the verdict that here "the statement is made about
the written Word of the Old Testament in its whole extent that it has
been produced by the breathing of the Spirit of God."
Regarding the recent attacks on verbal inspiration Dr. Reu says:
"Verbal inspiration was the storm center during the last 150 years, and is
so still today. It is true, there is a theory of verbal inspiration that must
be refuted. It is that theory of inspiration that degrades the authors
of the Biblical books to dead writing-machines, vrho, without any h"'Uler
participation wrote down word for word what was dictated to them by
the Spirit. We meet this doctrine in the Lutheran Church occasionally
already during the sixteenth century, more frequently in the seventeenth
century, although it can hardly be called the earmark of the presentation
of all orthodox dogmaticians; later it is limited to popular writers, and
today it is found only in some fundamentalist camps. This theory is
in direct contradiction to everything that Scripture says elsewhere about
the influence of God upon human personality, and several facts in
Scripture itself speak against it. When, however, during the last years
a hot pursuit ,vas started agai.:n.st this theory in some quarters of our
Church, this appears to me to be nothing more than a 'fight against
windmills,' because there are hardly many among us who cling to this
mechanical theory. Alas, not seldom this pursuit aims at the verbal
inspiJ:ation in every form, and thus the combat becomes a fight against
the testimony of Scripture concerning itself. We do not want to empha-
size at present the fact that without verbal inspiration we lack every
guarantee that the divine content is expressed in Scripture correctly
and without abbreviations; we rather stress the fact that Scripture itself
demands it. It is demanded by the form of the quotations: 'The Holy
Spirit speaks'; 'God says'; furthermore, it follows from the fact that
Jesus as well as Paul draw important conclusions from the wording
of Old Testament passages, a few times even from a single word, as
D'::i'.~ in Ps. 82: 6 or CJ3tEQIW. in the story of Abraham; and in particular
does·· it follow from 1 Cor. 2: 12, 13: a %aL AaAOU/-LEV 01)% EV Ih/)u%'toI,
aVllQ())ltLV'Y]C; crOqJLUC; MYOLC;, aU' EV /)L/)u%'toIc; ltVEU!-I(X'tOC;, ltVW!-IU'tL1WLC;
ltV8U/-LU'tL%U crUV%QLVOV'tEC;: 'Of these we also speak - not Lll words which
man's wisdom teaches us, but in those which the Spirit teaches, inter-
780 Theological Observer - 2if~n~'8titttf"tcfJtl_
preting spiritual (things) by spiritual (words).' Here concerning the
words spoken by the apostle and his coworkers we find expressed both
the operation of the Spirit and the cooperation of the apostle."
From many other interesting passages that we are tempted to quote
we choose the following:
"By this unique operation of the Spirit upon the holy writers
a Scripture came into existence which in all its parts is God's infallible
Word for mankind for the purpose of its salvation. It is well known
that not a few limit this infallibility or inerrancy of Scripture to those
parts that pertain to our salvation. And, indeed, this is the chief thing;
and when we remember the purpose for which according to 2 Tim. 3: 16
the inspired Scripture is given, and the emphasis with which we stressed
the fact that Scripture is the history of the divine revelation for the
sake of our salvation, then, no doubt, the inerrancy of the parts mentioned
is nearest to our heart and our first care. Scripture is no text-book on
history or archeology or astronomy or psychology. But does from this
follow that it must be subject to error when it occasionally speaks of
matters pertaining to that field of knowledge? A certain holy awe kept
me always from the assumption of errors in the original copies of the
Scripture and its parts; even the mere possibility of errors seemed to
me excluded by this reverential fear. However, this reverential fear
alone should not hold one back from a serious reckoning with this possi-
bility. It may be the result of training, and this training may have been
wrong. Then there is the difficulty of drawing an absolutely correct
line of demarcation between those parts that pertain to our salvation
and those that do not. With some passages it might be drawn success-
fully; with others, not. Passages that today apparently do not belong
to the sphere of salvation might in the course of history be experienced
by the Church at large or by individual members as pertaining to that
sphere. These are serious considerations, but none of them is decisive.
