# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Mai 1861_S156
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

156 Church and Contemporary History.

From Saxony, February 9. The Church Order was already thrown out yesterday by the first Chamber, that body all but overladen with churchly- and politically-conservative elements — an event that will certainly cause enormous excitement in the land, since even sanguine hopes had expected such a decision only from the second Chamber. (Freimund.)

Göttingen, January 28. The theological faculty here is said, as reported, to have proposed that the period of study for theologians be extended from three to four years and that a residential college [Convict] be established for the last year, but that the three theological examinations now in place be reduced to two, of which the first would be taken before the faculty at Göttingen. (Allgem. Kirchen-Zeit.)

London, January 29. Last Friday a great meeting of London clergy of the Established Church was held at Sion College, in order to address a petition to the Bishop of London and to call his attention to the distressing fact that a book has appeared under the title "Reviews and Essays," which seeks to spread unbelief and which comes from several highly placed clergymen, teachers at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The Bishop is asked to give due weight to the danger in which religion stands and to take steps to stem the flood of unbelief. Only two or three of the clergy present protested against applying the condemnatory word "infidel" to the authors of "Reviews and Essays," and left the hall during the deliberation. The petition was approved by the numerous assembly. "Reviews and Essays," which appeared some months ago, rests on the findings of German philological scholarship, and attacks not only several of the Thirty-Nine Anglican Articles of Faith but also the correctness of a number of passages in the English translation of the Bible, as well as of the translation of the Septuagint, and various citations from the Old Testament — indeed the very infallibility of the letter of Holy Scripture. Professor Davidson in Manchester has been removed from office for a similar writing, and a Dr. Hale has published a work in refutation of it which, however, according to the "Westminster Review," often concedes in detail what it refutes in general. (Allgem. Kirchen-Zeit.)

Norwegian-Lutheran Mission to the Heathen. In the previous volume of Lehre und Wehre, p. 182 ff., a mission to the heathen is mentioned which has been maintained from Norway for many years now in Zululand in southeastern Africa. According to the annual report of the mission society concerned — an excerpt of which, in "Kirkelig Maanedstidende," lies before us — beautiful fruits have followed in the past year upon the firstfruits, mentioned there, of a long and patient labor, in that 20 souls were baptized in that year. These are distributed among three different stations, and throughout the land there appears everywhere a stirring of minds in favor of Christianity — indeed the eventual heir to the throne is even being instructed in the catechism. It is also very gratifying that interest in the mission has at the same time increased in Norway, and that more teaching strength is being provided, partly through an already well-thriving newly established mission school in Stavanger, partly through the fact that a theological candidate has finally resolved to go out to the mission field. Otherwise the Norwegian theologians have stopped their ears even more against the cry of need of missionary Schreuder than against that of their American brethren, and in order to remedy this need somewhat, Pastor Schreuder ordained his three eldest co-workers on April 22, 1860. Unfortunately a high-church view not in agreement with pure doctrine comes to light here. For Mr. Schreuder had first, on account of his increasing ill health, proposed to the mission board "to send him an ordained man for a couple of years, to render priestly service to the mission personnel," and when that did not succeed, he sought for a long time to obtain authorization from a bishop to carry this out, and only when he did not obtain this either did he venture to carry out the ordination himself. Another sad circumstance is also this, that an episcopal Bishop Colenzo encroaches into the very same mission field and proceeds with a recklessness that stands in the strongest contrast to the earnestness and conscientiousness that Schreuder has, however undeniably, always shown. L. L.