# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_September 1862_S287
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Church News of the Day. 287

which such action by individuals brings upon itself must give way before the grave seriousness of our fateful, critical situation; and we are thrown entirely upon this extraordinary means, since the ordinary means, a General Synod, seems likely to be denied us for a good while yet. Those brethren in office who, throughout the whole previous course of our inner struggle, have continually kept silent, or at least have not spoken audibly to wider circles, may well examine whether it is not precisely through their tacit, reticent looking-on that they bear a great part of the blame that things have been able to come this far with us. Even to this day, after years of debating the question, there are probably only quite a few among our pastors who really give their assent to the doctrine of a specially, divinely instituted office of church government; far greater, to be sure, is probably the number of those who, without seriously engaging with this doctrinal question at all, nevertheless take their stand openly and decidedly on the side of the O. K. C. in the raging struggle, which they simply regard as rebellion. But I believe the number is greater still of those who, if a definite question were put to them, could not help but declare themselves against that doctrine as contrary to Scripture and confession, and to contradict the interpretation of "due obedience" favored by the O. K. C. But even of these, a part has, through the offense they took at Diedrichs' stormy conduct, been driven to push these main questions aside as secondary matters and to stand up above all only for the threatened peace and order; and even against Dr. Huschke's "provisional bulwark" people have not considered a public protest necessary. Another has persisted in silence toward both sides; and only a part has, according to his conviction, borne public testimony against the false doctrine and practice. I now ask particularly those neutrals who must themselves confess to being, in principle, at one with us (or, to put it more concretely, with me) to consider well whether the O. K. C. would ever have arrived at all at its present conduct, if all who hold this conviction had also, from the beginning, freely and openly declared and asserted it. I ask them to consider, before the Lord, whether they can answer for a longer silence in the face of the threatened brethren and of the threatening new ruptures; whether it is not precisely they who are now called to step openly into the breach and, where possible, to put an end to further rending. I believe I can also see a proper path, which, if it were entered upon by them in earnest, might perhaps, with God's gracious help, lead to something good. For lack of a synod, there lies very near at hand the convening of a free conference of pastors and members of our Church, without any assumption of formal authority, held as far as possible in a central location, attended as far as possible by all sides, and, where possible, with the participation and guidance of a few foreign Lutherans. This conference would have to be set the task of considering: what can be done under our circumstances to guard against further ruptures and to bring about an honest peace? To this end it would have to focus sharply on the question of due obedience and of the unconditional obligation to synodal resolutions, and finally seek to come to an understanding as to whether an early General Synod is desirable and by what path it might be attained. Obviously it would be unsuccessful if men of the decided opposition were publicly to call such a conference. But if the matter were taken in hand by those who have so far stood more neutral, it could possibly succeed. Let those whom it particularly concerns consider the matter. But there is danger in delay. — A further help in our distress could and should be granted us by our Lutheran brethren abroad, through their testimony. It is not at all my opinion that quite numerous testimonies should be indiscriminately gathered together from the Lutheran world abroad; rather I look at the same time to whether they have grown from a sound root. Thus, for instance (quite apart from what else I still have against Löhe), Löhe's testimony on our behalf can move me very little, because I have already known for twelve years Löhe's favorite idea, that the satis est of Augustana VII might also express itself in this, that in one region several church bodies of one confession, but of different constitutional peculiarities, should stand peacefully side by side: he welcomed the beginning of the realization