The testimony of Scripture alone is decisive. And here 2 Tim. 3: 16 and
Johnl0:35 again stand before our eyes. If in 2Tim.3:16 of 'all the
Scripture' is said that it is -&EOitilEUcr'tO~, brought forth by the Spirit of
God, does this not exclude every error from the original copy, to which
the term itE01t'VEUCfto<; alone can refer? If in John 10: 35 the general rule
'The Scripture cannot be broken' is applied to a single, one might say
incidentally written, word (if in Scripture we may term anything at all
as casual and incidental), which was indeed important for the under-
standing and time of theocracy but has nothing to do with our salvation,
have we then a right to assume errancy for any part of Scripture?"
F.H.BRUNN
;£)ie ~ebeutultg ber Illt\Jroteftllntifdjen ;£)ogmlltif fnr Me ilRiffion. linter
Mefer iUierfdjrift bntcft bie "SfirdjIidje 2eitfdjrift" (&ug. 1939) aus ,,®ban~
geIifdje :itljeofogie" (1939, S?eft 1) eine bon Lic. !ffiarter S?oIften geHeferte
grnnbIidje unb erfreuIidj obieftibe Unterfudjung liber bicfcn \jSunft ab, bie
audj in unf ern Sfreif en bielen intereff ant f ein blirfte. !mir fonnen ~ier
allerbings nur toenige 6ate bamus toiebergeben, in benen SJolf±en feinen
2efern gleidjfam V:jema unb rnefurtate feiner &rbeit badegt, ~offen aber,
bamit bie &ufmerffamfeit unferer 2efer aUf ben &rtUel ;;u lenfen unb fie
fo Bum 6tubium besfelben au bemnlaffen. &Ilem ffiefagien toirb man frei~
Theological Observer - .Ritd)lid)~3eitgefd)id)tHd)e§ 781
ridj nidjt 3uftimmen fonnen; audj ~ier finben fidj ®egenfiiJ;le, bie eincm aUS
iiberflJannt erfdjeinen, unb Wu~fagen, bie au llJeit geljen. W"nregenb, feljrreidj
unb intereffant, llJefentriclj auclj llJaljr, ift aber ber W"rtifeI bennodj. Lie. ,\?or~
lten fcljreiOt: ,,!fier ber t)'rage [nadj bern UdeiI ber aItlJroteftantifdjen ~og~
matif tiber bie WliHion 1 nacljgeljt, mUB aUerbing~ aUli) dne nicljt unllJicljtige
filnberung in feinem !BUb bon ber Wlinion~ g e f clj i dj t e borneljmen, llJenn er
e~ burclj bie 6tanbarbllJetfe ber Wliffion~llJiffenfcljaft emlJfangen ljatte. Wlan
befommt faft in biefen ben ~inbrucf, aUS fei bie aItlJroteftantifdje ~ogmatif
ein 6tiicf au~ einem Wlufeum~fcljranf, auf beffen 6eIifamfeiten man ficlj mit
WU0rufen be0 6taunenG unb ~olJffdjiitteIn~ im moriiberge~en aufmerffam
macljt." ,\?oIften beudeiIt bann bie oft fritifiede 6teUung ber ~ogmatifer
3ur ,\?eibenmiHion unb aetgt, baB "gefilrcljtete 6treittljeologen", llJie ~ljiIilJlJ
9lifolai (De regno Christi, 1597) unb naclj i~m ber groBe ,,6djuI~ unb
6treittljeologe" ~oqann ®erqarb eine burcljauG recljte 6tellung aur WliHion
eingenommen qaben. ~r fcljreibt: ,,9lifolai ift nidjt ein einfamer 6tern
am bunfIen ~immeI aItlJroteftantifcljer Clt±~obo);ie. (lir llJiirbe bann ba, WO
naclj ber !Bebeutung ber artproteftantif cljen ~ogmatif ftir bie Wliffion gefragt
llJirb, nicljt au befragen fein. (lir mag freiHdj in fetner umfaffenben ~ircljen~
unb 9Jciffion~fenntni~ einfam bafte~en. Wber mit feiner 6djau ber ~inge,
mit ben @eficljiGpunfien, unter ben en er fetnen gellJaItigen 6toff fieljt unb
