# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Mai 1864_S150
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

150. Church-Contemporary Affairs.

youth in mind, repeatedly, in expounding it, laid on ever brighter colors,
and finally, when this year it was to be brought to light at the urgent
request of others, had it carried more completely into print. Thus he has,
in all the articles, not only brought the opinion of our church concisely
into separate sections, but has also explained it by means of notes, and in
these has proved it from Scripture and from theological grounds resting on
Scripture, and confirmed it by the testimonies of orthodox teachers. But
since this method is exceedingly good, the whole arrangement of the book is
likewise no different — namely, exceedingly good." (Mensis Decembr., p.
601.) That this praise in a journal of such high authority as the Acta
Eruditorum then enjoyed in the Lutheran-theological world was well founded
is proved, beyond contradiction, by the unexampled swift and wide diffusion
which our Compendium experienced within the Lutheran Church of Germany from
1686 down to near the end of the past century.

Church-Contemporary Affairs.

I. America.

Abolitionist Fanaticism. In none of the sects here has this fanaticism
grown as strong as among the Methodists. In the "Apologete" of March 28 we
read, among other things: "What is said in Joshua 11:20 of the Canaanites
and their extermination is in a measure applicable to the southern rebel
states; accordingly, one might put the words this way: '''And this came to
pass from the Lord, that their heart should be hardened (namely, the
rebels'), to meet with war (the government at Washington), that they might
be banned and no mercy should come upon them, but that they should be
exterminated.''' .... Therefore have patience, friends of the Union, with
divine Providence."

Present-day Demands on a Methodist Preacher. That in respect to
these demands a great change has taken place compared with earlier times,
the "Apologete" of March 28 complains, and indeed such a change that the
Methodist gentlemen churchmen do not know what counsel to take. There it
says, namely: "Nowadays it is different in many congregations, but
unfortunately it has not become better! There would be a mighty uproar if
it occurred to the bishop to send some young beginner to this or that
congregation as preacher. There it would at once be said: what he can tell
us, we have known for a long time; for there are plenty of high-flying
spirits who are themselves dreadfully ignorant and cannot speak a sentence
without half a dozen grammatical errors, but who are masters at criticizing
others and by such conduct scare young brethren away from the preaching
office. There the young beginner is supposed to possess a flourishing
style, his delivery is to be flawless, his expositions are to betray deep
study of the Bible — in short, the pupil is at once to be a master, or in
the end the learned are supposed to snow down from heaven! Yes — so it is
said — we live in other times, we must have men in the pulpits of whom one
need not be ashamed, who can rather be heard before anyone. If that is so,
then open your purses, out with the money! support vigorously the
educational institutions at Quincy and Berea, make it possible that a
sufficient number of professors be appointed, and that poor but talented
students may receive instruction, lodging, and board free of charge, and
then we shall soon have no cause to complain of a lack of preachers, then