# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juli 1864_S220
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

220 Church and Contemporary Affairs.

there would have been no war, nor would any human authority or military estate
have become necessary. But with the fall of man, manslaughter, war, and complete
disorder came into the world. Only in Christ shall the image of God be brought
back and restored in us, and thus the waging of war cease. "See Isaiah 2:4,
Micah 4:3."

The good man who appeals here to the state of innocence certainly does not
consider that in that state man wore no clothing either, any more than weapons,
and that while there was then indeed no punishing authority, there were also no
rogues. —

A Touching Appeal for Charitable Giving. The northern conference
of the Iowa Synod (belonging to the General Synod) publishes its conference
report in the "Lutheran Observer." In it the first resolution reads as follows:
"Since our preachers in the West at best receive only a bare living, and in most
cases do not even get that; and since it is customary among most Christian
denominations to render an annual tribute to the worth of their pastors in the
form of donation visits, it is therefore resolved: That we hold in high esteem this
goodwill of our brethren when it expresses itself in this way, and that they may
rest assured of our gratitude for all such tokens of their care for us, and that we
wish to use this occasion to commend the wisdom and excellence of this custom,
and to encourage our people to practice it." Other preachers give thanks and
publicly praise their congregations, but only after the donation; this conference
does it beforehand already. It is also vexing when some preachers receive such
surprise and donation visits and others do not, and when now an entire conference
waits and hopes in vain so long that its "worth," too, may finally be acknowledged.
It is to be hoped that the congregations will understand this gentle hint. How can
only English gentlemen behave this way? — B.

The General Synod. At its last session, the delegate of the Presbyterian
church, L. B. Hotchkin, also spoke about unity in Christ and expressed the hope
"that the day might soon come when all Christians would see one another face
to face and labor together, unanimously, in the service of their great Redeemer."
Dr. Sprecher replied, as the "Observer" reports, "in a fitting and earnest manner:
he was happy to see that the era of exclusiveness among the various denominations
was visibly passing away (was the Lutheran General Synod ever exclusive? Is she
too going to drop her exclusiveness?!), and that the church was becoming more
liberal in its views, in that it granted greater freedom on non-fundamental
articles." — It is to be hoped that the time will soon pass in which the more
earnest members of the General Synod allow their president to indulge, in their
name, in wholly unlutheran, unionistic, unmanly, unbecoming, complimentary
phrase-mongering. B.

Methodism. In the address which the Methodist General Conference presented
to President Lincoln, the following is found: "We are confident that the
opportunity now offered for interfering with existing institutions and for
removing a legally sanctioned wrong will not be left unused — not only in order
to inflict damage upon our enemies and to increase our national resources, but
also in order to acknowledge our obligation toward God and to honor his law.
Under the impulse of a lofty and pure patriotism, our prayer shall constantly be
offered up for the undivided preservation of our country, for the triumph of our
cause, and for a lasting peace — one not purchased at the price of moral
principles, but grounded on God's word, and securing to all (? the whites too?)
equal freedom and rights in justice." — In the report of the "Committee" on
slavery it says, among other things: "With the progress which the people have
made in moral and religious knowledge, the abhorrence of slavery has also grown
ever stronger, and this proves that that system stands in contradiction to
morality and religion. The voice of the whole of mankind protests against the
continuance of slavery — a verdict which God himself has pronounced pleasing,
inasmuch as the