barf±errt, unb unter benen er bie ~inge beudeirt, fteljt er fef± in ber @e~
meinfcljafi ber Iutljerifcljen ~ogma:tifer fetner :Beit. . .. 6ie finb niimIicii
feim~llJegi3 mit 6cljeuHappen burclj bie ~eIt gegangen; Die tljeologif dj reprii~
fentiede @ef±aIt eine~ ~oljann @erljarb liellJetf±' llJie gern man bie burcfj
9lifoTai bermitteIten ~enntniffe al1fnaljm, oerucffidjtig±e, berrJenbe±e. S\)a§
9Iuge iener ~ogmatifer llJar burcfjaw nicfj± in iljre (Sorianten unb in ein
Ielien~frembe~, IlJoljI gar bern .2elien ber stircfje frembe~ 6cfjema geliannt:
e~ ging biefmeljr in bie gan3e !fieHe ber !fielt unb ber ~irdje." 6e~r frin
licurtcift ,\?olf±en ba.i3 9lein ber ~ogmatifer iJur !Begriinbung ber Wliffion mit
bern Wliffion~liefeljI Wlattlj. 28, "bie af§ ungufiiffige, ljiiretifclje merllJecljflung
bon WliHion unb ~(poftorat cmpfunbcn llJurbe". ~at biefei3 9lein in einer
notigen ~oIemif iljre !fiuqd ljatte, 3eigt ~orf±en f eqr fIar; e~ if± baljer
aucfj ein jeljr reIatibe~ Wein, llJomit burcfjau~ nicl.jt bie WliHion an unb filr
ficfj berneini llJurDe. m:lier llJomit liegriinbeien bie ~ogmamer bann bie
WliHion? ,\?oIfien fcfjreilit: ,,!fiir macfjen alfo bie erftaunlicfje t)'eftftellung,
baB im 6inn ber Iutfjerifcljen Clriljobo);ie bie Wliffion nicl.ji mit bern WliHion~~
vefcqI au liegriinben, fonbern af§ :r a t be r .2 i e li e 3U berfiefjen ift. (li~
lJfIegie lii~ljer feIlifiberftiinbficfj au fein, baB e~ bern ~ietii3mUi3 eigen jei, bie
Wliffion mit ber .2ielie 3U liegriinben. ffieforma±orifdjer ,\?altung eniflJrecfje
e~ meljr, fie aUS @ e lj 0 r f a m gegen ben WliHion~befcljI au bcrftefjen. IDSir
llJerbcn biefcG ~ogma forrigieren, ia umfeljren miiffen. @erabe bie 6aulier~
leit reformatorifcfjen ~enfeni3, llJie ei3 bon ber Iutfjerifcfjen Clrtljobo);ie ge~
Wegt llJurDe, berIangt aI~ )Begriinbung ber Wliffion bie .2iebe. S\)enn bie
Wliffion geljort in bai3 @ebiet bet ~tljif, uno bas cfjrif±fidje ~anbeln iteljt
unter ber .2ielie. SDaburdj fomm± in ben 2ufammenljang bon Clrtljobo);ie unb
~ieti5mu~ neue~ .2icfjt. 6ic qi:ingen feljr eng gUlammen; bie .2iebe af§
Wliffion~motib qat ber ~ieti~mu~ bon ber Cldfjobo);ie empfangen. ~ie !Be~
beutung ber aItlJro±eftantif cfjen SDogmatif filr bie Wliffion ift [bafjer 1 fIar:
jenc ~ogmatif ljar uber bie ffieinqeit be~ ®faulien5 gellJacfjt; ber @Iaulie,
tilier beffen ffieinfjeit fie llJacfjie, ift ber @Iaulie be.i3 ~ieti~muG." (ftberfefjen
782 Theological Observer - ~itd)1id)~.8eitgefd)id)md)eiJ
batf man babd abet nidjt, ba\3 beim ~ieti§mu§ getabe in beaug auf bie Sfem~
!Jltnfte, !Jtedjijeriigung unb S)eUigung, bie djtiftHdje Cfdenntni§ fidj felit
trilote.) ,,\1(n WCiHion£lfinn 1111b WCiHion£lgebanfen lint e£l iljt [bet aHprote~
f±antifdjen Sl)ogmatif] nidjt gefeW; bon iljt ljat fie bet ~ietii8mUi8 iiliet~
rommen. \l(oet freHidj: bie aItptoteftantif dje Sl)ogmatif I e lj t t e ben @Iau~
oen, im ~ieti£lmUi8 routbe et t ii t i g. ~ene roeift aUf bie meoe liin, biefet
fro± fie." (ilJCan betftelj±, tuotauf bet ®djreiOet mit biefem @egenfal,} aoaiert.
