(!!nurnr~ia
m~tnln!lttal :SlnntlJly
Continuing
LEHRE UND ~EHRE
MAGAZIN FUER Ev.-LUTH. HOMILETIK
THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLY-THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY
Vol. XI January, 1940 No.1
CONTENTS Page
Foreword. w. Arndt ____________ ____ . __ .. ... ____ ._____ . .. ____ . . .. _ ... _. __ _ ._. . 1
Der Lutherische Weltkonvent. Th. Engelder _____ . ______ .. _._. __ .... _ .. _ .. ___ ... _ .. _ 11
The Significance of the Doctrine of the Church and the Ministry
J. Theodore Mueller ____ .. __ .. . _ . ____ ... _. ___ .________ 19
Entwuerfe ueber die von der Synodalkonferenz angenommene
EpisteIreihe _________ .... _____ ..... ___ ... __ .. _. __ ._ .. _ .. __ ._______ .. _ . __ ._ ... . __ . ___ .. _______ 36
Miscellanea ___ __ ._. _____ . __ . _ .. ____ ._ . _____ .... . . ___ . __ ... _ .... ________ . ________ . __ . ____ ._. ____ ...... _____ . 50
Theological Observer - Kirchlich-Zeitgeschichtliches . ______ ._ .. _. ._. 59
Book Review - Literatur .. _____________________ ... ... _. _ .. _. __ .. _. __________ ._._._ _ 73
Ein Predlger muss nicht a1lein wei-
den, also dass er die Schafe unter-
weise. wie sie rechte Christen sollen
sein, sondern auch daneben den Woel-
fen wehTen, dass sie die Schafe nlcht
angreifen und mit falscher Lehre ver-
fuehren und Irrtum einfuehren.
LutheT
Es ist kein Ding, das die Leute
mehr bel der K1rche behaelt denn
die gute Predigt. - Apologie, Arl.24
If the trwnpet give an uncertain
sound. who shall prepare himself to
the battle? -1 COT. 14:8
Published for the
Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States
CONCORDIA PUBUSHING HOUSE, St. Louis, Mo.
Theological Observer - .Rh:d)Iirf)'Seitgefdyid)tlici)e§ 59
'fhe~:~;,;:cal C hserver - ~irdjIidj~ 3eitgef djidjtIidje§
Lutheran World Convention will Not Meet in 1940. - Owing to the
world situation the American section of the Lutheran World Convention's
executive committee has canceled the meeting originally scheduled for
1940 at Philadelphia. It is proposed, however, to hold a conference of
representative Lutheran leaders from such nations as will be able to send
delegates. The commission which was to submit a study to the proposed
convention on the general theme "The Church in the World" is con-
tinuing its work and has submitted a preliminary paper. This committee
is discussing the Church in her domestic, economic, political, cultural,
and educational relationships. F. E. M.
On the Unscriptural Character of Lodges. - From a letter which
Pastor O. F. Engelbrecht of Milwaukee, member of Synod's Lodge Com-
mittee, wrote to a young inquiring brother, we quote the following
excellent, serviceable paragraphs:
"The Masons and Odd-Fellows, together with their Women's
Auxiliaries, are full-fledged lodges. The ritual is not only deistic but
saturated with self-righteousness and universalism. All their members
go to heaven. The ritual must be used as it is. It must not be omitted
or changed by local organizations. I hardly think that we shall ever
see the time when these two organizations shall change their character.
They will always be lodges, antichristian organizations, and so you are
safe in investing some of your money in the rituals - if you can still
purchase them.
"When you are through with your course in Christian fundamentals,
take up the lodge in particular:
"1. Discuss oaths in general, then oaths in uncertain things. Discuss
Lev. 5: 4, 5. Show the effect of such an oath. Point out its blasphemous
character. Ask the lodge-members belonging to the discussion group
whether a Christian can belong to a society which demands such oaths.
Some did not realize the sinfulness of the oath when they swore it,
but now they see it. Is it enough to confess that they sinned in swearing
their oath? Ought they not to renounce the order that demands of all
members that they commit this sin and that they continue in this sin?
"2. Discuss the Trinity. Show that they must honor the Son even
as they honor the Father. Show that the lodge admits men of all faiths,
Christ-denying Jews, Unitarians, etc. And for this reason they ignore
the Triune God. Show them that the lodge is deistic, that the God
they worship is not the true God, hence lodge worship is idolatry.
"3. Discuss Christless prayers. Show that they are an insult and
an abomination to God. How can I belong to a society that has no
place for my Savior, who loved me and gave Himself for me? Denying
Christ.
"4. Discuss the way to salvation, Christianity vs. paganism, salvation
by faith and by works. Show them that all who want to be saved by
their works are under the curse. Show them that the lodge teaches
60 Theological Observer - Ritd)tid}=3elt\ltfcf)id)tYld)d
this soul-destroying, pagan doctrine: salvation by works. Discuss
certain passages in the Epistle to the Galatians.
