# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1904_S69
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1904. 69

This is the unanimous wish of a conference which represents about three thousand communicant members and almost a thousand school children, all of whom use the English text of the Small Catechism.

The decision to come before the Honorable *Synodalconferenz* [Synodical Conference] with this request springs from an impartial and conscientious examination of the sample printing now before us, from a serious and all-sided consideration of the consequences that would follow the introduction of an altered text, and from the firm conviction that the necessity for a revision of the English catechism text does not exist.

When at one time a revision was demanded before the Synodical Conference meeting at Evansville, Ind., the request was grounded chiefly on the assertion that the edition in use contained a whole number of so-called Germanisms and other linguistic faults. On the strength of this statement a committee was commissioned with the examination of the English catechism text, and it was resolved to take up the matter again later. After a conscientious and exhaustive examination of the text at hand the committee seems to have come to the insight that the main reason given at that time for the desired revision — concerning the Germanisms — did not exist as a main reason. On the contrary, according to the committee's report, the chief effort in the revision had been to come still closer to the German original than the present text already was. Only in second place stands, as a general reason, the improvement of the English wording.

If one now compares in detail the revised text with the one in current use, one cannot refrain from the judgment that the changes made, unimportant as they are, in no respect justify the introduction of a new text. It is generally known how questionable and dangerous it is to alter the text of long-used religious books. From of old the Church has undertaken an improvement of the traditional books only in the utmost emergency, and even then there has often been no end of confusion and of offense taken. That there is by no means an emergency here one sees plainly from the sample printing published by the committee. Nowhere has the most careful review brought to light even a single really sense-disturbing error of word, sentence or translation. In almost all cases one can argue about which of the two renderings now before us is the better. We are even convinced that many individual persons and whole conferences within the Synodical Conference decidedly do not share the committee's view on many points. This is of no small importance; for to our English members the English catechism is what the German catechism is to the German Lutheran, and everyone can imagine what an agitation would go through our German congregations were we to revise the German catechism. In view of these facts we regard it as extremely questionable to alter the English catechism text, and therefore ask the Honorable Synodical Conference to do nothing further in the matter.

With all respect
The Ev. Luth. Pastoral Conference of New Orleans and Vicinity.
In its name and by its commission
Karl Kretzschmar.