\1[10 aUgemein 11Jaljt aoet ra\3± fidj biefer @egenfat nidjt ljarten; er ftimmt
aud) nidj± mit bem, roai8 bet \l(utOt frilljer gefagt ljat.) "illienn bie WCiHion£l~
taten bet Driljobot;ie fo rummerlidj erfdjeinen gegenilliet bem reidjen WCif~
fion£iIeoen be£l ~ieti£lmu£i, fo geljt ei8 l1idjt um Sl)ogmatif, fonbem um ®tljU,
um ben @Iauuen, bet in ber meoe tiitig if±. " (Sl)amit auet foU nidjt gejagt
fein, ba\3 bel ben grauoigen Sl)ogmatifcrn ber @Iauoe n i dj t in ber Bieoe
tiitig roar; benn an (ftlji! mangeHe e£i iljnen um fo l1Jeniger, getabe l1JeH
iljnen @oitei8 illiori ein fo gto\3er (frnft roat. ~ljre meIie tuitfte fidj eoen
anber£i unb auf anberm @euiet aU£l.) ,,\l(udj roenn tuit biefet ®djranfen un£i
fo Har oetuuf3± finb, ettueif± fidj bie mebentung bet aItptotef±antifdjen Sl)og~
matH fUr bie Wciffion bodj a10 unettuade± gro\3 unb pofiti\:). ~ljt iff £0 au
berbanren, baB bai8 WCiffion£lroed be£l )j3ieti£imu£i nidjt romifdje illiedetei,
fonbern ~at, mebe£ltat, be£i ebangeIifdjen @Iauoen£l 11Jutbe." [loU unb gana
geroilrbigt ift mit bem Ietten ®at ba£l, roa£l eine fpatete abgIeifenbe Beit bet
ar±proteftantif djen Sl)ogmaHt berbanft, burdjaui8 nidjt. \l(uer babDn genug.
~l(m: nodj ein anbeter ®ebanfe. illienn lllir Ijeutautage in unferet ilJh±±e aum
ll.Jliffion£lroerf aUf @runb bon WCaitlj. 28 unb WCad. 16 ermaljnen, fo tun roit
bie£l mit boUem !Jtedjt Sl)en11 roaljrenb ja bie guten WCiffion£ltuerfe, roie aUe
anbern guten illietk au£i @Iauoe unb mebe fIie\3en, fo etfdjeint un§ bodj
auclj in WCattlj. 28 unb WCad. 16 @otte£i flatet illiiUe an aUe CIljtif±en. WCan
llergleidje 1 ~etr. 2, 9. @u±e illierfe ljaoen eli en bie Cfigenari, ba\3 fie forooljI
nadj ber Worm be£i @efei,?e£l a[£l audj in ber Bieoe gefdjcIJen. ~. 5t. ';J)'C.
Preparations for the Lutheran 'World Convention. - Our readers have
been informed that next year, from May 24 to June 2, the Lutheran World
Convention will meet in Philadelphia. The News Bulletin of the National
Lutheran Council reports that a commission is drawing up a document
which expresses Christian attitudes concerning basic social problems.
This is a part of the study the commission is preparing on the topic "The
Church in the World," which study is to be used as a basis of considera-
tion at the World Convention.
To keep our readers in touch with developments, we print the fol-
lowing additional information from the Bulletin:
"According to the commission's statement the first part of the study
will concern general principles 'setting forth the nature and mission of the
Church in the world with special reference to the contrasts and conflicts
between the ideals of the Church and those of the world. This introduc-
tion also sets forth the distinctive principles by which Christian civiliza-
tion is developed.' It is the hope of the commission that this portion of
the study will be of so 'timeless' a character that it will never be out-
dated. The body of the report, however, 'proposes to deal with social
questions which characterize all generations in all countries, but with
special reference to the social questions of the present.'
"The commission's statement indicates that this practical section of the
Theological Observer - Sfird,JHdv3eitgefd,Jid,Jtlid,Jes 783
study will be divided into five parts: 'The first will deal with problems
of the more intimate social life, as sex, marriage, home, and such asso-
ciated subjects as employment of women in industry, child welfare,
divorce, etc.