"5. Discuss the universalism of the lodge. All members sent to
heaven, whether they believed in Christ or not. Show that this is
a denial of Christ's words in Mark 16: 16: 'He that believeth not shall
be damned.' Show that the lodge holds out a false hope to unbelievers
and leads them on to hell. Can they support such an organization?
"6. Discuss unionism and syncretism. Discuss 2 Cor. 6: 14-18.
"7. You might also discuss the fatherhood of God. Discuss the
passages which tell us that we are children of wrath by nature, children
of the devil, and that we are children of God by adoption, through faith
in Christ. Show how the lodge deceives men into thinking that they
are God's children without believing in Christ. In each case be sure
to have them look up the passage in the Bible and to read it with you.
Let the W m'd soak in and do its work. And be sure also that you are
able to produce the teaching of the lodge in the very words of the ritual.
The contrast cannot but impress them, and if they are Christians, they
will feel constrained to come out of the lodge." G.
Such Is Fame! - In the Diapason, the foremost organ magazine of
America, under date of November 1, 1939, one of the editorial writers,
Hamilton C. Macdougall, Mus. D. (Brown University), A. G. 0., A. R. C. 0.,
professor emeritus, Wellesley College, writes: "The Walther League 0;'
Chicago, at the suggestion of Herbert Bruening, sends me copies of the
sixth and seventh bulletins of distinctive choral music selected for the
Lutheran Choral Union." After a description of these bulletins the
writer continues: "The name Walther League puzzled me, since it did
not seem reasonable to assume that the society was named for Walther
von del' Vogelweide of the twelfth century. It seems that Johann
Walther, a friend of Luther, who helped Luther in his work of pre-
paring suitable church music, is commemorated in the title." - So with
all the publicity of the last two years it seems that the Saxon
immigration, the ll,llissouri Synod, and its great founder are not as well
known as we may have imagined. Also, here is an example of history
as it is "made." When in doubt, guess - when a one-cent postal card
to the sender of the bulletins would have brought the writer the correct
information. H.
The Unionistic Campaign. Reports from the Field. - The Christian
Herald, December, 1939, is happy to report:
"Inclusive. - 'Methodist I was born, Methodist I will die.' . .. That
used to be one trite expression of the old denominational adhesiveness
which forbade crossing of the sectarian line. Born into a denomination,
we usually stayed there until death us did part. Those days are over
now; sectarian lines mean less and less. We are becoming more
inclusive, less exclusive. Witness the case of young Rev. Edward M.
Cadigan as example.
"Mr. Cadigan was born a Methodist. He has two brothers who are
Episcopalian ministers. Called to a charge under the United Church of
Canada, in Saskatchewan, he ran into difficulties when the superintendent
Theological Observer - .Ritd)nd)~8ettgefd)id)tlid)ell 61
of the United Church district desired that he be ordained. Ordination
was refused him because he had obtained no academic degree. The
Methodist Church offered to give him deacon's orders, but that wouldn't
permit him to administer all the ordinances of the Church. Then stepped
in Dr. Finis Idelman or the Central Church of Disciples of Christ in New
York, who saw to it that the young man was ordained.
"He was ordained by the historic method of 'laying on of hands,'-
on his head were laid the hands of ministers Presbyterian, Congrega-
tional, Disciple, Episcopal. If that isn't an ecclesiastical League of Nations,
what is? And if it isn't a good sign, then we can't read the signs of
the times."
Here is another report, from the manifesto issued by the W orId
Conference of Christian Youth, in session July 24 to Aug. 2, 1939, in
Amsterdam:
"Toward World-wide Unity. - Characteristic of this time in which
we meet is not only the fact of international tension and social unrest,
but also the fact of a rising ecumenical consciousness. The nations and
peoples of the world are drifting apart, the churches are coming together.
There is a growing conviction of the essential togetherness of all Chris-
tians. Our conference takes its place in the line of a great succession
of world gatherings, and we are ambitious to add to the momentum
of this quest for Christian unity.
"At this conference we have not only discovered fellow-Christians,
but also fellow-churches with our own. In common worship through
the services of different traditions, to a degree which has never been
achieved before, we have seen of each other's faith, shared in each other's
riches, and understood together more deeply the £Ulness of the stature
of Christ. We look forward to the time when the Church in every land
will bring its own peculiar gifts to the worship of the one Lord.
"We believe that the different churches need each other. A great
responsibility rests, therefore, on us to seek opportunity in our own
countries and in the places where we live for closer cooperation in
work and for larger sharing in worship with our fellow-Christians. The
world needs a united Church. We must be one, that the world may
believe. The world will not wait while we argue, neither will God have
us ask Him to achieve by miracle what we are unwilling to work
for ourselves.
