# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1851 03 04_S110
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

110

Synod of Ohio in June 1850 at New Bremen, Ohio, which we should not, however, in and of itself, as something customary and habitual, bring to general knowledge, if it were not most instructive and did not give thorough information concerning the real disposition of the Synod of West Ohio, namely, that it, with all its professing of the churchly Symbols, is an enemy of the confession-faithful Lutherans and a friend of the confessionless Unionists.

The matter is namely this:

Three years ago the pastor, P. Heid, was called by three Lutheran congregations in and near Wappaconetto, Auglaize Co., Ohio. Two of these, however, he was after some time compelled in conscience to give up again; for they wanted only a preacher, but no pastor of souls, resisted the church discipline ordained by the Lord Christ in Matt. 18, 15—17 under the pretext of their American liberty, and would in no wise, in spite of all instruction, permit their pastor, before the partaking even of the first Communion, to question them individually, in order to inform himself, as far as possible, of their fitness for the worthy partaking of the Holy Supper, and not, through his own fault, to absolve and to commune unworthy guests, and thus not to make himself partaker of other men's sins.

Then came Pastor Gogelen, formerly, if I am not mistaken, a member of the Lutheran Synod of Pennsylvania, into that region, and took over first the care of a small united congregation at St. Marys, ten miles from Wappaconetto, whither he then betook himself, let himself be "hired" by those loose people, and without closer inquiry straightway gave the Holy Supper to manifestly godless persons; for so frivolously and unconscientiously did this hireling preacher act that he not only did not, before taking over that so-called congregation in and around Wappac., come to Pastor Heid and ask him about the state of affairs, nor otherwise seek in an impartial manner to attain a right view of the matter, but rather coldly repulsed Pastor Heid, when the latter came to him and communicated to him the historical course of this sorrowful affair and urgently admonished him not to make himself so ruinously partaker of other men's sins, in that he acknowledged and served as a Christian congregation manifestly malicious and stubborn persons, who despised and rejected the wholesome discipline and order of the Lord Christ, in spite of all the patience and instruction bestowed upon them, and thereby strengthened them in their wickedness and impenitence. For to such a representation Pastor Gogelen replied to Pastor Heid, "I am examined and ordained and will not be told anything by you."

Now when Pastor Heid had heard that Pastor Gogelen intended to join the Ohio Synod, he did that to which his conscience impelled him. He related, namely, at the last Synodical meeting at New Bremen, to the Herr President, Pastor Spielmann, in the presence of three members of the Synod, the course of the matter, in order to warn the Synod against the immediate reception of Pastor Gogelen. The Herr President said he would bring forward all this, since Pastor Gogelen had already applied for admission. Pastor Heid requested him to do this on the following day, because he intended to remain in New Bremen so long, and in the presence of Pastor Gogelen would gladly give further information upon inquiry. When nevertheless on the other day nothing of it came up, Pastor Heid asked the President once more, and received for answer that this affair did not belong to the Synod, but to the Ministerium.*) To that, to be sure, Pastor Heid had no access. How this matter would be handled, however, could already be gathered from an occurrence which took place on the same day in the Synodical meeting.

*) This procedure, moreover, in the present case is contrary to all right churchly usage. For must it not be a matter of conscience and heart to the whole Synod, therefore also to the Licentiates (this strange hybrid creature between candidates and ordained men) and to the Deputies, to convince themselves from their own observation, perhaps through a publicly held colloquy, whether the pastor who seeks admission into the Synod is orthodox or heterodox?

It happened, namely, that Herr Kleinegees, a Licentiate, in whom there seems to be a really upright earnestness and sincerity of disposition, came forward and asked for instruction how he should bring his Lutheran conscience into harmony with his "united congregation," and how he should further arrange his official proceeding in and with it; for although in ignorance and in pietistic-unionistic delusion of love he had accepted this congregation, he had nevertheless come, through wholesome experience in office and through more exact knowledge of the opposing doctrine and of the connection between confession and practice, to the insight that the serving of mixed congregations, as such, tends not to the upbuilding but to the destruction of the Lutheran Church.

Upon that question and request for instruction there ensued—the writer of this was namely present—a rather long, deep silence, and it seemed especially to the Fathers of the Synod that this question was rather vexatious than welcome, partly because the course of business of the Synod was thereby interrupted, and, for example, the moneys for the Synodical treasury had not yet been paid in, with which, as is customary, the noble time of session is partly killed,**) partly because they, as becomes tolerably clear from the counsel finally given, found themselves in the disagreeable condition of perplexity, partly because perhaps here and there a sleeping conscience was somewhat roughly awakened by that question, and the proverb occurred to the awakening reverend Father: "Physician, heal thyself."

**) For while important questions of confession and doctrine are disposed of with groundless haste, they spend hours during the session in paying in the moneys into the Synodical or education treasury or in handing in the parochial reports—business which anyone could very well settle outside the time of session with the secretary or cashier.

At last the reverend Father, Herr Pastor Heinecke of Miamisburg, came forward and gave the very wise counsel, which was later raised also to a Synodical resolution, namely: "Resolved, that we, as a Synod, disapprove the formation of mixed or so-called united congregations and advise our preachers that, where such already exist, they serve them only as Lutheran preachers."

But since no further explanation followed thereupon, and a pertinent question met with only an angry dismissal, but no answer from the Herr Counsellor, Herr Kleinegees (and other brethren in office in similar position) were just as wise as before; for that was precisely what Herr Kleinegees desired to know, in what manner he, as a Lutheran preacher, could further serve his united congregation, after he himself had come to the knowledge of the truth.

Had the dear God not provided for the questioner from some other quarter, that so-called counsel would of course have left his conscience, as before, in suspense and painful uncertainty how he should actually proceed further as a Lutheran preacher with his united congregation, without offending essentially against the truth or against love, that is, without further denying, by unionistic manner of acting, the divine truth of the Holy Scripture and the confession of the Lutheran Church founded upon it, and without, on the other hand, forthwith forsaking the congregation which he had, by his earlier taking charge as a Lutheran preacher, strengthened in its Union delusion.

For naturally he was now bound in his heart and conscience to open the eyes also of his congregation, if God so willed, and to convince it divinely, by the way of thorough instruction concerning the pure doctrine of the Lutheran Church and the false doctrine of the Reformed, of the absurdity and the lie of the present Union, that either the whole congregation, hitherto united, or at least a part of it might become a Lutheran congregation. If, on the other hand, the whole congregation should reject such instruction from the outset, or after it should obstinately and maliciously remain a united congregation, then Herr Kleinegees had honestly done his part and could leave it with a good conscience.

Although, then, that above counsel and later resolution of the Synod was no real counsel and no fatherly guidance for the young brother in office, it is yet not to be denied that it had a semblance of churchly disposition.

How little earnestly it was meant, however, became clear soon in the afternoon; for then the Lutheran pastor, Herr Gogelen, the petitioner for admission into the Synod, declared himself quite openly and plainly for the Union and the customary unionistic manner of acting of the (so-called) Lutheran pastors, without experiencing from a single side any refutation and reproof by the Synod; yea, in token of their brotherly unity with Herr