"'The second part will deal with problems pertaining to the State,
with authority and forms of government, duties and responsibilities.
"'The third part will deal with problems connected with economic
relations, with reference to problems between labor and capital, between
production, marketing, consumption, etc.
"'The fourth part will deal with problems involved in cultural rela-
tions, ideologies, traditions, customs, race, and types of civilization.
" 'The fifth part will deal with Christian education in the application
of Christian truth and principles to science and philosophy as they affect
life in its social relationships.'
"According to the Rev. Dr. Walton H. Greever, chairman of the com-
mission, the purpose of the Lutheran World Convention and the work of
this commission is 'to make the best possible contribution that the Lu-
theran Church can make on this subject at the present time, recognizing
the world-wide interest of Christians of all denominations in these vital
social problems. This report will be prepared and presented with the
definite purpose that it may become the basis of definite programs by
which principles and applications may be made known to the whole body
of the Churrh, and publicized to the utmost degree. It is not the ex-
pectation of the committee that any specific program of action may come
out of this, but that the whole Church may be moved to the possibility
of an effective educational program. It is also expected that what is pre-
sented through the report in condensed form may stimulate production of
a continuous stream of special literature on specific subjects.'
"So wide and varied is the field of study that the members of the
commission during their recent meeting accepted tentative oral reports
and disbanded to return to their homes to prepare their revised papers
there. The completed reports will be turned over to Dr. Greever and on
September 1, he and the Rev. Dr. Conrad Bergendoff, president of Augus-
tana College and Seminary, Rock Island, TIL, will unify them. Mimeo-
graphed copies will then be sent to the three foreign members of the
commission for their approval.
"In addition to Dr. Greever and Dr. Bergendoff, members of the com-
mission are: the Rev. Dr. Bernhard M. Christensen, president of Augsburg
College and Seminary, Minneapolis, Minn.; the Rev. Dr. Thaddeus F.
Gullixson, president of Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.; the
Rev. Dr. Emil E. Fischer of the Philadelphia Lutheran Theological Semi-
nary; and the Rev. Dr. Edward C. Fendt of Capital University, Colum-
bus, O. The Rev. Dr. Lars W. Boe, president of St. Olaf College, North-
field, Minn., and a member of the Lutheran World Convention executive
committee, is serving the commission in an advisory capacity. The
European members of the commission are the Rev. Dr. Paul Althaus of
Erlangen University, Erlangen, Germany; the Rev. Dr. Alfred Jorgensen,
Denmark; and Bishop J. Sandegren of Trichinopoly, India.
"Except for a single American respresentative on each the personnel
of the other two commissions preparing studies for the World Convention
784 Theological Observer - .Rltd)Hd)·8eitgefd)id)tlid)el!
was chosen from the ranks of the leading European theologians. Their
studies concern 'the Church, the Word, and the Sacraments,' and 'The
Church and Other Churches.' Each topic relates to the general subject,
'The Lutheran Church Today.' "
A later issue of the Bulletin contains a further sketch of the planned
convention and its program.
"The group of official delegates will be comparatively small, but an
effort will be made to secure the participation of the prominent leaders
in all spheres of church activity. According to the decision of the execu-
tive committee there will be a total of one hundred and sixty delegates-
forty to be chosen from among the Lutheran churches in America, forty
from the Scandinavian countries, forty from Germany, and forty from the
Lutheran churches in other nations.
"During the initial convention session, Friday morning, May 24, the
delegates will be divided into three sections, each charged with the re-
sponsibility of studying, and acting on, the reports of the three Conven-
tion commissions. These working sessions will continue until Wednes-
day, May 29, when the first section will present its report on 'The Church,
the Word, and the Sacraments' to the assembled delegates.
"On Thursday, May 30, the second section will report on 'The Church
and Other Churches.' The third and final section report, on 'The Church
in the W orId,' will be heard and acted on the following d~-- A -'--le op-
porttmity will be given for study and discussion.
"Six American and three European Lutheran theologians are prepar-
ing the study on 'the Church in the World.' Except for a single American
representative on each the personnel of the other two commissions has
been chosen from the ranks of the leading European theologians. Each
topic relates to the general convention theme, 'The Lutheran Church
Today.'
