# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juli 1861_S219
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Churchly-Contemporary Notes. 219

40 Confirmation Certificates with Biblical Pictures. Designed and drawn by
J. Frankl, cut in wood by A. Gaber. 2nd improved edition. Neu-Ruppin 1860.
Published by the editor himself (C. Räthjen). For the benefit of his Church
of the Cross. Neatly done in color printing and cases. 20 Ngr. cash from the
publisher. 2 numbers for 1 Thlr. "Whereas most of the abundantly available
memorial sheets for confirmands suffer from subjective arbitrariness, these
certificates bear a genuinely churchly stamp and are designed and executed
with thoughtful taste."

From F. Mylius, Leipzig, Petersstrasse No. 48, are to be had: Pastor M.
Zuckschwerdt's Writing Books for Elementary Schools. "These writing books,
whose use in the schools the high Royal Ministry of Worship and Public
Instruction has been pleased to approve, offer, at the utmost cheapness, an
arrangement calculated for every need. Each consists of 4 sheets of good
writing paper, ruled partly single, partly double for German and Latin, but
also unruled, in tasteful covers with very successful original illustrations
to Luther's Small Catechism, together with the text printed on the reverse.
The installment published so far contains 20 different illustrations to the
First and Second Chief Parts, to which similar ones for the Third Chief Part
and the holy sacraments will follow in the course of this summer. Price per
dozen in tall and oblong quarto format, gross 12 Ngr., with corresponding
discount."


Churchly-Contemporary Notes.

I. America.

The Lutheran and Home Journal. While this paper contains much that is good in
opposition to Schmucker's theology and speaks up for the Symbols, we see with
regret that it at the same time takes chiliasm under its protection and,
among other things, in the number of May 17 seeks to prove that this
fanaticism is by no means rejected in the Augsburg Confession. With this the
paper arrives at a twisting of the symbolical text which must necessarily
lead it back onto the old "American-Lutheran" trail.

Politics and Religion. How greatly the American is inclined to mix politics
with religion and religion with politics — of this one meets with proofs at
present in almost every public paper. According to the "Evangelist" of May 18,
in this year's report of the American Home Missionary Society, which is formed
mostly of New School Presbyterians and of Congregationalists, it is said of
the flag of the United States: "This banner comes next in holiness to the
banner of the cross." But the same paper of May 25 also reports the
following: "The (Presb.) church of Pastor Van Dike in Brooklyn, N. Y., had
some time ago to raise the Union flag, because a threatening crowd demanded
it. After a few days it was taken in again. Then some members of the
congregation demanded that it be raised again. But the pastor said he would
rather resign than preach under another flag than the flag of Christ. So the
matter was dropped." In the same number the Evangelist gives the following
testimony: "We find in the biography of Zwingli that he spoke quite freely
about politics from the pulpit. In this respect the