"Many of us have been puzzled and distressed about our separation
at the Table of our Lord. While we rejoice that He has come to all
of us through the Sacrament, we cannot believe that these divisions in
the most central act of our worship must of necessity persist. We affirm
our faith that it is in the purpose of God that Christ shall be Victor
here likewise."
Commenting on this, the Kirchliche Zeitschrift, November, 1939,
speaks of misguided enthusiasm and chasing after a phantom. They are
certainly playing with an illusion. "Sharing in each other's riches," "each
Church bringing its own peculiar gifts," "the different churches needing
each other," - that is the give-and-take plan of union so much advocated
today. We must "pool our truths," says E. Stanley Jones. "This plan
62 Theological Observer - Rird)1id)~3citgcfd)id)tlid)c5
would not ask any denomination to give up any truth it may possess.
It would not have to give it up; it would give it to the rest of us. And
each needs the other's truth." (The Lutheran Companion, March 18, 1937,
calls this "a notable utterance.") That is certainly chasing a phantom.
It is aiming at the impossible. Let us ask the Catholic Church to share
in our riches! The great treasure of the Lutheran Church is "justification
by faith." E. Stanley Jones specifically mentions that as the contribution
of the Lutherans to the common treasury, the common pool. If the
Catholics accept this treasure, what becomes of their treasured teaching
"Justification by works"? Perhaps the Lutherans will take it over!
Perhaps they can find a way of combining justification through faith
and justification through works. The Episcopalians insist on the Apos-
tolic Succession. The Lutherans insist on the equality of the ministers.
Let them share in each other's riches! The Lutherans have been teaching
m.onergism, the Arminian Methodists synergism. That will never do,
says E. Stanley Jones and the World Conference of Christian Youth;
you must share each other's riches and preach synergistic monergism
or monergistic synergism. It seems these misguided unionists honestly
believe it can be done.
The Living Church frequently reports on the proposed concordat
aiming at the union of Presbyterians and Episcopalians. It denounces
the straddling phrases used in the concordat and publishes the following
communication (Nov. 1, 1939):
"Comprehensive Concordat. - To the Editor: The Commission on
Reunion with the Jewish Church has now completed its work, and it is
with great pleasure that I submit its findings for the instruction and
edification of your readers.
"In the course of our discussions an astonishing measure of agree-
ment has been reached in all important questions of faith and order:
"1. Both Churches - Jewish and Christian - believe in the Christ,
that is to say, the Messiah. The only real difference lies in the question
whether He has already come or is yet to come. A merely abstract
theological problem of that nature should certainly not be regarded as
an impediment to that larger unity after which we are both striving.
"2. As regards the Trinity, we both believe in one Messiah, one
God, and one Spirit of the Lord. All these phrases are used in both
Old and New Testaments. It is clear that there is no essential
barrier here ....
"4. As regards Baptism, the Commission expresses the hope that
Jewish congregations may be led to appreciate its value and that, when
the Rabbi-presbyter celebrates the Holy Communion or Passover in
a formerly Christian congregation, he will insist upon it, but that, when
he is celebrating in a formerly Jewish congregation, it shall be left
to the consciences of individual members ....
"Thus all apparent difficulties are seen to disappear when examined
with the big, broad, flexible outlook, together with the recommendations
herein enclosed. It is anticipated that our proposals may not be enthusi-
astically welcomed by all members of both churches - that there may
be a number of narrow-minded, uncharitable, medievalist, obscurantist
Theological Observer - ~itcf)nc!),,(lcitgefC!)icf)tlic!)es 63
bigots in both bodies who will object to this eminently lucid and com-
prehensive concordat. However, we feel sure that such a narrow, schis-
matic, sectarian spirit will be disavowed by the churches concerned and
that the big, broad, flexible outlook and a few more ambiguous formulae
will dispose of all difficulties and divergences, past, present, and future.
"Philadelphia
"(Rev.) William H. Dunphy
"Secretary of the Commission on Reunion
with Everything and Everybody"
The Christian Herald, December, 1939, reports further: "A Jewish
Rabbi, J. Gerson Brenner, of Philadelphia's Logan Community Synagog,
has been unanimously elected an honorary member of the Men's Asso-
ciation of All Saints' Lutheran Church. This is the response of the men
of All Saints' to Rabbi Brenner's work in the promotion of Jewish-
Christian understanding and good will. Well done, Lutherans!"
A report from the Lutheran, Nov. 15, 1939. The editor interviewed
Dr. Offermann, and we submit the following paragraph because of the
statement made in the concluding sentence.
"When asked what he considered the most hopeful phase of present-
day Lutheranism, he replied promptly: 'Its rapid strides toward unity,
especially in the United States.' It will be remembered that Dr. Offer-
mann has figured prominently in the negotiations carried on by a com-
mission of the U. C. L. A. in conference with commissions of the Missouri
Synod and the American Lutheran Church. He believes that, while there
is no immediate prospect of organic union amongst the different groups
of Lutherans in North America, there are excellent prospects for a clearer
and, therefore, more unanimous understanding and acceptance of the
historic Lutheran Confessions. He believes that Christian unity has
advanced in many ways in the past fifty years. He remembers vividly
controversies that existed amongst Lutherans and between Lutherans
and other groups. He believes that while Christianity has been
approaching a higher valuation of its essentials in doctrine and in life,
it has at the same time become conscious of the unworthiness of many
of the questions that have aroused controversies and caused divisions."
