# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1857_S342
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— Page 342 —

...between him, the ministerium of St. Louis, and the professors of
the seminary. There he had been left entirely free to determine for
himself the course and manner of the negotiations. He had finally
expressed himself there in such a way that one could confidently hope
he had given up chiliasm. But scarcely had he arrived back in
Altenburg than it was the same as before. No one could see any reason
to hope that further negotiations would accomplish more with him.
Love toward him would best be shown by using firmness, so as to bring
the matter to a close with him.

It was then proposed: since it would weigh on all our hearts should
we fail in any way in our conduct of this matter, it might be well to
strengthen us all by reading aloud that account which discusses the
chiliastic controversy and the proceedings connected with it at the
time of, and in the principality of, Duke Ernst the Pious. This motion
was adopted, and the reading took place during the remaining time of
the morning session and an extra afternoon session. (See the excerpt
of this account in "Der Lutheraner," Nos. 8 and 9 of the 14th
volume.)

Eighth Session.

Pastor Schieferdecker declared, regarding chiliasm, that he did not
wish to make his view and opinion of the last things into an article
of faith, but held it as a hope, until such time as he should be
convinced of the contrary by the clear prophetic word. It was not, to
him, an article of faith, but of hope.

The Präses replied: the Synod wanted to know from him, as a member of
the Synod, whether there was true unity in doctrine between him and
the Synod. It had therefore put to him a definite question concerning
an article of faith, and expected a definite, plain answer to it.

It was then pointed out that whatever is a part of Christian hope
must also be a part of Christian faith, since the objects of Christian
hope are at the same time objects of Christian faith: faith is a sure
confidence in that which one hopes for, etc., differing only in that
the objects of hope lie in the future. But if Pastor Schieferdecker
meant by this that it was merely a human hope — such as one might
hope, say, that the Lutheran Church in this country would yet come to
great flourishing, etc. — no one could have any objection to that;
granted that such a hope did not hinder him from the believing
acceptance of the article of faith.

Pastor Schieferdecker replied: a distinction must be made between an
infallible hope and a possibly fallible hope. For example, the hope
of the resurrection to eternal life is an infallible hope, because its
basis is laid down so clearly in Scripture that no contradiction to it
can occur within the orthodox Church. It is different with the
thousand-year kingdom, and in general with what the Son of God gave
to the Church in the Revelation of John. On that subject there have
always been differing views and opinions, and it can therefore not be
set up as infallibly certain in the way other articles of faith can.
If that is what is meant by a human hope, he conceded that it was a
human one, but nevertheless