"In addition to devoting many hours to the three basic studies the
delegates will hear and consider reports concerning the great projects of
the Lutheran World Convention which are being undertaken in many
parts of the world.
"Yet this is but a fraction 0:£ the complete Convention program. Be-
ginning on Thursday, May 30, Philadelphia will be the scene of about a
dozen Lutheran conferences, all to be conducted as integral parts of the
World Convention. One, an international Youth Congress, will rally Lu-
theran youth from Europe and America. Appropriately, the theme of
this conference will be 'Tomorrow's Lutheran Church.' The Rev. Dr. N.
M. Ylvisaker of Minneapolis, executive secretary of the Luther League of
the Norwegian Lutheran Church, has accepted the chief responsibility for
the organization and projection of this portion of the program.
"Arrangements are being made for foreign- and home-mission con-
ferences, meetL1'lgs for Lutheran editors, nurses, educators, a..?J.d Sunday-
school teachers. All Lutheran men's groups, women's organizations, and
inner-mission agencies will also send representatives to participate in the
special conferences. Organizations such as the Lutheran Inner Mission
Conference, the Foreign Missions Conference, and the Educational Con-
ference have already arranged to hold their 1940 sessions in Philadelphia
as a part of the Lutheran World Convention meeting.
78~
"On Memorial Day, May 30, all Convention visitors will take an ex-
cursion to Valley Forge, the Trappe Church, and Muhlenberg's grave.
For the occasion special patriotic services are being arranged.
"Climax to this greatest of all Lutheran assemblies will be the final
service and choral concert in Philadelphia's Convention Hall, Sunday
afternoon, June 2.
"The American section of the Lutheran World Convention executive
committee is directly in charge of all arrangements for the Convention
gathering. Members of the committee are the Rev. Dr. Frederick H.
Knubel, of New York City, president of the United Lutheran Church in
America and vice-president of the World Convention; the Rev. Dr. Ralph
H. Long, executive director of the National Lutheran Council and assis-
tant treasurer of the World Convention; the Rev. Dr. Lars W. Boe, presi-
dent of St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.; and the Rev. Dr. Abelel Ross
Wentz of the Gettysburg Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, Pa."
What the Lutheran World Convention should do is discuss seriously
the defections from sound Lutheranism of which many of its members
are guilty, in order that true unity in the faith may be established. A.
Why a Deacon Resigned from the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A. -
John A. Heckel, member of the Rutger Presbyterian Church, St. Louis,
Mo., and deacon in that church for many years, recently resigned from
his various offices and his relationship to the denomination. In his
resignation declaration, as reported by the Christian Beacon (Aug. 3,
1939), he stated as the first two reasons for this important step the
following: "During the early months of 1939 I learned facts which are
not generally known by the laity of the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A.,
but which we have every right to know. The following are some of these
facts: 1. In 1923 approximately twelve hundred Presbyterian ministers
signed a document called the 'Auburn Affirmation,' in which the verbal
inspiration and inerrancy of the Scriptures is denied and the virgin birth
of Christ, the blood atonement of Christ, the bodily resurrection of
Christ, and the miracles of Christ are declared to be 'one of many
theories.' This affirmation was blasphemy and a sin beyond description,
and yet not only did these men escape discipline, but today every board
of the denomination has these men on its councils. 2. While the above-
mentioned apostates were not dealt with, the Presbyterian Church,
U. S. A., did not hesitate to unfrock men of God who chose to obey Him
rather than men and who put God's Word and conscience above the
dictates of human agencies; such men were Doctors Machen, Laird,
McIntire, Griffiths, and others. Other ministers, whose sympathies are
with these men, are not standing with them for fear of action by the
powerful ecclesiastical machine. This most certainly is not the faith of
our fathers." J. T. M.
Southern Minister Attacks the Verbal Inspiration of the Bible.-
Under this heading the Christian Beacon (Aug. 3, 1939) reports an attack
upon the Biblical doctrine of Verbal Inspiration (called by the Beacon
"the historic position of the Presbyterian Church") by Rev. P. McGeachy,
Presbyterian minister in Decatur, Ga. The article appeared in the
Presbyterian of the South (July 26, 1939), in a section entitled "Pres-
50
786 Theological Observer - RttdJltd)~3eitgefd)id)tltdJel!
byterian Round Table." In the article Dr. McGeachy declares: "I am
a believer, and a loyal Presbyterian believer, but I am frank to say that
I take my stand with Barth and Brunner," viz., in regard to the doctrine
of Biblical inspiration. The declaration is far too long to be quoted in
full; yet the following paragraph may interest our readers since it
closely resembles the standpoint taken by many writers in the United
Lutheran Church in recent years.
