Volume I
Early History of American Lutheranism
and
The Tennessee Synod
By
F. BENTE
St. Louis, Mo.
CONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE
1919
PREFACE.
Essentially, _Christianity_ is the special divine faith in the truth
revealed by the Bible that we are saved, not by our own efforts, works,
or merits, but alone by the pure and unmerited grace of God, secured by
Christ Jesus and freely offered in the Gospel. And the Christian Church
is the sum total of all those who truly believe, and therefore confess
and propagate this truth of the Gospel.
Accordingly, the _history_ of Christianity and of the Christian Church
is essentially the record concerning this truth, _viz.,_ how, when,
where, by whom, with what success and consistency, etc., it has been
proclaimed, received, rejected, opposed, defended, corrupted, and
restored again to its original purity.
_Lutheranism_ is not Christianity _plus_ several ideas or modifications
of ideas added by Luther, but simply Christianity, consistent
Christianity, neither more nor less. And the Lutheran Church is not a
new growth, but merely the restoration of the original Christian Church
with its apostolic, pure confession of the only saving Christian truth
and faith.
The _history_ of Lutheranism and of the Lutheran Church, therefore, is
essentially the story concerning the old Christian truth, restored by
Luther, _viz.,_ how, by whom, where, when, etc., this truth was
promulgated, embraced, rejected, condemned, defended, corrupted, and
restored again to pristine purity.
As for _American Lutheranism,_ it is not a specific brand of Lutheranism,
but simply Lutheranism in America; for doctrinally Lutheranism, like
Christianity, with which it is identical, is the same the world over.
Neither is the American Lutheran Church a distinct species or variety of
the Lutheran Church, but merely the Lutheran Church in America.
The _modified_ Lutheranism advocated during the middle of the nineteenth
century as "American Lutheranism" was a misnomer, for in reality it was
neither American nor Lutheran, but a sectarian corruption of both.
Hence, also, the _history_ of American Lutheranism is but the record of
how the Christian truth, restored by Luther, was preached and accepted,
opposed and defended, corrupted and restored, in our country, at various
times, by various men, in various synods and congregations.
In the history of American Lutheranism _four names_ are of special
significance: Muhlenberg, Schmucker, Walther, Krauth.
H. M. Muhlenberg endeavored to transplant to America the modified
Lutheranism of the Halle Pietists. S. S. Schmucker's ambition was to
transmogrify the Lutheran Church into an essentially unionistic Reformed
body. C. F. Walther labored most earnestly and consistently to purge
American Lutheranism of its foreign elements, and to restore the
American Lutheran Church to its original purity, in doctrine as well as
in practise. In a similar spirit Charles Porterfield Krauth devoted his
efforts to revive confessional Lutheranism within the English portion
of our Church.
The _first volume_ of our presentation of American Lutheranism deals
with the early history of Lutheranism in America. The second, which
appeared first, presents the history of the synods which in 1918 merged
into the United Lutheran Church: the General Synod, the General Council,
and the United Synod in the South. The third deals with the history of
the Ohio, Iowa, Buffalo, and the Scandinavian synods, and, _Deo
volente,_ will go to press as soon as Concordia Publishing House will be
ready for it. In the fourth volume we purpose to present the history and
doctrinal position of the Missouri, Wisconsin, and other synods
connected with the Synodical Conference.
As appears from the two volumes now in the market, _our chief object_ is
to record the principal facts regarding the doctrinal position occupied
at various times, either by the different American Lutheran bodies
themselves or by some of their representative men, such comment only
being added as we deemed indispensable. We have everywhere indicated our
sources, primary as well as secondary, in order to facilitate what we
desire, _viz.,_ to hold us to strict accountability. Brackets found in
passages cited contain additions, comments, corrections, etc., of our
own, not of the respective authors quoted.
As collateral reading, especially to pages 1 to 147 of Vol. I, we
urgently recommend the unique, thorough, and reliable work of our
sainted colleague _Dr. A. Graebner:_ "Geschichte der Lutherischen
Kirche in Amerika. Erster Teil. St. Louis, Mo. Concordia Publishing
House, 1892."
While, as stated, the immediate object of our presentation is simply to
state the facts concerning the questions, theologians, and synods
involved, it self-evidently was an _ulterior end_ of ours also, by the
grace of God, to be of some service in furthering and maintaining the
unity of the Spirit, an interest always and everywhere essential to
the Lutheran Church.
"May the almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus grant the grace of
His Holy Spirit that we all may be One in Him and constantly abide in
such Christian unity, which is well-pleasing to Him! Amen." (_Form, of
Conc_., Epit., 11, § 23.)
F. Bente,
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo.
July 28, 1919.