# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juli 1861_S220
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

220 Churchly-Contemporary Notes.

Zwingli, brought up in the free Alpine air of the Swiss republics, differs from Luther,
who was allied with princes and protected by princes. Indeed, Zwingli even says openly
that the preacher must at times preach things which run flatly counter to obedience to
civic duties." It is indeed true that Luther never brought politics into the pulpit, and
still less that he ever preached anything contrary to obedience to civic duties; but that
did not come from Luther's being allied with the princes and protected by them! The cause
of it lay rather in his clear knowledge of the difference between Christ's kingdom and the
emperor's, between the Church and the secular government, between politics and religion.
Whoever knows Luther's writings knows how mightily he repeatedly held the bitterest truth
before the emperor and the princes, and how undauntedly he rebuked godless and ruinous
politics wherever it came to light.

Pastor Schieferdecker informs us that the article on the conversion of the Jews ascribed
to him in the April number of this journal, p. 124, does not come from him, and therefore
asks us to correct this error.

"The American Tract Society — so the Christliche Botschafter reports — has in
consequence of its undecided standpoint in the slavery question lost considerable ground
in recent years. It reports the following income: gifts $93,926; in the year before last
the gifts had amounted to $111,946. Taken in for writings sold, $213,413; in the previous
year the sum was $232,636." — The same paper reports: "The income of the American
Colonization Society, whose purpose is to bring free Negroes to the colony of Liberia in
Africa, has also decreased considerably in the past year; its collections in the churches
were only half as large as in the preceding year, the other charitable contributions a
third smaller. The gifts amounted to $16,019; from the owners of manumitted slaves, for
their passage to Liberia, $6,850. There were 308 Negroes sent to Liberia, of whom 136 were
born slaves."

The Synod of Pennsylvania held its annual convention from May 27 to 30. Dr. Schäffer of
Germantown presented a memorial in which the synod is asked to introduce the English
language as the official language of the synod, yet to permit such members as are not
masters of it to express themselves in German. It was proposed 1) that all provisions of
the ministerial order which give preference to either of the two languages be removed from
it; 2) that the president be authorized to use both languages in his conduct of the synod,
and, in case he does not wish to preach the synodical sermon in the language of the
congregation in whose church the synod assembles, that he have the right to appoint a
substitute to deliver the sermon; 3) that accordingly two secretaries be elected for the
keeping of the German and the English minutes; 4) that all reports be submitted in both
languages; 5) that divine service during the synod be conducted in the language customary
in the church in which the synod assembles. These resolutions were adopted without debate;
but they must be laid once more before next year's synod for a final vote. —

The Wisconsin Synod held its sessions for this year from May 25 to 30. The Reformed
"Evangelist," which reports this, says: "In its congregations there is also much Reformed
element, which, to be sure, according to the pronouncement of the synod has ceased to be
Reformed as soon as it has joined its congregations (!?). It seems to me that the Reformed
allow themselves to be found willing far sooner to attach themselves to the Lutherans in
order to have the preaching of the Gospel than the reverse."

Chaplains. For the 28th New York regiment, which consists almost entirely of Germans, the
Lutheran Pastor Siebke (General Synod) has, according to the "Evangelist," been elected.
The same paper writes: "Unfortunately another German regiment has elected as its chaplain
Dr. Försch, notorious as an unbeliever and a drunkard, and he actually departed with it on
May 24." How may the Lutherans in the regiment