# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_October 1860_S319
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Church-Historical Miscellany. 319

theological institution be established in our community as soon as it can be
managed." So even this community, which otherwise on principle disdains any
scholarly training for the preaching office, cannot close its ear to the ever louder demand
for better-prepared preachers. For those soldiers of fortune for whom the preaching
business is here the last anchor of refuge, the sun keeps sinking lower. Thank God!

Union Thoughts. In the Chambersburg Reformed Church Gazette of Sept. 1
we find a submission in which, first, a characterization of the Lutheran and Reformed
churches is given and praised, taken from G. Weber's textbook of world history.
Thereupon the correspondent reasons as follows: "According to the above comparison the
Reformed church would be more like the man who manages his household with
well-calculated deliberation and carries it through consistently. The Lutheran church
would be more like a cozy housewife, who attends to the share of the household that falls
to her in her own peculiar way, one that agrees with her nature. So they evidently belong
together." After lamenting that this couple still remains separated, the correspondent
gives the following advice for remedying the matter: "A perpetually quarrelsome couple
repeatedly brought charges against each other before the morals court. This court, finally
fed up, sentenced the wranglers to prison, and indeed to one and the same cell, with only
a single spoon between the two! There — they finally looked at each other, felt ashamed,
smiled, and — became a companionable couple. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!"
— What the witty writer means by the cell and by the spoon, one wonders? — Probably
the General Synod and the Platform.

In San Francisco the Chinese have built themselves a heathen temple that cost
$20,000, and have had an idol brought over from China at an even greater expense,
representing a famous Chinese statesman and general; their worship consists chiefly in
the veneration of the spirits of their ancestors.

The Synod of Pennsylvania. The former president of this synod, Pastor
Welden, proposed to it in his report last year: "That steps be taken without delay,
at whatever place the synod may choose, where perhaps two or more capable ministers
may reside, to open a theological school under the oversight of the pastors, in the
place that may be determined for it."

Validity of Baptism. Mr. Pastor Brobst complains that "Lehre und Wehre" too,
misled by faulty reports, has incorrectly stated what his synod resolved concerning the
administration of Holy Baptism. The resolution, he says, was as follows: "The question
submitted by the 6th Conference concerning the validity of baptism performed by
impostors was taken under consideration and resolved: 1. That this ministerium
recognizes as valid only baptism performed by regularly authorized ministers of the
church of Christ, except in cases of necessity, in which a member of the church may
perform baptism, provided that in the latter case it should afterward receive ecclesiastical
confirmation. 2. That in the case submitted to us by the conference we do not recognize
the validity of such baptism." We share this only because Mr. Pastor Brobst demands it
as an act of justice, but must confess that Mr. Pastor Brobst is mistaken if he thinks his
synod is thereby vindicated. The intention that gave rise to the resolution may well be
honorable, but it nevertheless plainly confuses rectum and ratum, and is therefore more
dangerous than it may appear to many.

Selinsgrove. In the Lutheran periodical of Mr. Pastor Brobst we read: "According
to a report in the Lutheran Observer, there are already more theological students in the
mission institute recently founded by Dr. Kurtz at Selinsgrove than in any of the
seminaries connected with the General Synod." — These days we read that the
Wittenberg Seminary has 3 theological students.

Weinbrenner. The founder of the sect of the "Winebrennerians," or the "Church
of God," has recently died.

Quakerism. An English Quaker says in a recent work: "In the year 1658 there
was not a living Quaker who did not believe that Quakerism was the one true church of
the living God; in the year 1858 there is not a living Quaker who believes this." So the
Missionary is quoted as saying.

The New York Synod, on the occasion of its meeting on Aug. 31, expelled its
licentiate C. F. Meinnicke for "conduct unbecoming a christian minister," and also
excluded Pastor C. Hennicke from its ministerium for his conduct toward its president,
and among other things adopted the resolution: "Resolved, that in the resolutions
adopted at last year's synod concerning certain customs and practices that prevail in
various parts of Europe and have been introduced into some of our churches in this
country, our body did not intend to set itself against any article of the Augsburg
Confession, nor did it intend to exercise any spiritual despotism over any congregation
connected with this ministerium —