If the reference is to the controversies on Conversion and Pre-
destination, on Inspiration, and on the Four Points (unionism, chiliasm,
etc.), we have here one of the favorite maneuvers of the unionists. The
unionists have always insisted that in essentials there must be unity,
but that it is unworthy of the Church to insist on unity in less important
doctrines, and that the doctrine of Conversion, of Inspiration, etc., are
among the less important ones. E.
Dr. Little on the Descent of Jesus into Hell. - We are happy to
state that, in discussing the descent of Jesus into hell, Dr. Little, professor
of the U. L. C. A. seminary in Waterloo, Canada, sets forth the teachings
of Holy Scripture. His remarks kave the heading "Now or Never."
Referring to the question whether Jesus preached the Gospel to the
spirits in prison for their conversion, Dr. Little says: "This present life
is the period of grace, and there is not a particle of evidence anywhere
in the Scriptures of a preaching of the Gospel to any who have departed
from this life." On the character of that preaching Dr. Little remarks:
64
"It was not a preaching of the Gospel, but a preaching of the Law-
a vindication of His righteous servant Noah and of all His righteous
servants who, like Noah, have faithfully proclaimed His Word to
a jeering world. It was a proclamation of victory on Christ's part."
That is good, sound doctrine. More power to such testimony. A.
Our Neglect of Individual Soul-Care. - Since it is now both
a theological and a psychological axiom that "confession is good for the
soul," I want to open this discussion with a confession. Whatever faults
of character and conduct I may possess, this has been, I believe, the sin
of my ministry: I have not sufficiently and adequately dealt with the in-
dividual in soul-care. Without any desire to condemn or criticize my
brother pastors, I will include you in my confession, I have a growing
conviction that this is the sin of sins of the Lutheran ministry, yes, of the
Protestant clergy. My experience and observation convince me that we
have, in the Lutheran Church at least, tried to proclaim Christ. We
have endeavored to rightly distinguish and apply Law and Gospel in our
preaching of sin and grace. There may still be much to be desired by
way of inspirational, spiritually productive public worship and efficient
church administration, but I believe our greatest fault is that we have
so largely neglected individual soul-care.
Time was in the history of our Church and in the memory of some
of our readers when most public Christian rites, such as baptism, con-
firmation, Communion, marriage, burial, were attended with thorough-
going individual Seelsorge. This was particularly true of the Lord's Sup-
per, participation in which was always preceded by, and often contingent
on, a private conversation on the state of the soul with an earnest, God-
fearing pastor. Now the Lutheran confessional has practically, if not
theoretically, broken down, with irreparable damage to the vital discipli-
nary functions of the church and to the development of Christian faith
and character in the individual. Our modern hurried registration for
Communion is scarcely better than a farce, having in it little of spiritual,
though some statistical, value.
The historical reason for this wholesale discontinuance of the con-
fessional we may find in the Roman abuse of it and the consequent
Protestant reaction. But our failure to reestablish the confessional on
a pure, evangelical, Lutheran basis prompts a heart-searching introspec-
tion on the part of every pastor: Wherein have I failed to inspire in my
people the confidence needed to draw them to me with their personal
and spiritual problems? Is it an apparent apathetic lack of concern for
the temporal and spiritual welfare of my flock? Is it the violation of
sacred confidences in the past in sermon or conversation, or, at any rate,
a suspicion instilled in the parishioner's mind that I, his pastor, cannot be
trusted as absolutely as his family physician or lawyer? Or is it his
instinctive feeling that no real help is to be derived from such an inter-
view with me?
Now, if our people have not come to us, we should have gone to them.
In some places there has been too little home visitation. In our care of
the sick we have, on the whole, been diligent and faithful. Where we
have not been as prompt as we should, or where we have overlooked
Theological Observer - ~itcf;ncf;~8eitgefcf;icf)tHcf;e~ 65
anyone, it has usually been the failure of some one to notify us. The
faithful pastor has of course not waited for an invitation to visit a sick
member or associate if he has known of the illness; but since he is not,
like Joseph, able to divine, he has constantly encouraged his people to
promptly notify him, and by generous and specific inquiry has gathered
the information indirectly. There has been, however, a temptation to
neglect calling on those who are bodily well and active, who may need
a pastor's ministrations fully as much as the sick and disabled. Can we
say that we have been sufficiently interested in the poor and the friend-
less, the tempted and the sinning, the stranger and the outsider, the
youth? "Thy should we wait till a man's life is spent or he is about to
die before we become actively interested in his soul? How many, do
you suppose, have gone from our churches thinking: No man careth for
my soul?
