Lehre und Wehre St. Louis, Missouri — Oktober 1916, Seite 457

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Vermischtes. ‚ 457

Webber (Can a Lutheran Be à Undonist? The Church Press, Box 47,
Platteville, Wis. 5 Cts.; 100: 82.00), aus dem wir etliche Partien
hier folgen lassen: „If Scripture is so clear on this subject, then what
can we think of persons who fly the flag of Lutheranism, make great
boasts of soundness of doctrine, but areé so loose in their practise that
they even join in union services, pastoral associations, Sunday-school
unions, interchurch federations, etc., on an equal footing with the
rankest Unitarianism, liberalism, modernism, Chicago Universityism,
Union Seminaryism, and out-and-out skepticism, such as is to be
found in practically every such unionistic organization in this age 0f
doctrinal indifference? And what is worse, some pastors Vho proudly
call themselves Lutherans practise pulpit and altar fellowship with
the sects, sit on the platform at union revivals, and pray for the
success of the sects, Wwhich have been so prolifie in making division
and difference. We beard of one in the Badger State who calls him-
self a Lutheran, who visited another town, attended a union revival
which was in progress, opened it with an eloquent prayer, and then
publicly challenged any Lutheran pastor to arise and show him why
2 Lutheran could not, with a good conscience, participate in à union
revival. Sometimes Lutheran pastors will apologize to the pastors of
the sects, saying that they sympathize with them in this movement,
or that they regret that as Lutherans they are not allowed to unite
officially. In the animal kingdom an invertebrate is an animal having
no backbone. There are invertebrates even among those who bear the
honorable title of Lutherans.“ —And what shall we think of certain
poor, weak-Eneed Lutherans who now and then dip their colors to
sectarian arrogance, and even apologize for the faith and practises
of the Lutheran Church, in order not to offend their sectarian clerical
friends? Such weak Lutherans seem to want to be good fellows, and
not offend the Reformed camp. Holy Scripture says: For do I now
persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet
pleased men, Iwould not be the servant of Christ' (Gal. 1, 10). There
may be need now and then for more Lutheran apologeties, but we
certainly do not need any more apologetie Lutherans.“ —HOw do
the sects treat the Lutherans? Many of them have no respect for the
Lutheran Church. Because we have no revivals, they say we are un⸗
converted. Because ve insist on sound doctrine, they say we are
groping in the darkness of medievalism. The writer once visited
a number of rescue missions, in order to investigate the report that
many Lutherans were being converted in the revivalistic manner,
and, if possible, to direct these so-called converts to the superintendent
of Lutheran Inner Missions. On one occasion we heard a worker tell
a young Swede that, as he was a Lutheran, he must of necessity be
an unsaved person. On another occasion we were bluntly asked why
the Professors and students of our theological seminary did not first

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