# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Februar 1914_S59
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Wird Einigkeit werden? 59

theran Church might. in its publie teaching. occeupy the position
which all Lutheran Christians. indeed, all Christians on earth, and
all theologians. so far as therg are Christians, éven now oceupy in
their relation to Gocl. The position thus emphasized is that of the
Missourian Church en Preédeéstination, which rejeets Calvinism on
the one hand, and the οσd conduet orF men on the other. as à ground
kor explaining wiir men wereé converted and saved. This doetrine,
Fhich cemtains a diviné mestér, has been dividing the German and
the Norwegian Lutheran Church in the West. and the Missourian
Church claims that üf Uit were rightly appréhended and confessed,
the Wwhole Lutheran Church in America would be reunited. Its offer
or plen for à unite Churehit sums up in its πn words as follows:
That part of the Lutheran Church which has hitherto taught that
the conveérting and saving grace of God is Loverned by the correct,
r Sohα˙ʃ. c˙0nduct ofρf man, and has in such conduct discovered the
ground of explanation fer the πεανεμκε νετεοπνπνιινέ, ust surrender
that teaching without uns réservation whatéver. If this is not done,
all unite betwern the partiés to the controverse is speclous. The
Missouri Scnοα insists that the svnods of Iowa, Ohio, and the Nor-
wegian Synod must çonfess their error, and that then peace will
enter our dear Luthéran Church. Dr. Pieper's plea assumes through-
out that the Ameéerican Lutheéran Church is constitutéd by the parties
to this controversy. The General Synod, the General Council, and
other svnods not involved. S4em to form no part of theé American
Lutheéran Church. or. at least. apparently aré not taken into con-
sideration. If we grant that the Missourian Church is right in
doctrine, our readers will agrée with us that, in coming with its
plea for union, theré is somé deficieney in spirit, and that uιε
has some Ihinꝗs ti uhρνFfεss. We have found no trace of such con-
fession in this pamphlet.“

Wir lassen hierauf zunächst ohne weitere Bemertung die Außerung
des Vova Scotie Lutherun folgen: Weé havé réad with pleasure
Dr. Pieper's brochure on 'Conversion and Election — a Plea for a
United Lutheranism in America. We cannot but admire the kindly
spirit in which it is Written, its irenical tone, its soundness of
reasoning, its close adherence to Scriptural and confessional termi-
nology, and its evident sincerity. We are struck, too, by the nice
palance which the author maintains betwéen the Universality of the
Call' — his insistence on its seriousness and earnestneéss in all cases
— and salvation By Grace Alone, without any contribution on man's
part. We are fréee to say that be has conclusively proved that Cal-
vinism cannot properly be charged against the Missouri position.
It is nothing but pure Lutheranism when all the glory of our sal-
vation is Aascribed to God alone and all the blame for condemnation,
not to any defect in God's will or grace, but solely to the wiekedness