# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1928_S7
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1928. 7

the people, in which the biblical doctrine of reconciliation is fiercely
attacked. Prominent sectarian preachers of our country, in communions that
still wish to be regarded as evangelical, reject without shame this central
doctrine of Christianity. The Bible is pushed aside and one does not let
oneself be guided by it; instead everything is placed under the point of
view of natural development, and then there is no room left for the biblical
doctrine of a special divine High Priest who intervened decisively in the
state of the world and shaped it quite differently. So-called Modernism,
which now spreads itself so widely and which dominates many respected
theological schools of our country, naturally makes a clean sweep of this
doctrine as of other doctrines of revelation. That is how matters stand
in our country.

In Europe things look no better. The theologians who are said to stand at
the forefront have turned away from the doctrine that praises Jesus as our
divine High Priest. Harnack, Söderblom, Seeberg, Deißmann, Dean Inge, these
are the names of well-known greats, and we find them one and all opposed to the
doctrine of reconciliation through Christ's blood.

The situation is therefore exceedingly sad. It is clear that we live in an
atmosphere that is very dangerous for all children of God who wish to remain
with the truth of Scripture. Everywhere the poison of unbelief and of enmity
to Christ, of enmity to our central doctrine, is being scattered about. How
easily we too are infected by it! When, so widely around us, Christ's
high-priestly work is denied, and when holding fast to this great truth
therefore means that we must swim against the stream, then it is truly not
easy to remain faithful here. Quite apart from everything else, apart from
the fact that this doctrine is, so to speak, the bread we need every day, this
situation in outward Christendom makes it advisable that at these our
conventions we set before ourselves the glorious truth of Jesus as our High
Priest and encourage one another to hold fast to it. And so let us approach
our proceedings with the sincere prayer in our hearts that God would, through
what is said here, strengthen us to resist the modern unbelief that would rob
us of the Savior, and to persevere to the end in the old gospel of redemption
through Christ's blood.

One more thought I should like to express at the outset. When we look at the
opposition to the doctrine of Jesus' high-priestly work that is so widespread
in our time, the question arises: How can we most effectively work against
this unbelief? It might seem to one or another that the best way would be to
demonstrate convincingly that what we teach here is not against reason; on the
contrary, that our thinking leads us necessarily and directly to the doctrines
that we find recorded on this subject in Holy Scripture. Such an assumption
would be thoroughly mistaken. Not with philosophical discussions, not with
deep, more or less hard-to-understand speculations shall we be able to help
the preaching of Jesus, our High Priest, to victory. Arguments based on
reason have only the value of showing that the opponents are fighting with
weapons that, on thorough examination, their own understanding does not
recognize as adequate. The untenability of so many assertions against the
Christian doctrine of reconciliation is thereby made evident. But to
recognize the worthlessness of an argument and to accept the doctrine that
was attacked with it are two very different things. No, the apostles of
Jesus have shown us the right way