In too many instances the visitation has not been truly pastoral in
character. It may have been merely a pleaEant social call, without spir-
itual purpose or result. Even such a call is better than none, for it
reveals at least a certain amount of interest and helps to create a bond!
between church and home. Or it may have been a perfunctory call about
church matters. I wonder if most of our calls have not been of this
type: we come hurriedly to invite children to Sunday-school or parents
to church. In many homes repeated invitations go unheeded because
there is little spiritual interest, such as might have been aroused by
a genuine pastoral call.
At times, where it appeared appropriate, as in a sick-room or among
the aged and the infirm, we went so far as to read a passage of Scripture,
often chosen at random, and closed with prayer. Now, this can prove
a great blessing; but I have known pastors who let this suffice, even for
the mortally sick and dying! This was the extent of their individual
soul-care. Such sad neglect is not representative of Lutheran pastoral
care among the sick, however, for at the sick- and death-bed the
Lutheran pastor stands without a peer. In this respect Goldsmith's
touching description of a faithful pastor in The Deserted Villuge applies
to him. But our individual soul-curacy otherwise has often been very
supedicial and inadequate.
May I here quote from Dr. Sverre Norborg: "Superficial Christian
soul-care is no weakness; it is a bloody crime. Some day it will perhaps
be avenged in a drastic manner." - "If it is criminal negligence on the
part of a doctor to rush like a nonsensical tourist through the wards of
his patients, such a hurried 'have-no-time' attitude on the part of a rep-
resentative of Christian soul-care is an unforgivable sin. It is here
that the greatest challenge comes to the Christian ministry of souls from
untiring, thorough psychiatrists. The criminal negligence, day out and
day in, on the part of men called pastors is a shame." (Varieties of Chris-
tian EJ.."Perience, pp. 218, 216.)
The reasons for this tragic neglect may be many. It may be the
residual influence of the early Lutheran theologians who restricted pri-
vate care to the confessional and the sick-room, to which they needed
an invitation. It may be due to a transplanting of the official, perfunctory
5
66
church-life of the European state churches to American soil. An excuse
has been found in the validity and efficacy of the means of grace. We
have not always understood the tremendous importance of it nor realized
our grave responsibility. Some of our congregations have been too large
for an effective soul-ministry.
Right here it might be well to question the wisdom of ever striving
for bigger churches, as if bigness of itself were the true criterion of
success. I am afraid we have had a mania for numbers; we are flushed
with statistical fever. No pastor, however able, can do intensive soul-
curacy for 2,000 members. Rather than keep on admitting new members
into the fold, when we cannot take care of those we already have, would
it not be better to organize new congregations under new shepherds?
The only alternative would be to increase the working force.
Journal of the American Lutheran Conference, June, 1939
"Dealing with the Individual in Soul-care," by Henry Westby
Presidential Masons. - Under this heading Time (Aug. 21, 1939)
replies to the inquiry of a reader: "I have recently heard from both
Masons and non-Masons that no man will ever go to the White House
who is not a 32d-degree Mason. If true, here is a political factor far more
important than the Legion. How many of our Presidents have been
Masons, and how do the prospective 1940 candidates stand in this re-
spect?" as follows: "Of the thirty-one U. S. Presidents twelve have been
known Masons: George Washington (Past Master), James Monroe, An-
drew Jackson (Grand Master), James K. Polk (Royal Arch), James
Buchanan (Past Master), Andrew Johnson (32d Degree), James A. Gar-
field (14th Degree), William McKinley (Knight Templar), Theodore
Roosevelt, William H. Taft, Warren G. Harding (33d Degree), Franklin
D. Roosevelt (32d Degree). (Whether Thomas Jefferson and James Madi-
son were Masons is a moot question. Of the 1940 Presidential possibili-
ties, Masons are Thomas Edmund Dewey, Arthur Hendrick Vandenberg
(32d Degree), Paul Vories McNutt (32d Degree). No Masons are Robert
Alphonso Taft, James Aloysius Farley, John Nance Garner, Cordell Hull,
Harry Lloyd Hopkins."
This bit of information may be interesting to our readers at this time,
when Freemasonry has encountered so much opposition on the part of
governments that regard it as so very dangerous to the welfare of the
State that in their view absolute elimination is the only measure of pro-
tection against it. J. T. M.
