# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_M rz 1859_S94
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

94
Church-Historical Items of the Day.

I. America.

The New Doctrine of Christ's Person. In the "Lutheraner" too, readers were informed of the deviation of the Erlangen professors in the doctrine of Christ's Person. This has prompted the editor of the Reformed Church Gazette in Chambersburg, Pa., to the following statement: "The 'Lutheraner' of St. Louis brings a serious complaint against the Lutheran professors Delitzsch, Hofmann, and Thomasius in Erlangen, because they teach that Jesus Christ, in his state of humiliation, was not in possession of divine honor, omnipotence, omniscience, etc., but emptied himself of the same [Mark 13:32, Matt. 28:18 *)], contrary to the Smalcald Articles (sic!). — There are, we think, altogether only few Lutherans who do not also believe with these professors — and so, on this point too, are more nearly Reformed than (strictly symbolical) Lutheran." — As correct as it is that a genuine Reformed believer likewise does not believe that Christ in the state of humiliation possessed divine attributes, and thus denies, in good Arian fashion, that the humbled Christ was God and man in one Person — for whoever is without the possession of divine honor, of omnipotence, of omniscience, etc., is assuredly as little God as a being without body and soul is a man — the Erlangen professors ought not to feel very flattered should this testimony to their Reformed orthodoxy come into their hands, although on the point of Christ's Person they have doubtless honestly earned it.

The northern district of the Evangelical Lutheran Ohio Synod held its sessions in Monroe, Mich., beginning on the 17th of September, 1858. It appears both from the president's official report and from the synodical report itself that various collisions have occurred between pastors of the Ohio and the Missouri Synods. It will certainly come to light in due time on which side lies right and on which wrong. The coexistence of two Lutheran synods within one territory is a great evil, especially when both synods, though formally confessing the symbolical books, differ so widely in spirit and practice. This evil can certainly only continue for a time, and must in the end give way either to brotherly concord and the merging of the two synods, or else, as is to be foreseen, will turn into open division. How earnestly ought the leading men to work toward preventing the latter and bringing about the former! We must, however, again call attention to the General Conference as the most fitting means of gradually healing this lamentable evil. B.

The "Lutheran Standard" has recently declared that the time for silence regarding the now so "burning question" of Church and Ministry is past, and that the time for speaking has come; it therefore opens its columns to discussion of this so important subject. We welcome this declaration with our whole heart. Truth, after all, fears nothing so much as being kept concealed. May Jesus Christ, the faithful Archshepherd of his Church, lay his blessing upon every testimony given to the truth, and graciously prevent the struggle from leading to division, but instead grant of his grace that our sister synod may be united in the truth and made strong through such unity. We would rejoice at this no less than if the blessing had flowed to our own synod. For "if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; and if one member is held in honor, all the members rejoice with it." 1 Cor. 12:26. In the issue of the "Standard" of Jan. 28, two combatants have already entered the field. The first is the Reverend Pastor P. J. Buehl, who, in our conviction, has hit upon the punctum saliens when he declares that clarity and agreement can only be reached if the doctrine of justification is laid as the foundation of the inquiry. The other is the Reverend Pastor M. Loy, who, in an introduction to a series of articles, first demonstrates in eloquent language the importance of the subject.

The "Missionary" published in its issue of Jan. 27 a communication signed with the name "Peter," in which "Lehre und Wehre" is charged, on account of a remark concerning an omission by the "Luth. Observer" (see the January issue, p. 29), and along with it the "Standard" also, with a similar offense of unkindness. When we read the thing, we truly did not know what to make of it. The sophisms it contained were so glaring that we set aside, unfinished, a lengthy article we had written against it, for fear of offending our readers by a laborious refutation of an attack that incomprehensibly contradicted itself. At a loss as we were, the "Standard" finally helped us out of our embarrassment. What had happened? "Peter's" communication had been mutilated

*) The following passages the Reverend reviewer certainly does not cite: Matt. 11:27, John 1:14, 3:35, 5:23, 16:30, 17:2, etc.	The Editors.