# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_April 1858_S97
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Lehre und Wehre.

Volume IV.    April 1858.    No. 4.

(Submitted by Prof. A. Cramer.)
Answer
to a Voice from the Lutheran Church of Germany concerning the
Missourian Church Affairs and concerning "the Voice of Our Church
on the Question of Church and Ministry."

A friend and brother, well-disposed toward us, from the Lutheran church
of Germany, who counts several particular friends within our synod, has
communicated to them, in a special letter, some misgivings about our
doctrine and practice, and added at the close the words: "my misgivings
are the misgivings of very many in Germany, and I believe that if your
synod could give reassuring explanations on this publicly and in
general, that would win it more hearts, etc." This remark prompted those
friends to lay the letter in question before the conference here, which
not only resolved to have it answered, in its name, by the writer of
this piece, but also thought it well to let this reply appear publicly
here as follows:

Beloved brother in Christ!

However pleasant, comforting, and strengthening it would have to be for
us, in our fierce struggles, to learn from the letter you laid before
us, addressed to your closer friends in America, that with regard to our
dispute with the Buffalo Synod you take our side on two important
points, and that, as concerns the doctrine of church and ministry, with
a single thesis excepted, you declare yourself in agreement with us on
all principles — nevertheless we consider it our sacred duty, and indeed
all the more so for that reason, and in keeping only with your expressed
wish to come to full clarity with us, not merely to give you the
clarifications desired on some points, but also to permit ourselves, in
the interest of truth, some modest counter-remarks, offered in love.

You find fault, first of all, with the Buffaloans in this, that they
wish to make it an absolute sin on our synod's part to receive banned
persons out of their congregations, since it is indeed possible that
even within parts of the Lutheran