The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1912, Page 63

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A QueEr CrrcuLar. — Some one has sent us a
queer circular regarding an institution whose object
is “the training of colored preachers and teachers

_ for mission work in the Black Belt of our South-

land and in the wilds of Africa.” The object is
good; but the training given is bad. The circular
says: “This institution stands for a reasonable and
progressive theology.” That must be a theology
governed by human reason, a theology progressing
away from the Bible. It is not Bible theology, and
the men filled with such a theology will not pro-
claim the Gospel preached by the great missionary
apostle St. Paul, but another gospel, of which the
apostle says: “Though we, or an angel of heaven,
preach any other gospel unto you than that which
we have preached unto you, let him be accursed !”
Gal. 1, 8. Surely, the colored people in the Black
Belé and in the wilds of Africa are better off with-
out the mission work of men trained by the teaching
of a “reasonable and progressive theology.” . The
institutions of the Lutheran Chureh stand for Bible
theology, and her missionaries know of no other
gospel than the Gospel of Christ, which is “the
power of God unto salvation,” and with which alone
true ‘mission work can be done to the saving of
souls.

A Burp Leaper or tHE Briinp. — An exchange
tells the story of a colored preacher who seems to
have been a progressive theologian, progressing far
beyond the Bible, and hence was a blind leader of
the blind. In his Baptist congregation 19 new
converts were to be immersed. ‘The preacher first
spoke on Matt. 5, 18: “Ye are the -salt of the
earth.” He spoke thus: “You all know what salt
is good for; it is used to make a food taste good
and to keep it from decay. We all like it, the one
more, the other less. But if you eat very much
of it, you get a. powerful: thirst, which can be
~ quenched only with very much water. Neither coffee
nor tea will do; you must have water, much water.
Well, brethren, the text says: ‘Ye are the salt of
the earth’ . What does that mean? Christians are
like salt; they are to keep this earth from decay.
Bué all Christians have, not the same amount of
salt with them. Some are quite full of the salt
of God’s grace, and in that case their soul cries
for water, and then a few drops sprinkled on the

forehead will not do. ‘They must be taken to the -

river and immersed. And that is what we will now
- do with these new converts. Come, let us go!”

The Tutheran Pioneer. 63

Are not the poor people to be pitied who listen
tc such foolish talk and follow such a blind leader?
Christ says: “If the blind lead the blind, both
shall fall into the ditch,’ Matt. 15, 14.

A CHEERFUL Giver.—The NW. C. Index tells
of an old colored woman “out in Missouri“ who was
“always a cheerful giver to all church purposes.”
“By avoiding unnecessary expenses, she saved in
forty-seven years, since her slave days, the sum of
$3,250.00. She looked upon this money as God’s
money intrusted to her and to be used for His king-
dom, and when the congregation to which she be-
longs needed money for a building fund she cheer-
fully gave the whole sum for that purpose.” “God
loveth a cheerful giver,” 2 Cor. 9, 7.

Tue Laporers Are Few. — Missionary Nau,
one of the missionaries of the Missouri Synod in
India, recently wrote: “From many sides I am
urged by heathen people who beg me, earnestly
implore me, to come to them. If I were to men-
tion numbers, I might say that if we had the neces-
sary means and men at our disposal, we could

immediately take about 1,000 persons into our ~

catechumen classes for instruction.”

The harvest, truly, is great, but the laborers are
few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest
that He would send .forth laborers into His har-
vest,” Luke 10, 2.

ZEALOUS IN Mission Worx.—Says Jfission
Record: In Africa there is a church with 800 mem-
bers which less than five years ago had never heard
of Christ, but which to-day is supporting one hun-
dred and twénty-three missionaries to other African
tribes. One other church with 300 members, to
whom less than three years ago the name of Jesus
had never been spoken, is supporting fifty-one mis-
sionaries. Oh, that we would learn of these people!

Tell the Glad Tidings!

Tt is related that a New Zealander was brought
over to England to be educated. She became a
true Christian. When she- was about to return,
some of her friends endeavored to dissuade her.
They said, “Why go back to New Zealand? You
are accustomed.to England now. You love its
shady lanes and clover fields. It suits your health.
Besides, you may be killed and eaten by your own
people — everybody has forgotten you.” =