LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 85

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THE CONVENTION ESSAY 85

lieve the need and distress consequent upon special ca-

lamities, such as fire, dearth, famine, robbery, etc. . . .

so that no brother or sister may be tempted to appeal to

the mercy of them that are without, to the dishonor of
the Gospel. ... [Walther, “Proper Form of a Lutheran

Congregation,” Walther and the Church (St. Louis: CPH,

1938), p.107. The original presentation was made at the

Western District Convention of 1862. The separate vol-

ume was published in 1863.]

The earliest institutions of mercy in the Synod were
Lutheran Hospital, St. Louis (1858), organized in a day
when hospitals were considered “pest houses,” only for
the dying, and the Orphans Home at Des Peres, Mo.
(1868). Lutheran Hospital, now known as the Lu-
theran Medical Center, today has a property valuation
of $22,000,000, an annual budget of $15,000,000, and a
staff of 1,200. Since then, both hospitals and “Children’s
Friend Societies” have dotted the countryside and ex-
tensively broadened their services.

The “City Mission” concept in the Synod was de-
veloped chiefly under Pastor F. W. Herzberger, be-
ginning in 1899 (Der Lutheraner, LV [27 June 1899],
p. 115). Such institutions as Bethesda, Watertown,
Wis., and the former Wheat Ridge Sanitarium in Den-
ver, Colo., are examples of the concern of God’s people
for the sick and unfortunate.

Some 50 years ago the Missouri Synod was charged
with putting too much emphasis on pure doctrine and
not enough on ministering to the whole man. F. W.
Herzberger, involved in such work, replied to the
charge:

In no boasting spirit do we review ... the manifold and
widespread charitable activities of our much-maligned
Missouri Synod. Humbly and gratefully would we give
all glory to God for the rich and undeserved blessings He
has showered and continues to shower on our beloved
Synod’s multitudinous labor of love. Yes, Missouri is
much maligned for her uncompromising Biblical position
in doctrine and practice. But to charge her with “dead
orthodoxy” is cruel slander. Sham orthodoxy, indeed, is
dead and void of all true charity. But true Biblical ortho-
doxy is always full of spiritual life, full of missionary zeal,
full of unfeigned helpful, compassionate love, for it is the
work of God’s Holy Spirit in the hearts of His believing
children ... By His grace, His divine grace alone, Mis-
souri’s faith is no dead historical faith, but the faith that
works by love.... [F. W. Herzberger, “The Charitable
Activities of the Missouri Synod,” in Ebenezer, edited by
W. H. Dau (St.Louis: CPH, 1922), pp. 446—447]

Of the 71 welfare and service agencies in the Synod
today, a little more than half reported annual operating
costs of almost $21,000.000. If the other half not re-
porting is spending an amount equal to that, such wel-
fare agencies throughout the Synod by far exceed the
total annual synodical budget of $27,320,000!

The blessings of almighty God upon the work of our
hands have indeed been most undeserving, though lav-
ish and uniquely rich. Even greater needs still lie be-
fore us. The Savior presents a highly personalized as-
pect of such services in His description of the last
judgment:

Then the King will say to those at His right, “Come, you

whom My Father blessed, inherit the kingdom prepared

for you from the time the world was made. I was hungry,
and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and

you gave Me a drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me
into your homes; naked, and you gave Me something to

wear; sick, and you looked after Me; in prison, and you

visited Me.” [Matt. 25: 34-36]

May we hear those words directly from the Savior’s
lips on the day of judgment. Amen.

V

Transition, Americanization,
and the Contemporary

We hope that these glimpses into our synodical past
have been helpful in our self-understanding and rais-
ing our voices in gratitude to the God of all history.
Much history, like water, has flowed down the Missis-
sippi since our spiritual forefathers arrived on these
shores. They faced a host of problems in establishing
homes, institutions, churches, and the Synod. But they
were determined, through their synodical organization,
to conserve and promote the unity of the pure con-
fession and the common defense against schism and
sectarianism in an environment which was hostile eth-
nically, socially, linguistically, and theologically. They
came with the conviction that their distinctive message
must be preserved for their children and children’s
children, and to transmit this treasured message of the
Gospel to their world. It is precisely this twofold con-
cern, to preserve and to transmit, which has created
tensions in the past as we have seen through the his-
torical presentations and also at this convention. In
addition to the theological, there are also sociological
factors which produce such conflicts.

Sociological and Ethnic Considerations

Similarly to Lutheranism in America in the 1850s
and 1860s, The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod to-
day is undergoing struggles for self-understanding and
reinterpretation, especially on sola Scriptura. As we
endeavor to understand ourselves, the studies supplied
by Andrew Greeley’s book, Why Can’t They Be Like
Us? (New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., 1971), can be help-
ful in a self-understanding. Greeley wrestles with the
process of assimilation and Americanization of the white
ethnic groups in our country. Although he does not ad-
dress himself to Lutheranism, the author speaks words
of caution:

In the human condition, diversity easily becomes a basis

for distrust, suspicion and conflict. We find it profoundly

disturbing that others are different from us; indeed, the

very title of this book is the battlecry of the ethnic
screaming for homogenization of society. ... [P.16]

Critics of the Missouri Synod have at times harshly
castigated it for its unwillingness to become American-
ized and assimilated. Such critics have held that the
trouble with Missouri was that it was unwilling to
hone down and dull its sharp edges which set it apart
from other American churches. But immediately the
question follows, How far should the Synod become
Americanized or Protestant in the critics’ eyes? Greeley
cautions:

Some Americans become very uneasy when the subject
of religious and ethnic diversity is raised. They insist
that even to speak about the subject may be wrong since