# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Februar 1863_S62
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

62 Church and Contemporary History.

we do not wish to contend with him about this, although we believe that thus neither the whole Luther — the Luther as he is — nor the whole truth as God has let Luther come to know it, is brought before the people. It seems to us that Luther's polemic can no more be separated from his writings than the prohibition can be separated from the command.

Published by Dörffling and Francke in Leipzig, just appeared:

System of Christian-Ecclesiastical Catechetics, by C. A. G. von Zezschwitz. First volume. Containing: The Catechumenate, or the Doctrine of Church Education, large 8vo. pp. 736 and XXVIII. Retail price 3⅓ thalers.

Published by A. Deichert in Erlangen:

The Thousand-Year Kingdom and the Revelation of John. A Contribution toward the Correct Understanding of Both, for Everyman, by Consistorial Councillor Dr. L. Kraußold, large 8vo, paperbound. 12 Neugroschen or 36 kreuzer.

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Church and Contemporary History.

I. America.

"Jubilee Celebration." On January 17 and the following days a three-hundredth memorial celebration was held in Philadelphia, marking the composition of the Heidelberg Catechism — which, as is well known, appeared in 1563 — by a great number of preachers and laypeople of the local German Reformed Church.

Ehlers shares, in his Kirchliches Zeitblatt of November 1 of last year, several extracts from Dr. Sihler's essay, which appears in the February issue of "Lehre und Wehre" of last year, as "a testimony to the sound and vigorous upbuilding of our Lutheran Church in North America."

The "Evangelist," organ of the German Reformed Church in North America, says in a "Retrospect" on the past year, in the issue of January 17: "Beside them (the Catholics) the Missourian Old Lutherans near them have visibly flourished." The gentlemen of the "Evangelist" ought kindly to say why we are supposed to stand so "near" to the Catholics. Probably because we cling so closely to a Luther who, as is well known, has always shown himself so very inclined toward the Papacy!

Unionism-mongering. In the Lutheran Observer, room is at present specially given to a Western Department for the Lutherans in the West, the charge of which has been given to Dr. Harkey of Springfield, Ill. The gentleman named has begun his work for this purpose with a series of essays dealing with the "Union of the Lutheran Church in America," addressed to "all preachers and members of the same." In the issue of the paper for January 2, Dr. Harkey writes: "Some tell us that unity must come first, before a union can take place. To this objection we would give the brief answer that the Word of God requires of us that we be united, and that we must therefore set aside our differences, of whatever kind they may be, and come together. We must do this, or we are disobedient and displeasing to our God. It is sinful to hold fast to our differences in views and practice, and therefore those who always magnify these points of difference and take pains to keep us apart are the greatest sinners in the Church." One sees that the good man thinks that above all we should unite outwardly, and then all would be well in spite of the doctrinal differences; but he does not consider that he thereby ranks himself among precisely those whom he calls the "greatest sinners in the Church" — namely those who "take pains to keep us apart" — for the true separatists are those "who cause division and offense contrary to the doctrine," Romans 16:17, and the true champions of true union are those who