# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juni 1855_S179
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Gleanings from the Periodicals of the Old Homeland. 179

Precisely the principled opponents of this church, all those who entertain the idea of creating a new church, take part in the question from their own standpoint and thereby confuse it, consciously or unconsciously bringing their inclinations, views, and intentions into play and thus producing reasons and arguments whose origin as well as their goal lies beyond the existing church.” — —

We have already reported in the “Lutheraner” that Superintendent Münchmeyer (at Catlenburg in the Kingdom of Hannover)—with whom, in essentials, or at least as regards the negative positions, Dr. Kliefoth in Schwerin, Dr. Petri in Hannover, Dr. Kahnis in Leipzig, Dr. Delitzsch in Erlangen, and Pastor Löhe agree—has openly acknowledged his departure from the confessional writings of our Lutheran Church in the doctrine of the church and the ministry. We cannot refrain from informing our readers how Superintendent Brömel expresses himself on this matter. In the passage cited, he writes: “It was foreseeable that the controversy which has arisen in recent times over the preaching ministry in the Lutheran Church would move rapidly toward a decision. Anyone who grasped the matter in its full depth had to see that two principles were asserting themselves here, and that no one had the power arbitrarily to cut off their consequences. It is so everywhere, but especially in theology, that truth seeks and finds its full development just as error does, and indeed mostly independently of the good or evil will of individuals. This is how matters have proceeded among us in the question of the Union, and likewise at the time of the Reformation in relation to Catholics as well as the Reformed. If the path is opposite at the beginning, then with every further step the separation must also become greater. If the core is different, then despite all other similarities the tree must nevertheless become entirely different. But that two principles were asserting themselves at the beginning of the controversy over the ministry in the church was emphasized by both parties; and those who did not wish to believe it then must now recognize it as matters develop further. Superintendent Münchmeyer shows us clearly in his book where the false doctrine of the ministry in the church leads. In the present work he says that he can no longer proceed with Luther and the Confessions in the doctrine of the church; indeed, he draws a line through our entire Lutheran theology and maintains that the records in this matter are false and that the proceedings must begin again from the start. We must praise Münchmeyer for this candor, however painful his entire book may otherwise be to us. He has had the courage openly to acknowledge his disagreement; he does not act as so many have done and still do: he does not engage in artificial interpretations of Luther and the Confessions, nor does he anxiously search for isolated, disconnected statements from the dogmatic theologians and the church orders in order finally to fish out a passage from which his opinion might be proved. Moreover, Münchmeyer is not a man unfamiliar with the Lutheran Church; on the contrary, we concede