# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_December 1862_S375
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Church and Contemporary History. 375

-m the world in this and that domain without Christ. Methodism has
therefore, unfortunately, systematically naturalized the worldly spirit
within itself. It has, unfortunately, its nests among us too, but our
church's doctrine does not open the door to it. When it comes to us, it
comes as a thief and a murderer."

The "Lutheran Herald" of New York, in its issue of October 1, gives
its subscribers who are behind in paying a sharp reproving sermon, and
finally cries out: "The wild ''Breweranians'' will triumph if the Herald
stops letting its trumpet sound! Do you also want to become
Missourian?" — Surely a strange suspicion, into which the self-denying
Herald can only have come in the heat of its heavy trials; for, as is well
known, the Missourian subscribers are not behind-hand payers of their
subscriptions.

Germanness among the Methodists. Under this heading the
Reformed "Evangelist" of November 1 reports: We recently informed
our readers that the Methodist Church has, in several places, made the
attempt to remove its German congregations from the German
conferences and place them under the oversight of English presiding
elders. This procedure has aroused great agitation among the German
members of this church. The German preachers of several conferences
protest against it in the Apologist, and several congregations, for
example in Indianapolis and in Dayton, have resolved not to recognize
the English presiding elders given to them and to pay no share of their
salary. The editor of the Apologist sides with them.

The Evangelist, a respectable Reformed paper published in
Cleveland, O., in the issue referred to expresses itself as follows
regarding the relation of the Reformed church in general, and of itself
in particular, to politics: 1) Wherever the Reformed church has come to
prevail, it has, without exception, shown its influence on the political
shaping of the people in that democratic and republican state
institutions have been introduced. As proof of this assertion we need
only point to Switzerland, Holland, England, and America — all
predominantly Reformed countries — as against Germany, Denmark,
and Sweden — all predominantly Lutheran countries — and the Catholic
world. 2) It amounts, therefore, to slapping the whole of history in the
face when one asserts that the church has nothing to do with
constitutional questions and politics. 3) The political influence of the
church, however, is not to be exercised in the world's manner, through
partisanship, diplomacy, and direct means, but the church may only
work indirectly, through the Word of God and the Spirit given to it, upon
the dispositions of men in spiritual matters, and these spiritual truths,
once accepted, work as a leaven, so that thereby the dispositions in all
areas, including the political, are permeated and transformed. 4)
Therefore the church, in the pending political questions of the present,
must not only take no partisan position, but should also not directly
express its opinion about them. 5) Whether obedience is to be rendered
to the present federal government is no open question, for the Bible
has once for all designated rebellion as sin. The church has the right
and the duty to do the same. 6) Whether slavery is an evil is likewise
no open question. The Bible and the civilization of Christianity have
long since shown it to be a great evil. 7) Open questions, however, are
such as these: Whether the President has a right to declare the slaves of
the rebels free; whether and how slavery should now be abolished;
whether it would be better to suppress the rebellion or to acknowledge
it as a (sad) fact, and so forth. The world has thousands of clever
people who decide such questions with ease, in their own wisdom. The
followers of Jesus confess their ignorance and look to the God who, in
his own way, resolves these questions. And they do not look in vain.
God's decisions are advancing swiftly in these days. 8) The Evangelist,
as a church organ, may not take sides in the judgment