# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1921_S91 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 90 The Lutheran Pioneer. 8SS8sooaoaoaooOoQooooooSooO0=$qoom9 eS “By God’s ‘grace, our dear Synodical Conference is still existing and may soon celebrate its golden anniversary. The following synods now comprise it: The Missouri Synod, the Wisconsin Synod, the Slovak Synod, and the Norwegian Synod. The Free Church in Germany and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Australia are in full unity of faith with the Synodical Conference. Richest blessings have been poured out upon our fathers, upon us, and upon our children by this union. And for this reason we wish to thank God in the year of jubilee with hearts, and hands, and voices. Surely not one of our congregations wants to stand back in the fitting celebration of this anni- versary! Fully realizing its great debt to God for all His mercies during these years, surely every congregation will joyously pass the resolution: “We will also take part in lifting this Jubilee Collection.” The manner in which this collection is to be gathered, of course, is left to each congregation. But in passing I shall take the liberty of saying that the congregation in St. Louis to which the writer belongs has suggested to its members that each one, if possible, give a cent for each one of the fifty years, that is, fifty cents in all. For what purpose is this money to be gathered? To carry on the chief joint work of our Synodical Conference, our work among the Negroes of this country. This work, so richly blessed by the Lord, is just at present in great need of suitable buildings all over the field. In many places our missionaries have been compelled to hold services for years in most wretched and unsanitary shacks. In our two higher schools, where future servants of the Word are being prepared for their life’s work, there is great need for more room. At Greensboro, for in- stance, the “boys” are obliged to live in the low attic of the college-building! Need it be said that such a poorly lighted and ill-ventilated place as an attic is not a proper locality to house students? The girls at Greensboro, who are preparing to be teachers in our mission-schools, are living in three small schoolrooms, where thirty-six girls are sleep- ing in eighteen single beds! Is this not enough to convince you that we must find more room? Now, do not forget to set this important matter on your program for the annual congregational meeting. ___ May the Lord bless this undertaking, so that it may serve to His glory and the salvation of many immortal souls! C. F. Drewes. The Church and the Lodge. III. The Christian Church teaches that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world to save sinners ; that He is the only Savior of sinners, so that there is salvation in none other; and that he who does not believe in Christ as his Savior cannot be saved. This teaching of the Church is in perfect agree- ment with the Bible. Listen: “For the Son of Man is come to seck and to save- that which was lost.” Luke 19, 10. “Christ hath redeemed us from. the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us.” Gal. 3,13. “Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1John 2,2. “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil.” 1John3,8. “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1,7. “Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4,12. “I am the Way, the Truth, _ and the Life; no man cometh to -the Father but by Me.” John 14,5. To the jailer of Philippi, who asked Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” the Apostle gave the answer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16, 30. 31. Christ is the Savior, the only Savior, of sinners. Only they that believe in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3,16. He is “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1, 29. Only “in Christ we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Col.1,14. There is no salvation for any man that rejects this only Savior. There is salvation in none other, said Peter to the people at Jerusalem. Now, friend, read once more the first paragraph above, which tells you what the Church teaches on this point, and, having done that, read again the many Bible-passages which I have quoted, — look them up in your Bible, if you want to make sure that I have quoted them correctly, — and I am sure that you will see that the teaching of the Church and the teaching of the Bible are exactly the same. “Do you not find it so? But what does the lodge teach in this matter? The lodges say: “We do not object if a’man wants to hold that Jesus is his Savior, who has died for him that he might be saved and go to heaven; in fact, not a few members of secret societies hold that