# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juni 1857_S186
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

186 The present state and prospects of the Evangelical Lutheran territorial churches in Germany.

and from the duty of their office and calling; the rest we leave to Him to govern. "Here the sword of the LORD and of Gideon!" —

The present state and prospects of the Evangelical Lutheran territorial churches in Germany.

On this subject Pastor Wucherer expresses himself as follows in his "Freimund" of January 15 of this year:

It is in any case a striking and remarkable sign of our time how in the political newspapers churchly interest too comes to the fore, and how churchly articles and reports are beginning to form almost a standing column in them. But whence comes that phenomenon? Plainly from this, that on the one hand Christian faith, or at least Christian thoughts and views, are gaining ever more entrance in the educated circles and higher classes of our day; but on the other hand and chiefly from this, that a churchly spirit and disposition has begun everywhere to stir and to increase, so that one can well sense that it has already become a power again, over which one may no longer look with contempt, but to which, willingly or unwillingly, one must render respect and attention. On the part of the Roman church this disposition manifests itself, according to its nature, chiefly in the heightened claims to full autonomy and independence over against the state, and along with this in the ever closer and more believing attachment of the higher and lower clergy to the visible head at Rome; on the part of the Protestants, in the ever more decided attachment to their confessions, in the unceasing striving after union and closer connection throughout all lands — save that hitherto this goal has been sought by different roads. The union which those of unionistic mind strive after is not an inward and intimate one, but an outward and lax one, a union under one church government, one constitution and order, while the disunity of the confessions is left standing, is deliberately overlooked, and men knowingly lie to themselves that they are one and united — while nevertheless the disunity, like a subterranean fire, breaks out now here, now there, in word and deed, in form and norm, so that the charcoal-burners have nothing to do but run and dam it up, lest the whole heap go up in blazing flames. Of this much has already been said and lamented, and there is no need to speak of it further. But those of Lutheran mind will have and know no other unity than that in the confession of their church; they press with all their might that this confession may also become more and more a truth in life (in practice); and along with this they yearn for an ever closer and more intimate connection with all their brethren throughout all lands, far and wide, who are precisely becoming ever more manifest in confession and life — a connection that shall strengthen their church and become an ever richer blessing to her members. From this