# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Januar 1857_S28
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

28 Church and Contemporary History.

-donkeys will slip in, and with "Evangelical Lutheranism" it will again be nothing as regards standing among the enlightened, cultured world.

Therefore Revd. S. K. now wants to have nothing to do with the Platform:

"Brother Kurtz, I will not and cannot enter into compromise under such circumstances. I have contended long and suffered much for Evangelical Lutheranism; if, merely in order to be rid of Roman Catholicism, I must finally be driven from it — so be it, in God's name."

We cannot withhold from Mr. K. our recognition for this vigorous resolve. For surely we cannot be mistaken that Mr. K. is thus prepared, under certain circumstances, to let his whole Lutheranism go. And indeed we do not ask so much; it would in fact be unjust to demand that someone give up what he does not have. All the more do we hope for a good outcome of the small step that still remains to be taken. We await with eager anticipation the moment when, following the urging of our heart, we may pay Mr. K. the tribute of honesty, whereupon he shall erase the honest name of our Lutheran Church from the signboard of his secondhand shop, and thereby shine forth to his fellow spirits as a model worthy of imitation.

*

Church and Contemporary History.

I. America.

The German Reformed Synod in the United States has, at its last meeting, resolved to forbid any of its ministers from continuing to serve a congregation that will not, within the space of a year, condescend to join the Synod. The same Synod also recommends the observance of the church festivals to all its congregations, namely the high festivals: Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, and expresses its regret that this observance has fallen so much out of use.*) On the question of whether baptisms and confirmations performed by ministers justly removed from office can be regarded as valid, the Synod could come to no decision. (It seems some held the view that the capacity and authority to baptize, etc., resides originally and virtually in the Synod alone, from which it then flows out again through ordination — just as the papists conceive the relationship between the Pope and the rest of the clergy. To which recourse is indeed often taken, in order to counter abuse!)

The "Evangelist." In this new Reformed newspaper, edited by Ruetenik in Tiffin, Ohio, there is found an example of criticism that is too significant not to be made known. The paper contains an account of the contents of the October issue of "Lehre und Wehre," and reports the following concerning No. 2: "Lutheran Parish Library. Here several writings of the previous century, directed against the Reformation, are recommended to every Lutheran pastor as necessary in his library. — This sort

*) How great the ignorance is, even within the local Reformed community itself, regarding the meaning of the Christian festivals, was proven by the editor of a widely-read local political newspaper this past Christmas season, when, in a leading feature article, he presented it as the commemoration of the death of Jesus!