Lehre und Wehre St. Louis, Missouri — Oktober 1916, Seite 458

German transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

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458 Vermischtes.

give their hearts to God before trying to interfere with the efforts of
others. We have heard Lutheranism bitterly attacked by preachers
of the sects, Who, à few hours later, in attempting to make à proselyte,
eXpressed great regard for the Lutheran faith.“ —On another occa-
sion, certain non-Lutheran preachers, with Fhom the writer was but
slightly acquainted, and with whom he never united, attempted to
force us into à union revival. It was only after a vast amount of
bullying and bulldozing on their part that they sinally turned over
the task to the evangelist, who indulged in consideérable fruitless
billingsgate over the telephone, telling us that the Lutheran Church
stands sadly in neéed of spiritual renovation. We learned from a re-
liable source that in à certain Chicago religious school the students
are taught that Lutherans are unsaved, and therefore legitimate sub-
jects for predatory missionary enterprise. In the same school, it is
said, the Almighty is implored to save the Lutherans, as though we
were heathen. When the leaders of our Church were publicly de-
nounced in a large Eastern city as beer-soaked theologians, and

second basemen to the devil, sectarian pastors applauded vehemently.
And now, in this same eity, Lutherans are practising unionism, and
Writing articles defending unionism! Sectarianism comes to us with
the outstretched hand of friendship, often with a forced hypoeritical
smile and a purring exclamation of the word brother'; yet in the
Northwest sectarianism has built up scores and scores of strong con-
gregations, largely of Lutheran material. And the same winning
smile and winning ways did the work. Truly did Christ foretell of
the False prophets, which come to 5ou in sheep's clothing, but in-
wardly they areé ravening wolves. By their fruits we hnow them.“
—While there are many who try to fly the flags of Lutheranism and
unionism from the same mast, yet the great majority of Lutherans
aré opposed to it, both in principle and in practise. They are not con-
tent with mere official utterances. They know that sound doctrine
and sound practise must go hand in hand. They know that, where
there are unsound practisés, there cannot be sound prineiple. Sound-
ness in theory and liberality in practise is as impossible as trying to
be honest in theory and dishonest in practise. If there is to be inter⸗
synodical agréeement in the Lutheran Church, it must be on the basis

of sound Lutheran faith and sound Lutheran practise. The two dare
not be separated.“ F. B.

Amerikanismus und Interdenominationalismus. Das rechte
Amerikanertum besteht nach einem Artikel R. Niebuhrs in der 4 Mantie
Monthil) auch darin, daß man mit den Sekten unsers Landes kirchliche
Gemeinschaft pflegt. Und da die Deutschen sich in Amerika bisher kirch⸗
lich getrennt gehalten haben, so macht er ihnen mangelhaften Amerika⸗
nismus zum Vorwurf. In Amerika seien die Bedingungen besonders
günstig gewesen, das Problem des Denominationalismus zu lösen. Hier

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