# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1852 12 07_S1004
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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faith in the congregation had sunk so low, he would rather take his staff and his Bible and go away. — Especially when we, I and some others, thoroughly but with all modesty set forth our misgivings against the proposed building plan, and this seemed not to be without influence upon others, the wrath of Mr. Pastor rose to the extreme and we were bitterly treated. Crying aloud he exclaimed: It is your shameful unbelief! You people are as hardened as Pharaoh, and shall also like him go down to hell, etc.—Further P. Grabau said: In order to show these godless men (us, that is, who had thoroughly expressed our misgivings) that the greatest part of those present are not sunk in such unbelief, let us take a vote. Thereupon he turned to about twelve members sitting nearest to him and asked how much each one would give to the cause. Since now the answers turned out to his satisfaction (certainly only from fear), he cried out again to us: Now, you godless men, are you not yet ashamed? Here I have asked but a few, and there is not one who will not bring his offering; will you not yet turn and repent? Thereupon I answered: On such a promise I cannot count for much. (For I saw the manner in which P. Grabau had squeezed the answer out of those asked; moreover I noticed two among them who had earlier not done, in the payment of the debt, what they were bound to do.) Upon this answer of mine P. Grabau called upon the congregation in a scandalous manner to say whether I had not thereby insulted the whole congregation? One part of the congregation cried: Yes, yes! the other part: No, no! I declared thereupon that I had meant only those who had hitherto not done their duty toward the church. Since now too great a tumult arose, several withdrew, and we likewise; but nothing came of the building.

The next thing was that I was taken into church discipline; I had therefore soon to appear before Mr. P. Grabau for admonition. In these so-called admonitions he treated me very scornfully and flatly denied me the sonship of God, together with all hope of eternal life; therefore, he said, such a man must be cut off from the body of Christ.— Thereupon I replied: I must confess, to the honor and thanks of my Savior, that I had the witness of the Holy Spirit in my heart that I was a child of God; and this comfort no devil should rob me of, any more than he.

Later I had to appear several times more before P. Grabau and his elders (12—13 in number). The purpose of all these conference-admonitions was, according to Mr. P. Grabau's pretence, to bring me to the acknowledgment and confession that I had sinned against the whole congregation by my remark in the congregational meeting. Since now one or another of the elders would not always declare Mr. P. Grabau in the right in these inquisitorial proceedings, a veritable scandal often arose. I at last grew weary of the contention, and, in order not to appear obstinate, declared: Although I could not see that I had sinned against the whole congregation by reason of this remark, yet for peace's sake I was willing to admit that I had gone too far therewith, and declared myself ready to take back the remark made, and begged for God's sake that they would not press me further to act against my conscience.

When now thereupon an elder requested Mr. P. Grabau to be content with my declaration, he answered: No, by no means can we be content with it! Suppose even this man saw this sin and we came to peace herein, he must yet see his Missourian enthusiasm and much more besides. (But what sort of enthusiasm that was supposed to be, he would not tell me.) I declared thereupon that I was now fully convinced that his intention was only to remove me from the congregation; let him now do as he thought to do.

So I was publicly put under the ban, and indeed with such hate-sparkling words that everyone could easily perceive that this ban was plainly carried out from personal hatred. Although every Christian was thereby commanded to avoid the godless man, to show him nothing of kindness and good; also not to go to him, nor to take him into the house, this command was nevertheless observed only extremely little, indeed almost not at all. — All honest people acquainted with the matter know well that I was not excluded as an "open and impenitent sinner," as the Catechism requires, but on account of the sins invented by Mr. Pastor Grabau.

Every impartial reader can perceive from this to what use P. Grabau puts the ban; namely, as a club with which he morally strikes dead those, and thereby seeks to make harmless those, who rightly withstand him in his hierarchical proceedings. Thus quite similarly as the Roman Church has always done.

I am therefore also not the only one whom such a lot has befallen; there are several. Among others P. Grabau banned a quite blameless Christian brother, by name Valentin Brück, because he called Pastor Grabau to account for his unchristian conduct toward me and admonished him on that account. To be sure, in the course of the ban-process other sins are usually invented in addition, which are then announced at the carrying out of the ban to the congregation, unacquainted with the matter, and which therefore, when they are read out, often sound quite ridiculous.

Likewise P. Gr. banned an old sixty-year-old man, who was a sincere admirer of his, because the same admonished Mr. P. Grabau, for the sake of his soul's salvation, to desist from his proceedings, and especially to acknowledge what tyranny he had committed against the congregation at Eden, near Buffalo. When the old man was with P. Grabau to admonish him, he stood up and said to his wife in a scornful tone, pointing to the old man: See, my dear child, here is a preacher of repentance, a preacher of repentance out of hell; just listen to him, he wants to preach us something, etc.

It is horrible, and for him who lacks personal experience incredible, how this man misuses his office. Thus in the same year 1850 he had an organ dispute with his congregation. An organ was to be bought, and after the congregation learned that the organ which was to be bought was defective, it would not buy it; Mr. P. Grabau, however, insisted it must be bought, the congregation was bound to do so, by certain obligations toward the seller, which, however, was all a false pretence. On this occasion he announced publicly from the pulpit that those who had resisted him in the organ matter must repent and acknowledge their sins, if they were to be admitted to the Holy Supper.

Many a reader will indeed wonder how a Lutheran congregation can let such a tyranny be put upon it; but this comes from this, that Mr. P. Grabau has long preached into his congregation that only with him and his people is the true Church of Jesus, and nowhere else; and in this error the greatest part of the congregation also lies captive. One feels the tyrannical nature well, and the members also complain to one another about it; but, they say: whither shall we go, we have emigrated for the sake of God's Word, our children must have school, and—to the Missourians we cannot go either, they also stand false,* so we must remain and wait till the Lord helps. Besides such complaining and sighing souls there are indeed also not a few hypocrites, who, to be sure, when they come together, rail against the pastor, but when they come before his face know how to present themselves as quite "faithful church-children"; and it is to be feared that for the sake of these the congregation may have to stand under this bondage a long time yet. The Lord, however, who is gracious and merciful, will, according to His promise, take upon Himself His flock, and above all bring the shepherd to the recognition of his dangerous errors.

(To be continued.)

* That the poor people must believe this is not to be wondered at, for year in, year out in the sermons there is unceasing railing against the "godless Missourians," and the "Lutheraner," the "godless paper," is forbidden to be read, or at least warned against as a most dangerous paper. Just as the Pope does with the Lutheran writings.