# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Februar 1861_S61
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Church and Contemporary Notes. 61

church and made systematic progress lies, in our judgment, simply in this: that they have never yet sought to agree on a single, truly essential doctrinal position. If the Mennonite Church in America is to rise, then its adherents must let go of their harsh self-will and their overbearing egotism in matters not precisely determined by God's Word, whenever the common edification requires it, so that not everyone seeks to force his own view upon the others. Likewise the blind and perverse opinion that the servants of the ministry of the Word may not be learned and educated men must be broken. How can one expect or even demand that a man set forth the truth thoroughly and also intelligibly, when he everywhere lacks correct understanding? The preacher must possess this understanding, so that he can always distinguish the spirits of error from the Spirit of truth; otherwise he is in danger at every moment of being led by spirits of error into errors, whereby he may then stain others with that same error — as has, alas, God have mercy, so often happened already and has caused so much distress even within our own fellowship. Likewise the boundless love of the world and of money must be broken among us Mennonites, if we wish to think that our fellowship should ever rise to become an active church fellowship." Upon this the Volksblatt names the institutions necessary for that purpose, and the refrain is always the same: "But that costs money!" The writer really does seem to be a sensible, well-meaning man.

Missionary Bräuninger (born 1836 at Crimmitschau in Saxony), belonging to the Iowa Synod, has, according to more recent reports received by the Iowa Kirchenblatt, in any case been murdered by the Indians.

Further Development. The German Reformed are now, among other things, to receive a new liturgy. Concerning it, a writer in the Reformed Kirchenzeitung says, under January 1: "I believe that a brief order of service suited to the spirit of the Reformed Church would offend only a few; but that is not what the present liturgy is, neither in doctrine nor in form. This needs no proof for anyone who knows it, and this was frankly admitted to me a few weeks ago by a warm admirer of it, and his justification was: we must simply think in terms of further development and not remain standing at what has been given. Yes, that is just it; but for my own part I am of a different opinion and say: the Reformed standpoint is good enough for me, and I also believe that the so-called development on this point would only bring us into an unhappy entanglement." One sees that in the Reformed Church too people wish to make changes in doctrine under the name of "further development," but there too they will not let the label stand unchallenged.

Thoughts on the State of Our Country. — The Lutheran Observer of December 23 says: "And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, thou shalt be thrust down to hell. Sin has proven itself in the past to be the destruction and final ruin of all kingdoms and governments, and will prove itself to be such in the future as well. I have for some time predicted that the cup of the iniquity of the United States is nearly full. God's patience and longsuffering with us have drawn near their end. Repeatedly the Almighty has shown us His displeasure in the yearly visitations that have befallen various parts of our fatherland, the purpose of which was to teach us to recognize our sins and to bring us to repentance while there was yet time. These judgments of divine wrath have been loud warning calls to the American people, but instead of exerting a wholesome influence they seem to have made us hardened and still more obstinate, and to all appearances the Lord of the world is about to strike the fateful blow; and we must bow ourselves before Him in the dust, or our national pride and our sins will ruin us forever. Would that, in the face of such dreadful consequences, the Christians of North and South, of East and West, might unite in constant supplication before the throne of grace for our fatherland!" We agree with these earnest words with our whole heart. The Lord alone is our help; He alone can save our land from its peril and avert the threatening calamity, whereby