Dr. McGeachy says: "It is not in my mind to deny Verbal Inspira-
tion. There must be some sense in which the words which convey an
idea are inspired if the idea itself is inspired~ Undoubtedly there are
actual and definite words in the Bible which we would not lose for any-
thing. There are words that are music and light in their very syllables ....
What I do object to, however, and what is turning a great and helpful
fact into a hurtful lie [Hear! Hear!] is the idea that the Bible is to be
taken in a hard and fast sense, just as, for example, we must take the
multiplication table. I insist that such an idea is contrary to Pres-
byterianism and contrary to all that the Bible itself has in mind. And
yet this idea is rampant among us at this moment, and it is causing schism
and turmoil and is all unintentionally holding back the coming of the
King and His kingdom. I say that this holding back of the kingdom is
unintentional. Men who take this stand are sincere and earnest, and
they feel that in defending their position they are really defending
God's truth. They think that, because some of us do not go with them,
we have gone off into heresy and that we are guilty of treason to Christ
and His Church. They think this; they say this; and so far as they are
able, they carry out their thoughts in deeds. They have created division;
they have accused men who are equally worthy and sincere with them-
selves; and they have shed abroad among the professed followers of the
God of love a spirit of criticism and of censure that sha.rnes the cause
and must surely hurt the heart of our Master. And my insistence is
that in all this they have been emphasizing something that is usually not
a matter of importance and that is often an actual hindrance to progress
in the fellowship of Hi.rn who said: 'Ye shall know the truth, and the
truth shall make you free.'''
Very moderately Dr. Carl McIntire replies to this attack editorially:
"The position taken by Dr. McGeachy is similar to that taken by the
late Dr. Charles Briggs of Union Theological Seminary, New York, for
which in 1893 he was suspended from the ministry of the Presbyterian
Church in the U. S. A. One wonders what the brethren in the South
are going to do about this subtle, insidious, and yet open attack upon
the historic position of the Protestant Church that the Word of God
is infallible, pure, and without error. If it has errors, it is not infallible;
if it is infallible, it does not have any errors and is trustworthy."
The last words of the editorial are directed especially against the
final paragraph, in which Dr. McGeachy sums of his viewpoint thus:
"I am insisting on the idea of revelation. But I am not saying that, in
order to have revelation, we must have what some brethren seem to
demand. These brethren say that the Bible must be absolutely accurate
in every detail or else it cannot be the Bible at all. They think of the
Book as a sort of Prince Rupert's Drop: you must not break even a tiny
Theological Observer - Ritd)Iid)~8eitgefd)td)tlid)es 787
fragment from it; for if you do, then the whole Book flies into dust
and nothingness. I had a man say precisely that to me within the last
month or so. He held that the Bible must be exact in literally every-
thing or else it was all gone for him. These brethren frequently say
that it is dangerous to admit that there may possibly be a flaw aJlywhere
from Genesis to Revelation. Now, I insist that that fear is not Pres-
byterian doctrine; it is not the doctrine of the Bible about itself."
As the reader peruses this viciously controversial article, which, let
us bear in mind, was written primarily for Christian laymen, he is amazed
at the satanic cleverness of the writer's paralogic argumentation. First
he pretends to accept verbal inspiration. Next he claims that the Bible
cannot be regarded as inerrant in all its parts, since that is contrary to the
Bible itself. Then he accuses those who defend Biblical infallibility as
holding back the Kingdom, creating division and hurting the heart of the
Master. Lastly he dismisses the entire subject as unworthy of so much
consideration, since after all the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy is not
a matter of importance, but claims that often it proves an actual hindrance
to progress in the fellowship of Christ. This is destructive cunning
and a saddening attempt to dynamite the foundation of the Christian
faith by denying the infallible authority of God's Word, concerning which
the Christian Church has always judged: Quidquid Deus revelavit,
infallibiliter veT'Um est, J. T.M.
Methodists Too Liberal Concerning Grounds fo:;: Divol'