# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Januar 1862_S30
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

30 Church and Contemporary History.

cuss such a mass of difficult and complicated questions, which not only reach deep into the substance of the church, but were also in part now being raised for the first time. The territorial-church members had to confess themselves that in many cases and on decisive points they were not sufficiently prepared, or were still expecting a final resolution of the questions. Visible and invisible church, church and the spiritual office, office and government, individual congregation and whole congregation, free church and territorial church, communion fellowship and church fellowship — these were the matters that occupied the commission; and anyone can see that thereby the whole tangle of controverted questions, which have so long exercised the acumen of evangelical Germany, had been thrown into the assembly increased by yet a few more complicated questions." The beginning was made with the doctrine of the church, where the chief question at issue was whether the orders made by the Prussian Lutheran Church were orders of the church possessed of more than merely human authority, or not. The former was maintained by the party of the Oberkirchencollegium, the latter by the opposition. Dr. Münkel remarks that Pistorius took the opportunity to clear himself of the reproach of holding that the church is to be confined to the Lutheran church alone, a doctrine of which Diedrich too is falsely accused. It was noted with alarm that the proceedings dragged on with German thoroughness, so that the tangle grew only the thicker the more threads were unwound. The assembly therefore resolved to press directly to the heart of the dispute and take up the question of church government. But even here the proceedings grew as tangled as they grew more animated. By then the second-to-last day had already arrived. In order to attempt a solution after all, Consistorial Councillor Ehlers came forward with three propositions, in which he summarized his demands upon the O.-K.-C., if peace was to be restored. First, the O.-K.-C. should declare it a mistake to have asserted, in an official letter to Ehlers, that the office of church government was organically instituted by God. Second, it should lift Diedrich's suspension from office; and third, it should convene a General Synod at the earliest possible date to decide or settle the disputes. Thereupon, on the last day, the members of the O.-K.-C. present read out a statement in which they described it as a mistake to have spoken of a governing office instituted by the church. However, they reserved to themselves the right of their private conviction, while wishing never to assert it officially in their acts of governance, and wishing to leave the opposing party entire freedom to hold and defend the contrary doctrine. That this point was expressed so indefinitely happened, according to Dr. Münkel, probably because not all who stood on Dr. Huschke's side agreed with him in every particular, and presumably Lasius too holds somewhat freer views. Of the opposition, Ehlers was the least satisfied, since his first demand was not sufficiently met and his other two were not granted at all. As for the second point, the O.-K.-C. distinguished two things in Diedrich's struggle: his resistance to the doctrine, which it was willing to let stand, and his excessive, insulting, and scornful attacks, against which alone the investigation was directed. As far as he had learned, says Dr. Münkel, the opposition itself was divided in opinion on this second point, and even Ehlers did not deny Diedrich's transgressions. On the other hand, the opposition agreed with Ehlers's third demand, to convene a General Synod in the near future. Of this the O.-K.-C. would hear nothing; since the disputed questions were still in full ferment and the great mass at the synod would understand little of them, in the end a vote would have to decide the matter, which is not proper in matters of doctrine, and the final result would be that the synod would split. Yet at the close the O.-K.-C. did concede one point, namely to submit the synodal resolutions to renewed examination and, subsequently, to amendment by the synod. The complainants were to send their objections to the O.-K.-C., which would then forward them for review to the territorial-church members of the commission, with the further participation of Professors Harnack and Scheurl at Erlangen and Pastor Siedel at Tharandt. With that the commission adjourned for an indefinite time. Dr. Münkel closes his report with the words: "For the present, indeed, I see no way out of the dark valley, and I