# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_September 1858_S263
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

The Church of Norway. 263

Elbing Eielsen, now serving a congregation of Norwegian emigrants in America, a fisherman, Torsten Redal (†1835), and Mads Wefring, now resident chaplain at Skien. The last-named went about preaching from a very youthful age, studied theology only later, and has as a preacher retained an intimate, stirring voice that draws people to the Lord.

The right of laypeople to give edifying addresses in assemblies was, at several lay gatherings, the subject of serious discussion. As grounds for it were cited the spiritual priesthood, which gives all Christians a right and duty to proclaim the virtues of the Lord; the duty of the Christian in general to confess and to bear witness; the duty of love, to build up one's neighbor; the examples of various laypeople from apostolic times, Stephen, Apollos; some individual passages from 1 Corinthians 14; and then the emergency state of the church, since in part there was a lack of spiritual strength, and in part the Word was not proclaimed pure and living by some preachers. Attention was drawn to the point, correct enough in itself, that ordination does not make the preacher, but rather that preaching must be the outflow of a regenerate, believing heart.

At the same time, one by no means concealed from oneself the dangers and misgivings involved; it was not overlooked how the impulse is often a fleshly one, how pride can easily insinuate itself, how a confused sermon can easily cause, and indeed has caused, harm, and how some testing and oversight, some external calling, is necessary; and various proposals were made for an organization of lay activity, for instance through a connection with the Inner Mission, whose societies might take the matter in hand. Among the Haugeans too this had already been felt, and a certain order had been brought into the matter. In particular, the newly awakened who showed an impulse to preach were first placed under the supervision of elders and required to do manual labor, so that they might soberly prepare and refine themselves. It was also recognized as necessary that the clerical office not be bypassed, but rather be given notice of it, so that it could exercise the needed oversight; and it was considered desirable that laypeople and clergy might work together in unity.

The views of the clergy on this differ. Several agree with the laypeople, and I heard it said that such help must be welcome to the preacher, that the church must learn from the Catholics to make use of spiritual gifts offered by laypeople and to take them up into its own organism. Others at least acknowledged that the church's state of need counsels granting the laity a certain right. Others, to be sure, would not acknowledge even this, and think that one wishes so rashly and self-willedly to come to the Lord's aid, when it is His concern alone to remedy the spiritual shortage. To be sure, their objection is powerless, since lay preaching cannot be prevented by church law. In the theological faculty there are at least some voices not disinclined toward the admissibility of a