Search -
First Free Lutheran Diet in America, Philadelphia, December 27-28, 1877
First Free Lutheran Diet in America Philadelphia December 27-28 1877 Author:Henry Eyster Jacobs Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: "THE FOUR GENERAL BODIES OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES: WHERE- IN THEY AGREE, AND WHEREIN THEY MIGHT HARMONIOUSLY CO- OPERATE." REV. J. A. BROW... more »N, D. D., Professor of Doctrinal Theology in the Theological Seminary of the General Synod, Gettysburg Pa. The "four Bodies" referred to are " The General Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States;" " The General Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America;" " The General Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America;" and " The Synodical Conference of North America." THESE are separate and distinct bodies of Lutherans at present, some of them once united and still holding much in common, yet differing so far as to maintain each its own organization and individual existence. Their separations are in part the result of local and temporary circumstances, and in part of deeper lying causes. Each one has a history of its own, and each is now aiming to work out its own mission. Between some of them there maybe a greater affinity than between others, yet among them all are family likenesses and strong points of sympathy and resemblance. Some of them may possibly be so little acquainted with each other, and others so unhappily alienated, as not to care to trace the resemblance or to acknowledge the relationship, but the truth will reveal itself, and even their speech bewrayeth them. All these Lutherans talk Lutheran, and sometimes indulge in what seems to outsiders a little like boasting over the great Lutheran Church, to which they claim to belong, and of which they are quite willing to be considered part. The subject for our discussion is one concerning which there will very naturally be great diversity of sentiment; and no treatment of it or conclusions reached, will lik...« less