3. Abolition of the equality of small village communities with
large town communities
the first was by far the most important and serious in its
consequences, but the other two bore fruit through the decree
that two-thirds of the members of the district and provincial
synods should be laymen, and the other one-third should be freely
elected to the district synod from the populous town communities,
for the provincial synods from the larger district synods.
Also in reference to the rights belonging to the several grades
of synods, considerable modifications were made, whereby the
privileges of communities were variously increased (_e.g._ to
them was given the right of refusing to introduce the catechisms
and hymn-books sanctioned by the provincial synods), while those
of the district and provincial synods were lessened in favour
of the general synod, and those of the latter again in favour
of the high church council and the minister of public worship.
After nearly four weeks’ discussion the bill without any serious
amendments was passed by the assembly, and on January 20th, 1876,
received the royal assent and became an ecclesiastical law.
But in order to give it also the rank of a law of the state,
a decision of the States’ Parliament on the relation of church
and state was necessary. The parliament had already in 1874,
when the original congregational and synodal constitution was
submitted to it, in order to advance the movement, approved
only the congregational constitution with provisional refusal
of everything going beyond that. In May, 1876, the bill already
raised by the king into an ecclesiastical law, passed both houses
of parliament, and had here also some amendments introduced with
the effect of increasing and strengthening the prerogative of
the state. The main points in the law as then passed are these:
The general synod, whose members undertake to fulfil their
duties agreeably to the word of God and the ordinances of the
evangelical national church, has the task of maintaining and
advancing the state church on the basis of the evangelical
confession. The laws of the state church must receive its assent,
but any measure agreed upon by it cannot be laid before the king
for his sanction without the approval of the minister of public
worship. It meets every sixth year; in the interval it, as well
as the provincial synods, is represented by a synodal committee
chosen from its members. The head of the church government is
the Supreme Church Council, whose president countersigns the
ecclesiastical laws approved by the king. The right of appointing
to this office lies with the minister of public worship; in
the nomination of other members the president makes proposals
with consent of the minister. Taxation of the general synod for
parliamentary purposes needs the assent of the minister of state,
and must, if it exceeds four per cent. of the class and income
tax, be agreed to by the Lower House, which also annually has
to determine the expenditure on ecclesiastical administration.
§ 193.6. When preparations were being made for the extraordinary
general synod, the king had repeatedly given vigorous expression
to his positive religious standpoint, and from the proposed
lists of members for that synod submitted by the minister of
public worship all names belonging to the _Protestantenverein_
were struck out. Still more decidedly in 1877 did he show
his disapproval in the Rhode-Hossbach troubles (§ 180, 4), by
declaring his firm belief in the divinity of Christ, and when the
then president of the Brandenburg consistory, Hegel, tendered his
resignation, owing to differences with the liberal president of
the Supreme Church Council, Hermann, the king refused to accept
it, because he could not then spare any such men as held by
the apostolic faith. In May, 1878, Hermann was at last, after
repeated solicitations, allowed to retire, Dr. Hermes, member of
the Supreme Church Council, was nominated his successor, and the
positive tendency of the Supreme Church Council was strengthened
by the admission of the court preachers, Kögel and Baur. His
proposals again disagreeing with the royal nominations for the
provincial synod and for the =First Ordinary General Synod= of
autumn, 1879, led the minister of public worship, Dr. Falk, at
last, after repeated solicitation, to accept his resignation.
It was granted him in July, 1879, and the chief president of the
province of Silesia, =Von Puttkamer=, a more decided adherent
of the positive union party, was named as his successor;
but in June, 1881, he was made minister of the interior, and
the undersecretary of the department of public worship, =Von
Gossler=, was made minister. The general synod, October 10th
till November 3rd, consisted of fifty-two confessionalists,
seventy-six positive-unionists, fifty-six of the middle party
or evangelical unionist, and nine from the ranks of the left,
the _Protestantenverein_; three confessionalists, twelve
positive-unionists, and fifteen of the middle party were
nominated by the king. The measures proposed by the Supreme
Church Council:
1. A marriage service without reference to the preceding civil
marriage, with two marriage formulæ, the first a joint
promise, the second a benediction;
2. A disciplinary law against despisers of baptism and marriage,
which threatened such with the loss of all ecclesiastical
electoral rights, and eventually with exclusion from the
Lord’s supper and sponsor rights; and