# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_November 1856_S351
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Miscellaneous Church News. 351

Schapp. This one first delivered its report, which was adopted. This
committee recommends that the following points be recommended to the
eastern and western synods for adoption: that the triennial convention be
transformed into a triennial general synod, consisting of the constitutionally
prescribed number of delegates from all the classes in the eastern and
western synod, and that it be empowered to conduct all regular synodical
business, without, however, constituting a higher judicatory, but merely
taking the place of both synods every three years, with the intention thereby
of promoting a closer union and increased harmony between the various
parts of the church, and so achieving with better success the laudable
purpose of the triennial convention.

The Root of Reformed Doctrine. At the Swiss ministerial assembly
held this year on August 5 and 6 at Schaffhausen, Professor Riggenbach of
Basel declared: "that, with all the respect and recognition which we hold for
our Lutheran brethren, we ought nevertheless to be conscious of the
legitimacy with which we stand on the ground of our faith. The position we
have taken has its root essentially in the national character of the Swiss
people, and this character needs only to be refined and sanctified by grace
from above. Peculiar to the Swiss is a practical good sense, and his mind is
not disposed toward mysticism, the surrender of the heart to the mysteriously
present." — True, but sad enough, that one wishes only to refine and
sanctify this, rather than overcome it through grace.

Jena. When, on June 25 of this year, the participants in the Lutheran
mission festival at Leipzig had gathered for a common midday meal, Dr.
Ahlfeld, so the evangelical-Lutheran Mission Gazette relates, made a
humbling communication. "Yesterday," it was said, "was St. John's Day; the
Gospel tells how Zacharias learned to speak again once he became obedient
in faith. Today, the 25th of June, is the day on which our fathers learned to
speak rightly, in the presentation of the Augsburg Confession. He recalled
this first of all — and how do things look now? When he had recently
returned from the Rudolstadt mission festival, someone whom he must
credit had told him the following. In the year 1858 the University of Jena
will, as is well known, be 300 years old. Thought had now been given to a
fitting jubilee celebration: in particular, a history of the University of Jena
was to be written. The professor of history, N. N., to whom application was
made, had declined the task, because the history of the university is
essentially too theological. Application was then made to a professor of
theology there; he too declined it, and likewise a second one. At last a
Catholic (!) professor was found willing to undertake it — on condition that
he be supported in the theological portion by a Protestant colleague. So our
old teachers, a Johann Gerhard among them, must now still submit to falling
into Roman hands. This disgrace, which touches us too, is well suited to
humble us, and we should none of us forget to pray that the Lord would, in
good time, incline the hearts of those who have the disposing of the matter,
so that the right man may be found for this work, and this disgrace thus be
turned away from the memory of our forefathers faithful to the faith and
from the whole Lutheran church."

The Leipzig Lutheran Mission Institute. In this institute there are
presently, besides nine students, five mission candidates who will go to the
East Indies next year. These latter are: from Bavaria, Candidate Stählin,
who has already served as a vicar, and Candidate Kelber; from Sweden,
Candidate Ryden and Magister Bloomstrand, formerly a lecturer in theology
at Lund; from Hanover, Candidate Wendlandt, formerly a co-rector at
Uelzen.

Lauenburg. From a report which the missionary Ochs delivered publicly
on a mission journey, the evangelical-Lutheran Mission Gazette communicates,
among other things, the following: "The little land of Lauenburg he
described, on account of the unity of mind of its 32 pastors (under super-