# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_August 1863_S252
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

252 Church and Contemporary History.

asserted,) as unfounded and unproven." In the Kirchenblatt für die evangelisch-lutherischen Gemeinden in Preußen [Church Paper for the Evangelical-Lutheran Congregations in Prussia] (the organ of the Breslau party), the number of May 1 goes on to say: "The author's objections to the S.-B. [Synodal-Beschlüsse, the Synodal Resolutions] are confined to the Order of Elders and to the Church-Discipline Procedure. Regarding the provisions of the S.-B. bearing on this, he judges in the end that they rest on views and theories of church constitution and church government which are foreign to the Confession of our Church, and can be brought into agreement with it only artificially," but he adds: "'though in judging the institutions discussed, so far as the facts presented in the S.-B. are concerned, I have had to concede the point to the opponents, I can nevertheless approve neither the practical consequences which they have drawn from their dissent for their relation to the existing church body, nor do I share those motives and tendencies of theirs which are bound up with their denial of any real authority of the Church as a societas externa [external society], and which are meant to blunt the edge of their own, here once again headlong, opposition.'"

Joh. Ronge, the apostle of the German Catholics, whose apostolate in Germany suffers badly from a canker of the mouth, has gone to Italy to freshen up the breath of his words there. He is not needed in Italy; people there have long known everything he has to say. He is said to have been with Garibaldi, whose reformation plan is essentially the same as his own, except that Garibaldi cares little what the Italians believe or do not believe, so long as they chase away the Pope. Nevertheless it will be said, even in Italy: "There must be religion"; and whichever religion burdens people least and promises them most will always be the best in the eyes of the great crowd. The rest will have to content themselves with the small flock. (Münkel's Zeitblatt.)

Pastor Haag in Baden. The following we read in Münkel's Zeitblatt of May 1: Our readers will recall that Pastor Haag of Stolpe in Pomerania went to Baden on his own initiative, in order to gather the separated Lutherans there under his general pastorate, to leave the faithful pastors Frommel and Eichhorn out in the cold, and to rob them of their flocks. It sounds incredible, but it may only be too well founded, that he, with this gathered band behind him, meant to negotiate with the united Baden church government and to secure for himself a place in the united Supreme Church Council. Unfortunately his freebooting campaign succeeded to a certain point. Frommel lost a small part, and Eichhorn a large part, of his congregation. Even Pastor Ludwig went over to Haag's side, along with the people of Söllingen, who belonged to Eichhorn's congregation. It really seemed as though the Lutheran Free Church in Baden were nearing its downfall. Yet God still held his hand over it. He lets us sink, indeed, but not drown. Eichhorn had already been offered a situation in Prussia, since his greatly dwindled congregation could no longer support him. For years he had fought and suffered under persecutions and imprisonment, and had held out as a faithful servant of Christ. It would have been a pity had the wolf now driven the shepherd from the flock. Eichhorn resolved to stay and to drink this cup as well. Prayer and tears are the weapons of the Church when she has no help on earth. God's judgments broke in more swiftly than one could have expected. That Ludwig went back into the Union has already been reported; he took a pastorate — an assistant preacher's post in the Union, if I am not mistaken. It took somewhat longer with Haag, whose free corps was not yet fully assembled. But in the very midst of his triumphant course he threw stones in his own path. In October of the previous year a large part of the congregation of Bretten and its surroundings separated from him, after having been with him scarcely four months. The reason was the offense they took at his conduct. Without going into the unpleasant particulars, it may only be hinted here that Haag fell out with his own family. For the time being the people of Bretten set up a reading-service [a lay-led service without a pastor]. There were, however, also old and sick people who wanted the Sacrament and pastoral care. This gave the first occasion to look about again for the shepherd who had tended them so faithfully for nine years, and whom they, for the lentil pottage of some savory