# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Februar 1856_S64
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

64 Miscellaneous Church News.

we would, this we hope, our well-meaning opponents will certainly see to it that no recognition of our endeavor become harmful to our soul.

The Prussian-Lutheran Church. From the "Sächsisches Kirchen- und Schulblatt" we learn that the Supreme Church Council of the Lutheran Church in Prussia has addressed an inquiry to the professors of theology Dr. Kahnis, Dr. Lindner Jr., and Dr. Hölemann, and to the director of missions Dr. Besser, asking whether they would, out of brotherly love, be inclined to take on the commission of conducting theological candidate examinations for the Prussian-Lutheran Church; and that, upon their declaration of willingness to accept, not a permanent, but a concrete assignment of this content, such a commissorial letter has in fact been issued to the four named doctors. The correspondent adds: "It will certainly be gratifying to many Saxons to learn of this quite particular trust placed by lands abroad in our own state university, to which we may further add that a growing influx of Lutherans from abroad to this university, in order to pursue theological studies there, is unmistakable."

Promotions. On the occasion of the celebration of the Augsburg Religious Peace, four theologians were created doctors and five licentiates of theology at the University of Leipzig; among the former is Professor von Dorn of St. Petersburg, and among the latter the pastors Moritz Meurer of Callenberg in the Schönburg lands (the well-known biographer of Luther) and Dr. phil. Hermann Gustav Hasse of Leulitz in Saxony.

Professor Dr. W. M. Reynolds. A correspondent of the "Lutheran Observer" had accused Dr. Reynolds of inconsistency on account of the position he takes with respect to the new "Platform," and had pointed, among other things, to Dr. Reynolds's earlier statements, including his written recommendation of Kurtz's work "Why You Are a Lutheran?" and the like. Reynolds has taken the occasion, in the issue of the "Lutheran Observer" of January 25th, to retract, with Christian openness and humility, what he had formerly acknowledged and defended in error. A rare example indeed! Far too many think themselves able not only to leave the ranks of the false believers in complete silence, without any retraction whatsoever, but also, despite all their earlier gross errors and false practices, to conduct themselves as such orthodox believers that the revival of orthodoxy must be credited to their faithfulness.

The Definite Platform. The confusion which arose in the "American Lutheran" Church immediately upon the appearance of this document keeps growing greater. It seems scarcely possible that the General Synod can now hold together much longer. In the latest issue of the "Lutheran Observer," Dr. Benj. Kurtz goes so far, in order to allay the storm that has arisen, as to assert that what the Definite Platform wants is nothing new at all; that every member of the General Synod had already acted according to the principles laid down in the Platform; that formerly one had done the same only with a Jesuitical reservatio mentalis, which one ought now to do openly and honestly (see the issue of January 25th). Truly a desperate policy, to save the sinking ship of the church still! It seems to us more than doubtful whether this compliment will help the cause.

Statistics from German Universities: The universities named below have, in the current semester, the following number of students: Munich 1,731, Berlin 1,484, Breslau 823, Würzburg 818, Leipzig 813, Bonn 765, Göttingen 713, Heidelberg 695, Tübingen 693, Halle 629, Erlangen 521, Gießen 378, Jena circa 370, Freiburg 344, Marburg 351, Greifswald 222, Rostock 92. The total sum according to this is 11,300 — accordingly 300 fewer than in the summer just past.