Rome in Scandinavia. - The Lutheran lately called attention to
Catholic hopes of reconquering Scandinavia. In Sweden, where legal
restrictions were removed sixty years ago, Catholics today number
33,800; in a population of 6,000,000 this means 1 in 180. In Denmark,
Catholics number 26,400, 1 in 140, with 16 native priests; in Norway
3,000, about 1 in 967. The Lutheran closes its article thus: "There's no
law against being hopeful if it makes them happy." All the same, may
these Lutheran countries be on their guard - and read history! Catholics
are going at their work in the old accustomed way: first a finger, then
the hand, then the arm, etc. In 1923 the nuns of the Order of St. Bridget,
Sweden's medieval saint, exiled since 1595, were asked to take part in
67
a purely secular celebration in honor of the saint; presumably they
stayed, for around the cult of St. Bridget, Catholics are now centering
their work. Just so, in Norway, there is that old saint King Olaf,
reputed founder of Christianity in Norway; Catholics are now looking
around for a relic of Olaf to be used in a shrine. The Lutheran thinks:
"It ought not to be hard to 'discover' one in some miraculous way."
It's a beginning; and that's all they want - and all they need! H.
The Indefatigable Church of Rome. - Under this heading the
Sunday-school Times (November 11) quotes an article by F. C. Gibson in
the Christian b-ishman, in which he sums up various forms of Catholic
organizations that look toward control of individuals and governments in
Ireland. Such are: the Catholic Council of International Relations, which
keeps in touch with societies in various countries in order to insure
concerted international action; the Grail, conducted by Belgian nuns
with a view to teaching non-Catholic young women of the better classes;
the Guild of Ransom, organizer of outdoor processions and spectacular
displays, especially in Protestant communities; the Catholic Aid Society
to help ministerial converts to the Church of Rome; the Catholic Truth
Society, a publication propaganda society; the Catholic Evidence Guild,
whose members lecture in public parks and many more. Among other
methods of Catholic ",tion is the "capture of labor" by securing strategic
positions in the labor world, which may be used to supplant Protestant
labor by that of Roman Catholics. So complete is the organization in
this respect that a Roman Catholic laborer in the west of Ireland,
through his local priest, can obtain a place in Scotland before he leaves
his native district. In this way manual labor and domestic service are
increasingly getting into Roman Catholic hands, with effects detrimental
to Protestantism. Increasing efforts are made to increase Roman Catholic
population. Very young people are urged to marry. Nazareth homes and
Orphanages are used to capture children of Protestant families.
In thousands of homes the presence of Catholic maids or men servants
negatives Protestant votes. In some places committees of Catholic
women seek to introduce young Protestant men into Roman Catholic
social circles in the hope of an eventual Catholic marriage. Every
possible means is employed by the Church of Rome to break down the
Protestant Sabbath, which in the past has been one of the greatest
bulwarks of Protestantism. Dance-halls are springing up all over the
county (Ulster), licensed for use on the Sabbath, and many of these
are frequented by non-Catholics. This is one of the most prolific causes
of mixed marriages.
Papistic propaganda in Ireland, as here demonstrated, is essentially
the same as that carried on in our own country. The Roman Catholic
Counter-Reformation is still on and becoming increasingly effective as
faithless Protestantism apostatizes from the divine truth. To us who
still value the pure Gospel the Catholic Action must be an incentive to
witness the divine Word all the more zealously; this, after all, is the
only safe method to halt the carefully planned and executed offensive
of antichristian Rome. J.T.M.
68 Theological Observer - ~ird)Hd)=8eitgefd)td)tIld)e~
The "Christian Beacon's" Comment on "Snmmi Pontificatns."-
The Christian Beacon (November 2) contains the following editorial on
the first encyclical letter of Pope Pius XII, known by its first words as
Summi Pontificatus. It writes: "Pope Pius XII, in his first encyclical,
has appealed to all who call upon the name of Jesus Christ to join with
him in opposition to totalitarianism in the state. There is a sense in
which he feels that he is speaking for the entire visible Church. What
is more significant is that in the wide-spread comment, editorially pub-
lished in the daily press, by the general approval given to the principle
which he enunciates, subconsciously and psychologically, Christians of
other bodies are drawn into a closer feeling for the Pope. There is the
feeling that there should be some one who can speak for all Christians.
Rome has that some one. Other differences and variances dwindle into
insignificance in the minds of these men as they place their eye upon the
greater enemy. This, in our opinion, of course simply points the way
clearly to that which is revealed in Scripture as true of the end time.
The tendency of union among the Protestant churches follows logically
and naturally the path of union represented by Rome, a tendency which
will find its complete issue in reunion with Rome and the establishment
of one voice. This will be the picture of the harlot Church that opposes
the dictators, the Beast, as revealed in Revelation. However, tn;
Protestants, that is, those who believe in individual liberty of conscience
as taught in the Scriptures, will give careful thought to the appeal of
the Pope. At basis his appeal is simply that one conception of totali-
tarianism will not tolerate another conception of totalitarianism; that is,
a totalitarian Church which is represented in the infallible Pope and the
authority of Rome cannot brook a totalitarian State which is represented
by dictators. There is no room for a totalitarian Church where there is
a totalitarian State. Neither is there room for a totalitarian State where
there is a totalitarian Church. The two totalitarianisms are equally
exclusive. No man can serve two masters. The Protestant, however, is
opposed to both. He is opposed to totalitarianism whether it is found
in the Church or in the State. He wants the liberty wherewith Christ
hath made him free."
