# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1848 07 19_S201
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

...classify him as an arch-fanatic who, it is true, had lucid moments in which he said things that were right and excellent. It is undeniable that Jesus appears not merely as a divine envoy, but as God's only-begotten Son, as the possessor of divine dignity, power, and glory, even though he emptied himself of the same in part, for the time of his earthly life, for our salvation. Of the many sayings of Jesus belonging here I will cite only a few, but wholly convincing ones.

"I and the Father are one" (John 10:30), — "All that the Father has is mine" (John 16:15), — "All should honor the Son as they honor the Father" (John 5:23) — is that not so? No mere creature, however exalted, may speak thus! In John 17:5 Jesus speaks of a glory that he had with the Father before the world was. He speaks there quite plainly of an existence before the world; but before the world there was nothing except God, therefore he himself must be God. (John 1:2.) But the Friends of Light hold Jesus to be entirely a creature, a mere man; therefore they must assume that he carried on such speech in a high, indeed the highest, degree of fanaticism, if they do not wish to think something even worse of him. Since they themselves, however, wish to be anything but fanatics, but rather quite cool-headed, rational people, it ill befits them to bear the name of the one whom they must declare to be an arch-fanatic.

(Conclusion follows.)

Religious Prospects in Prussia.

(Translated for the "Lutheraner" from No. 773 of the "Lutheran Observer." Excerpt of a letter from Prof. Tholuck in Halle.)

Halle, April 8, 1848.
Worthy Sir!

The winter term was a greatly blessed one; never has the number of serious students been greater; there were about 150 whom I hope one day to see as faithful laborers in the vineyard of the Lord. But how dreadfully this happy season has ... Since, however, you wish that I write to you concerning the progress of the church under present circumstances, I will speak only of the probable consequences of this overthrow of our monarchy with regard to our church. — Whether our constitutional monarchy will last longer than a year or two is very doubtful indeed. Should it truly endure, we will probably soon see synods assembled to which the government of the church will be transferred — an institution salutary in itself — but through which, under present circumstances, where rationalism (faith in reason) and pantheism*) have gained the upper hand among the people, the sacrifice of every Christian confession of faith will take place; believing pastors and

*) The belief that the world, or the universe itself, is God.

professors will be compelled to lay down their positions, and since few among the laity have retained their faith, they will find themselves without a flock. Soon the separation between state and church will follow. I am far from fearing the consequences of such a separation for the church; for under the rule of an unbelieving ecclesiastical authority it cannot flourish; but I do fear the consequences of a state and a legislation that lacks all Christian influence. Let me mention one fact. We are just now about to introduce a new penal code in which neither adultery nor incest is forbidden; indeed some of those now at the helm have already declared that marriage should be made entirely a private matter. —

To feel even more fully what we shall soon lose, you must know in what blessed state our consistories have been until now; most of their members were living Christians; the positions were given to truly evangelical candidates; the number of mission and Bible societies increased everywhere. There was hope that, if this state of things had lasted ten years longer, the people too would have felt its beneficial influence. But if, under present circumstances, the state is separated from the church, then the great majority of the people, who until now have not concerned themselves with religion at all, will now live entirely without religion, while the youth will be raised without religious influence.

Allow me now to add a few words about my own situation. Up to the present moment about 200 young theologians were under my influence. Most of them were sent to the university by parents who were indifferent to religion, but were gradually led to the Christian faith through the influence of their theological education. But let the state and the church be separated, and the theological faculties must cease to exist; the awakened Christians in the Province of Saxony will unite into a religious body, but immediately upon their emergence will split at once into three parties: Lutherans, Reformed, and United evangelical Christians. I would be inclined to join the latter. I may be mistaken in my calculations, but in my opinion the number of laity who will unite into this body in our province will perhaps not exceed 8,000. Will they have the means to maintain a theological faculty? It seems that the day will come when the confessors of Christ among the professors of theology will be compelled to take refuge in foreign lands, and who knows whether you may not one day hear me knocking at your door as an exile.

I speak here of the immediate consequences; but that as the final outcome of all this confusion a new, living church will emerge, I believe, and I am therefore still far from letting hope sink. On the contrary, I feel within me a kind of youthful vigor to be active in this new state of affairs now taking shape. I look forward with anxious dread to the great things the Lord will do, for it is undeniable that, although the vices and shameful intentions of men have been the instruments in all that has taken place, the threads have nevertheless been woven together by the hand of Providence, so that they will lead to a new state of affairs in ecclesiastical and civil matters, and the counsel of Providence must without doubt serve for the best.

Secret Societies.

From an excerpt communicated in the "Lutheran Observer" from the minutes of the second session of the Wittenberg Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ohio, we learn that this synod passed the following good resolution:

"Resolved, that we as an ecclesiastical body believe it to be highly detrimental to the peace and prosperity of our Zion when preachers or laymen connected with the Wittenberg Synod unite with such secret societies as those of the Freemasons and the Order of the Odd Fellows."

*

Hübner's Biblical Histories.

Mr. Weyel in Baltimore announces in his "Kirchenbote" (Vol. 7, No. 14) that he is having the above-named book reprinted "in its old, unaltered form and character," that it will leave the press in a few weeks and will be obtainable from him at the reasonable price of 25 cents. If Mr. W. keeps his word and truly delivers the old Hübner, he will thereby earn the heartfelt thanks of the German American Lutheran Church. As soon as the book has appeared, we will not fail to give our dear readers, as we hope, a pleasing report.

Prospectus of a quarterly journal to appear under the title "The Evangelical Review."

The undersigned has frequently been urged from various quarters to undertake the editing of a journal for the interests of theological literature in the Lutheran Church, and since he holds the conviction that the time has now come when not only can a favorable outcome be hoped for such an undertaking, but the circumstances of the church in this country also most decidedly call for a journal such as is intended, he has