# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1853 11 09_S46
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

46

Proof that Herr Professor Crämer in the congregation at Frankenmuth was really a demagogic theologian and preacher, but not according to the hateful portrait which Herr Prof. Winkler hung up in No. 2, Vol. 3 of the "kirchl. Informatorium."

To explain the proof, let the following serve first: The whole of mankind is at bottom a host of combatants and engaged in constant warfare, but with respect to what is to be combated there prevails a fundamental difference among them, and this difference divides the combatants into two classes. The one part—and this is unhappily the larger—are the children of unbelief, who have the devil for their captain; for he, as Holy Scripture says, has his work in the children of unbelief. Against what these fight, the Lord Christ says in these words: "He that is not with me is against me." So against Christ and His truth, which rebukes them, they fight. These are, to be sure, wicked combatants, and as such they also use wicked weapons. The other part are the true believers, the children of God, who fight from the victory of Christ and in His power of victory, not against but for Christ, and as to their weapons confess: "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." To this part, each one in particular, applies the apostle's exhortation: "Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." Likewise there are also two kinds of seducers. One part holds with the devil and seeks, driven by him, to entice and lead those who walk on the narrow way onto the broad way, which ends in the sulphur pool of hellish damnation. These are wicked seducers. The other part seeks, driven by the Holy Ghost, with the voice of the divine Word, to lead the poor captive men away out of the kingdom of the devil and to bring them into Jesus' kingdom, which consists in: righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. These are good seducers; such as St. Paul describes them and reckons himself among them, namely: "As deceivers, and yet true."

As there are, then, wicked and good combatants, wicked and good seducers, so there are also wicked and good demagogic theologians. Both are alike in their outward color; for demagogic means seditious. But in their inner nature they are as far apart as heaven from earth. Now when such a demagogic theologian becomes preacher in a congregation, it cannot fail that he, because he is a rebel, will also encourage the congregation entrusted to him to rebellion. If he is a wicked rebel, the rebellion which he stirs up will take on the same wicked character. But if he is a good rebel, he will also arouse a good rebellion in those whom he encourages to it. "But he who stirs up rebellion must also have ground for it and show to what end the rebellion is necessary. When the goldsmith Demetrius once at Ephesus blew the horn of rebellion, the Apostle Paul was the object of the rebellious mob that was of like mind with Demetrius. For Paul had by the preaching: 'They be no gods, which are made with hands,' done great damage to Demetrius and his fellows in their ungodly craft, as anyone can read at length in this affair, Acts 19. So also the rebels still existing today, be they in the ecclesiastical or political field, indicate ground and cause for which they are minded to stir up rebellion.

Now, what kind of rebel was Herr Professor Crämer among us? and what was the rebellion like which he was zealously diligent to set up in us all, publicly and in particular, by his sermons and exhortations? He was a rebel as the Lord Christ Himself was one, when He says: "I came not to send peace—namely, carnal peace dangerous to the soul—but a sword," and as such he also faithfully called under the banner of rebellion, not at random, but with reference to our dreadful soul-enemies, devil, world and flesh, who as a truly leagued choir, according to the exposition of the third petition, have nothing else in view than to hinder God's name from being hallowed by us and His kingdom from coming to us, and according to the exposition of the sixth petition are minded to deceive and seduce us into false belief, despair and other great shame and vice. And not only has he shown us these our soul-enemies aright, who they are, but he has also faithfully taught us in what order and with what weapons we are to fight against them, namely, not with a club from a block of wood, nor with swords of steel and iron, but with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and with faith, of which it is written: 'Faith is the victory that overcometh the world.' That Herr Prof. Crämer in such a manner has encouraged us, by nature slothful and lazy men, to rebellion, I know not only from my memory, but can also show it in black and white, since I have written down many of his sermons, if not word for word, yet as to the main matter. Let the Christian reader now judge for himself to which kind of demagogic preachers Herr Prof. Crämer is to be reckoned, whether to those who in haughty self-exaltation and fleshly presumption stir up the people to act against Christ and His Word, or to those who encourage and exhort to fight the good fight of faith against the enemies against whom Christ, the almighty God, once Himself fought so bravely and overcame them all gloriously for us.

That, further, Herr Prof. Winkler writes unjustly into the world that we, to whom he showed much kindness on their passage through Detroit, had let ourselves be moved to ingratitude against him under Pastor Crämer's guidance and pastoral care, may he himself one day answer for before God, if he can.—Besides, it is according to God's Word the way of a Christian that he does not let the left hand know what the right hand doeth.

H. Pinkepank.

(Submitted.)

Thanksgiving.

The undersigned herewith expresses, in the name of his congregation, the most heartfelt and cordial thanks to the kind givers, for the many and abundant gifts which they have contributed toward the rebuilding of our church, burned down by the hand of a wicked man. At the same time we also thank them for the glorious letters of comfort and encouragement which were sent to us from various quarters in that heavy time. "We have been not only encouraged by them, but also abundantly comforted and refreshed. We saw from them the sincere sympathy of our brethren, and just this did us especial good in that time of distress. We were in great perplexity. It seemed that here it was all over with the Lutheran Church. "Already our enemies exulted: 'Now they will surely have to leave off building a church!' But behold, God raised up the hearts and hands of the brethren, who have given to us so abundantly that we can now build a more beautiful church than we had before, and than we would hardly ever have obtained. When we received the first love-gift of $225, we were already quite astonished at so rich a contribution. Many could scarcely believe it and were moved to tears by such love. But all hearts joyfully offered up a "Bless the Lord, O my soul," and a "Thanks to the brethren." What shall we say, then, after the sum of the love-gifts has gradually risen to as much as 747 dollars? With what shall we requite such undeserved love of our brethren? May the God of all grace repay in Christ all the offerings of mercy which Christian love has brought us with temporal and eternal blessings. Courageously we have now gone to work again. After a house of rough logs had been erected in haste for temporary use for school and church, the first need was to build a dwelling for the preacher, who had been driven out of the former parsonage. This is finished. Preparations have also already been