Lehre und Wehre St. Louis, Missouri — März 1915, Seite 133

German transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

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Kirchlich⸗Zeitgeschichtliches. 133

servative type of Lutheranism to be found in the United States. Its
constitution conditions memberslip on the acceptance of all the Symbols
of the Lutheran Church, without exception or reserve. The chief pur-
pose of the sνnod is declared to be the propagation of the kingdom of
God, the maintenance and furtherance of unity in the pure doctrine,
and à united defense against separatistie and sectarian abuses. Dr. Wal⸗
ther, as all pionèers, put all his force and energvy into the establishment
oi the prineiples for Which he stood. His influence was wide-spread,
and he was aà man of unlimited activity and earnestness. Under the
conditions of his strenuous life his physical force was gradually broken
down, and after a lingering illness of many months, during which the
ttieth anniversary of his ordination was celebrated by his friends, he
passed to his reward, May 7, 1887. He was a great preacher — as or-
thodox as Gerhard, as correct in form as a university preacher, as popu⸗
lar as Luther himself.“ Merkwürdig stechen gegen diese nüchternen
Aussagen 3. B. die vom Parteigeist diktierten Aussprüche des Haugeschen
„Budbäreren“ vom 23. Januar ab. Da heißt es in der lin englischer
Sprache gebotenen) Besprechung D. Walthers: In his zeal for Lutheran
ort hodoxy he introduced the baneful conception of the Lutheran eon-
fession and Lutheran theology that there wWweré no open questions, every
point of doctrine having been settled once for all by ethe confessions, and
all the proofs necessary for their establishment having been preésented
and correctly interpreted. He, theérefore, introduced into American the-
ology à legalistie conception of the Lutheran confessions and the eon-
sequent one-sided emphasis of pure doctrine, Which has become the
shibboleth ofe a large portion of the Lutheran Church of this country
to the detriment of the right conception of 'pureée living' and the true
relation between pure doctrine and pure living. Another error which
American Lutheran theology owes to Dr. Walther's zeal for confession-
alism is the reading into the eleventh article of athe Formula of Concord
of Luther's early predestinarian view, a view which he, in later life,
did not deem advisable to préss, but Which under the development given
it by Dr. Walther and his colleagues became a modified form of Cal-
vinism.“ Unter dem Abschnitt Lessons of Uis Life“ wird dann gewarnt,
man solle allerdings wie Walther auf die reine Lehre halten, aber man
solle lernen, also to avoid his mistake of à too legalistic conception of
them, so that they become a fetter instend of aà symbol of our faith and
a guide to the interpretation of Seripture. We may learn of him to be
kaithful to our convictions and uncompromising in our stand for truth,
but we may also learn to avoid the pitfalls of exelusivism and Phari-
saism, Wwhich were so characteristic of him, and Still! are of the great
church-body which he founded.“ Das lautet ja bekannt. Auch im fol⸗
genden beweist der Schreiber, daß er in seinem Urteil durch Parteileiden⸗
schaft beeinflußt ist. Es wird da betont, daß andere von Walther lernen
sollten, wie leicht es sei, den Fehler zu begehen, als ob eine Kopfreligion
genüge, wenn auch das Herz keine Anderung erfahren habe! Zur reinen
Lehre gehöre auch, daß, „der sie hält, wirklich bekehrt sei Das wird hier
als ein Gegensatz gegen Walther behandelt. Da ist nicht zu verwun⸗
dern, wenn unserer Synode in demselben Abschnitt angehängt wird, sie

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