# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_August 1857_S252
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

252

Church News of the Day.

I. America.

The Pennsylvania Synod, or the Ev. Luth. Ministerium of Pennsylvania, held its annual convention in Trinity week at Allentown. The convention consisted of 81 preachers, of whom 70 are members of the Synod, and 40 lay deputies. The settlement of the licensing question was postponed to the next convention, and likewise the resolution to place the English language on a par with the German. It was resolved to demand earnestly of the directors of Pennsylvania College, in which Dr. C. F. Schaeffer is now employed as German professor, that the German language be placed on an equal footing with Latin and Greek in the course of study, so that every student would be obliged to pursue German as well.

The Gettysburg institution. At present efforts are being made to endow this college properly, so that its continued existence may no longer depend on chance contributions. Already a single person has offered to subscribe $1000 for the purpose.

The Ministerium of the Pittsburgh Synod has removed from office one of its previous members, Pastor F. W. Türk, after he had become a Swedenborgian.

Dr. Benj. Kurtz answers in his "Observer" of July 3, to a question addressed to him as to how catechumens are to be instructed concerning the benefit of the Sacraments, among other things the following: At first he had tried to teach on that point entirely in accordance with the symbolical books; later this was no longer possible for him, and he had therefore taken refuge in reading his own belief into the Catechism. Afterward, however, this became burdensome to his conscience, and he was on the point of becoming a Presbyterian or a Methodist. But since he foresaw difficulties in that course as well, he sought counsel from older brethren in the ministry. These then comforted him and urged him not to let such things trouble him in the least; the Lutheran Church, they said, was far too liberal and too generous to insist, with respect to such secondary points, on the agreement of her teachers with the doctrine laid down in her symbols; they themselves departed from it on several points, and further than he did, without feeling any distress of conscience; it was enough to hold fast the great fundamental doctrines. This, says the doctor, at once brought comfort into our heart. The Lutheran Church now became truly dear to him (of course!), and from then on he told his catechumens straight out: that what the Catechism asserts — that Baptism works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promise of God declare — this he does not believe, for these blessings have Christ alone as their author! (One sees that our doctor of theology cannot distinguish coordination from subordination.) He goes on: from that time he has also freely and openly declared to his catechumens that what the Catechism further asserts — that the Holy Supper is the true body and blood of Christ — he believes just as little. The word "true" is an interpolation; bread and wine are not the true body and blood of Christ; both are only symbolically represented thereby; yet bread and wine are signs and seals of the covenant grace, solemn and impressive remembrances of the sufferings and death of Christ; but by no means is "forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation given us in the Sacrament" — that, he says, Christ and faith alone do. But through what means of grace Christ does it, and what faith lays hold of for this purpose, of that the doctor says nothing.

II. Abroad.

Statistics of the German universities. At present there are 18 Protestant ones: Heidelberg, Leipzig, Rostock, Greifswald, Tübingen, Marburg, Königsberg, Jena, Giessen, Kiel, Halle, Göttingen, Bern, Basel, Zurich, Erlangen, Berlin, Dorpat; 2 pa-