# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1872_S89
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 89 —

with teachers, above all else, discipline must be practiced. Where does the
sorry condition of the Lutheran state churches of Germany come from? On
the one hand from satiety with regard to the beloved word of God, and on
the other from the lack of all discipline. Christ wants discipline to be
kept. The church is not to be a lecture hall, where the preacher lectures
and then goes his own way, unconcerned about his hearers and their
conduct toward God's word. The congregation is not to address the
preacher and assign him his position in these terms: Preach, but otherwise
stay as far away from us as possible; you are to concern yourself with
nothing about our lives. When our Germans come to America and hear
talk there of church discipline and excommunication, they think, of
course, that this is priestly tyranny or some peculiar sectarianism. But it is
the clear command of God: "Put away from among yourselves that wicked
person"; and further: "If you see your brother sinning, go to him and
correct him." If we exercise no discipline, we surrender the church.
Only, it must be exercised in an evangelical spirit, not legalistically. The
three stages of admonition must not be run through one after another the
way an auctioneer lets his hammer fall. Where there is a heartless,
loveless manner, God is not present in it. Our aim in exercising discipline
and admonition should always be to save souls. Public church discipline is
not possible, however, unless brotherly private correction is practiced;
without this, the former necessarily falls into the well. This reminds us of
a great harm in our congregations: backbiting. This is terribly common,
yet people shrink from telling a brother or a sister their fault to their face.
I will not play the fool, people say, and make enemies for myself. Saddest
of all is when the preacher himself thinks this way. People, of course, do
not want to hear the truth for their salvation; indeed, they would rather be
lied to and deceived; but in eternity, when it is too late, they will then say:
You disgraceful priests, why did you not tell us what was sinful in us? Why
did you not admonish and correct us? — This too the delegates should
take careful note of, in turn, and bring back to their congregations.

With this, the discussion of the theses was then broken off, on account
of so much other business urgently in need of being dealt with. —