This is substantially what Luther writes in regard to the Pope in
Article IV, "Of the Papacy," in his famous confession ''The Smalcald
Articles." Luther there rejects the assumption as untrue that the Church
could be unified under the Pope, accepted as such ito'C humano.
He writes: "Nevertheless, even in this way Christianity would not be
helped, but many more sects would arise than before"; and then he
bursts forth into the glorious confession: "Therefore the Church can
never be better governed and preserved than if we all live under one
head, Christ, and all the bishops, equal in office (although they be
unequal in gifts), be diligently joined in unity of doctrine, faith, Sacra-
ments, prayer, and works of love, etc." (Triglot, p. 472 f.) It is this
union which Protestantism must seek today if it wishes to be pre-
served; any union with Rome is bound to lead to its destruction.
J.T.M.
69
Tenth Anniversary of the First Humanist Society. - In Manhattan,
New York City, the First Humanist Society, led by Dr. Charles Francis
Potter, "one-time Baptist, one-time Unitarian, one-time Universalist"
(d. Time, November 6), celebrated the tenth anniversary of its founding.
Religious Humanism, as Time points out, must be distinguished from
Literary Humanism, championed by Walter Lippmann, Irving Babbitt,
and Paul Elmer More some years ago. Substantially it is not new, for
non-supernatural beliefs have been preached ever since atheism rejected
the specific creed of Christianity and substituted for its mysteries of
doctrine a faith that is thoroughly man-centered. Humanist Potter's
religion is entirely man-centered and God-denying. At its tenth birthday
the First Humanist Society dedicated itself to the following causes:
birth control, group health, euthanasia (mercy-killing), the abolition of
capital punishment, eugenics, and calendar reform. Personally its leader
is deeply interested in the study of extrasensory perception, such as
telepathy, clairvoyance, prophecy, and the like. Humanist Potter thus
proves the inefficiency and superficiality of man's religious thinking apart
from revealed religion as set forth in the Bible; apart from God's Word
perverse human reason finds no worth-while program for ecclesiastical
activity. Of Dr. Potter, Time writes: "It has been Dr. Potter's custom
to brighten his services by such devices as using rosebuds to baptize
babies. He has made his Humanists work at their rather insubstantial
faith by devoting themselves to self-improvement (through art,
music, etc.) and to human improvement through cooperation with
'progressive' organizations. Hence Dr. Potter chose, from among 20-odd
causes recommended to Humanists, the six rosebuds represented at last
week's meeting." We mention this humanistic sect because very easily
Religious Humanism may be confused with Literary Humanism, the
representatives of which, it may be said, are likewise basically godless.
J.T.M.
Mixed l\>iarriages. - The Board of American Missions of the U. L. C.
has completed a study showing the effect of the marriage of Lutherans
to non-Lutherans in relation to continued active membership in the
Church. The News Builetin (N. L. C.) reports as follows:
"Of the 3,101 marriages reported by one member of the staff the
greatest number, 806, were found to be Lutheran-Catholic, followed by
the marriage of Lutherans to unbelievers, 568, and Lutherans to Metho-
dists, 519. In most cases less than Ys of the once Lutheran parties
retained their connection with the Church, 'not only to the Lutheran
Church but with any other communion as well.'''
Of 806 Lutheran-Catholic mixed marriages 68.1 per cent. are not
now affiliated with any church; of 519 Lutheran-Methodist, 75.3; of
304 Lutheran-Baptist, 71.1; of 300 Lutheran Presbyterian, 69.3; of 207
Lutheran-Episcopalian, 72.9; of 59 Lutheran-Congregational, 83.1; of
46 Lutheran-Evangelical, 65.3; of 292 Lutheran-sects, 62.7; and of 568
Lutheran-unbelievers, 62.5 per cent.
While these statistics are not an absolute criterion, the findings
nevertheless show, as also similar studies have shown, that mixed mar-
riages are a positive danger to continued membership in the Church.
70 Theological Observer - ~ird)ndH3eitgefd)id)tIid)eg
However, defections from the Church are due not only to mixed mar-
riages. The same study, covering 31,969 marriages, brings out the follow-
ing interesting facts: Of 6,763 Lutherans in active membership in 14.3
per cent. marriages one party was of another religious affiliation; of
5,725 Lutherans not in active membership in 62.8 per cent. marriages
both parties were Lutheran. Of 19,481 married couples with church-
membership in various denominations 19.6 per cent. were of different
religious faiths. F. E. M.
