American Lutheranism | Page 6

denominations, was organized with the
definite understanding that no Church, by joining, need sacrifice any of
its peculiar doctrines. The unions effected between the
Congregationalists and Methodists in Canada, and between the
Calvinistic Northern Presbyterians and the Arminian Cumberland
Presbyterians in our own country, were also unionistic. Since the

beginning of the last century the Campbellites and kindred sects were
zealous in uniting the Churches by urging them to drop their distinctive
names and confessions, call themselves "Christians" or "Disciples," and
accept as their confession the Bible only. Indeed, the number of
physicians seeking to heal the schisms of Christendom is legion. But
their cure is worse than the disease. Unionistic henotics cannot but fail
utterly, because their object is not unity in the Spirit of truth, but union
in the spirit of diversity and error.
7. Lutherans Qualified to Head True Union Movement.--Most of the
union-efforts are failures ab initio. They seek outward union without
inward unity. They proceed on a false diagnosis of the case. They
observe the symptoms, and outlook or intentionally ignore the hidden
cause, the deviations from the Word of God, which disturb the unity of
the Spirit. And doctrinal discussions, which alone can bring about a
real cure, are intentionally omitted and expressly declared taboo, as, e.
g., by the Federal Council. The Church, suffering from blood-poisoning,
is pronounced cured when the sores have been covered. They put a
plaster over the gap in Zion's wall, which may hide, but does not heal,
the breach. Universally, sectarian henotics have proved to be spiritual
quacks with false aims, false methods, and false diagnosis. Nowhere
among the sects a single serious effort to cure the malady from within
and to restore to the Church of Christ real unity, unity in the true
doctrine! Indeed, how could a genuine unity-union movement originate
with the sects? Can the blind lead the blind? Can the beggar enrich the
poor? Can the sects give to Christendom what they themselves are in
need of? The Lutheran Church is the only denomination qualified to
head a true unity-union movement, because she alone is in full
possession of those unadulterated truths without which there can be
neither true Christian unity nor God-pleasing Christian union.
Accordingly, the Lutheran Church has the mission to lead the way in
the efforts at healing the ruptures of Christendom. But in order to do so,
the Lutheran Church must be loyal to herself, loyal to her principles,
and true to her truths. The mere Lutheran name is unavailing. The
American Lutheran synods, in order successfully to steer a unity-union
movement, must purge themselves thoroughly from the leaven of error,
of indifferentism and unionism. A complete and universal return to the

Lutheran symbols is the urgent need of the hour. Only when united in
undivided loyalty to the divine truths of God's Word, will the American
Lutheran Church be able to measure up to its peculiar calling of
restoring to Christendom the truths of the Gospel in their pristine purity,
and in and with these truths the true unity of the Spirit and a fellowship
and union, both beneficial to man and well-pleasing to God.
8. Lutheran Statistics.--God has blessed the Lutheran Church in
America abundantly, more than in any other country of the world.
From a few scattered groups she has grown into a great people. In 1740
there were in America about 50 Lutheran congregations. In 1820 the
Lutheran Church numbered 6 synods, with almost 900 congregations,
40,000 communicants, and 175 pastors. In 1867 about 1,750 pastors,
3,100 congregations, and 332,000 communicants. Twenty-five years
later, 60 synods, with about 5,000 pastors, 8,390 congregations, and
1,187,000 communicants. In the jubilee year, 1917, the Lutheran
Church in America embraced (besides about 200 independent
congregations) 65 synods, 24 of which belonged to the General Synod
(350,000 communicants), 13 to the General Council (500,000
communicants), 8 to the United Synod South (53,000 communicants),
and 6 to the Synodical Conference (800,000 communicants). The entire
Lutheran Church in America reported in 1917 about 9,700 pastors;
15,200 congregations; 2,450,000 communicants; 28 theological
seminaries, with 112 professors and 1,170 students; 41 colleges, with
640 professors and 950 students; 59 academies, with 404 teachers and
6,700 pupils; 8 ladies' seminaries, with 72 instructors and 340 pupils;
64 orphanages, with 4,200 inmates; 12 home-finding and children's
friend societies; 45 homes for the aged, with 1,650 inmates; 7 homes
for defectives, with 430 inmates; 9 deaconess homes, with 370 sisters;
50 hospitals; 19 hospices; 17 immigrant homes and seamen's missions;
and 10 miscellaneous institutions; a large number of periodicals of
many kinds, printed in numerous Lutheran publishing houses, in
English, German, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish, Icelandic, Finnish,
Slavonian, Lettish, Esthonian, Polish, Portuguese, Lithuanian, etc., etc.
Early History of American Lutheranism.

LUTHERAN SWEDES IN DELAWARE.
9. New Sweden.--The first Lutheran pastor who