!)10m nub bie @illf)ctt her SIird;e. ~ie ,,&. @. 2. S\'.", bie nun wieber bon
ber iT/aai."megierung freigcgeoen worben ift, fdjreibt in beaug aUf bie ®teUung
mom£l au ben ,,i.ifumenifdjen Cfinigung£loeftreoungen im ~roteftanti£lmu0"
ba0 {Solgenbe: ,,~n einem j80drag bon ~. [ongar, D. ~., in @enf iiber
,S\'atf)ortaitiit unb :bfumcniaitiit', ben ber Osservatore Romano aU03ug0weife
wiebcrgab, wurbe bie ®teUung ber Iatf)oIifdjen Stirdje au ben iifumenifdjen
@inigung0beftrebungen im ~roteftan±i£lmUi3 umriffen. SDcr mebner befdjiif.
tigte fidj unter anberm mit ber 3ielfeJJung ber iifumenifdjen lBewegung,
unter jffiaf)rung ber @igenad ber einae1nen Stirdjen eine iioer aUen fteljenbe
neue @emeinfdjaft ljer3ufteUen. @r erfIiirte, baB bie failjolifdje SHrdje feine
SDeutung anneljmen fann, nadj ber bie wefentIic1je Cfinljeit erf± wieberljer.
gefterrt l1.Jerben miiBte. SDie Cfinljeit ber StireI)e befteljt feit [ljriftu0; fie fann
H)rem jfficfcn nac1j n ic1jt 3crfti5rt werben unb nidjt berIorengcljen. ®ic Iebt
in ber fatr)oIijc1jen Stircije unb bie fatljoIifdje StireI)e fann Datum bel:
iifumcnifd)cn i$rage eincn naren unb tiefen ~nljaIt geben. S1aH)ori8itiit be"
beuid linibcr(aIitiit. SlJie Ia±~oIifcf)e SHreI)e ~at bie i$iiljigfeit llnb lBerufung
in fic1j, aUe WCen\cf)cn unb aUe j80Ifer in trljriftu0, in bem einen 2eili [ljrifti,
ilu bereincn. S8cr Ulllftanb, baB ljeute grobe ~eiIe ber WCenfcf)f)eit, bai3 ljcif3i,
aueI) gro[je ~eUe mcn\eI)!ic1jer lBcgabungen unb jffierte, fieI) au[jerljaIo biefet
@inljeit ocfinbcn, nimm± ±atfi1cijheI) etwa0 ljinweg bon ber boflfommenen j8Ct"
widlicljung unb CfrfiiITung bet ~lailjoIi3itiit. jffienn bie ruffi\eI)e :melt ljeute
,odljobo.!;' unb bie \fanbinabifeI)e ,.proteftantifdj' ift, fo ergilit lieI) l.larau5, baE
einige djriftlidje jffierte, bie bei jenen j8iiffern befonber£l aU0gepriigt finb,
l1.Jenigften0 aum ~eil ber {SiiIle feljlen. SDie jffiiebereinglieberung biefer j8iiI.
fer in bie fatljolifeI)e @inljeit wi.irbe bie Slirdje in gewiffem Sinn fa±ljolifdjer
maeI)en. ~n biefem 6inn wirb bie wieberbereinie SHrc1je einmal innerlidj
reieI)er fein, a15 e0 bie romifdj~fatf)oIifeI)e SHreI)e beraeit 1ft. jffiieberbereini.
gung bebeutet alfo nic1jt ein bIoBei3 &ufgeljen, (onbern bie jffiiel.lerljerf±eUung
eine0 boITfommeneren @anaen, wobureI) aIle bereieI)er± werben." .\)ier ljaben
wir 9tom0 flare, fc1jarfe &ntwort auf ben j)rotef±antifeI)en @ebanfen, cine
"iifumenifeI)e t>;inignng" bet berfeI)iebenen Sl'irdjengemeinfc1jaften ljerbei3u~
fi.iljren mit ,,~aljrung bet @igenart ber einaeInen Sl'ireI)en". ®o etwai3 gilS!
e0 fi.it bie ~apfmrc1je nic1jt. SDie riimifdje SHreI)e wm eben bie in e fen t I i dj e
Sl'iteI)e fein, iuorin jeber @Iiebfc1jaft ljaben mUB, ber wirflidj ein [ljrift 1ein
rom, eoen wel! nUt ber ~apft a15 ®tellberiteter [ljrifti auf Cfrben ~rager
unb !Organ bes infpirierenben S)eHigen @eifte0 ift. Cfinen populus spiritua-
lis, cine ecclesia invisibilis edennt mom nieI)t an. Cf0 gibt baljer bom romi"
feI)en ®tanbpunft aui3 nUt etnen lJRobu0 aur S)erbeifiiljrung einet iifumenifeI)en
Cfinigung, namliclj ben, baB man fidj ber ~utoritiit be£l ~apf±e£l untertlJirft.
mom0 6teUung ift natiirIieI) arrogant. Unfinnig tiber aIle ID~af3en aber ift
bie ber ±ljeoIogifc1j berlumpten protefiantifeI)en @emeinfc1jaften, bie eine
71
iifumenifcfje