American Lutheranism, Volume 1: Early History of American Lutheranism and the Tennessee SynodBente, F. (Friedrich)
History
American Lutheranism, Volume 1: Early History of American Lutheranism and the Tennessee Synod
Bente, F. (Friedrich)
Lutheran Church -- Tennessee -- History; Lutheran Church -- United States -- History
97. Attitude toward Other Southern Synods.--Tennessee was conscious of
representing nothing but the pure truth of unadulterated Lutheranism
also over against the Synods of South Carolina, Virginia, and South West
Virginia. Despite enmity, contempt, and slander, they were unwilling to
enter into any unionistic compromise at the expense of the truth as they
saw it. As for the Synod of South Carolina (organized 1824), the
Tennessee Report of 1838 recorded the following protest: "Whereas the
Synod of South Carolina has recently employed various scandalous means
in order to bring the Ev. Luth. Tennessee Synod into disrepute, in
particular by the annotations contained in a sermon delivered by Pastor
Johannes Bachman, D. D., which was published with the approval and by
the support of said Synod (the aforementioned sermon, unless its evil
influence is hindered, is well calculated to make a false and unfavorable
impression upon otherwise honest minds, and to represent our doctrine,
synod, and pastors as being the objects of scorn, disdain, and constant
persecution); and whereas we believe that we stand on the primitive
ground of the Lutheran Church, and that the doctrine of the glorious and
memorable Reformation, which was wrought through the especial mediation
of the Saxon Reformers, Dr. Martin Luther and his immortal assistants,
exactly agrees with the Word of God, which we regard as the only
infallible norm of faith and life: 1. therefore be it Resolved, That we
regard the actions of the South Carolina Synod toward us as impolite,
ignoble, dishonest, and uncharitable. 2. Resolved, That we look upon the
assertions in Dr. Bachman's sermon as utterly unfounded and without the
slightest approach to the truth, but as base calumniations, well
calculated to insult (beschimpfen) our Synod." At the same time Pastors
Braun and Miller were appointed a committee to publish a refutation of
Bachman's sermon. (B. 1838, 11.) In his address delivered on November
12, 1837, Bachman, as President of the South Carolina Synod, had voiced,
with a squint toward Tennessee, among others, the following sentiments:
"We have never boasted of being an exclusive church, whose doctrines are
more Scriptural or whose confessors are purer than those of other
denominations round about us. . . . We will gladly unite with every
friend of the Gospel in producing the downfall of sectarianism, though
not the obliteration of sects. Our pulpits have ever been open to the
servants of every Christian communion, and we invite to our communion
tables the followers of Jesus regardless of what particular denomination
they may belong to." Dr. Bachman, in direct contravention to what the
Henkels had maintained over against Stork and Shober of the North
Carolina Synod, expressed his own indifferentistic and Reformed
doctrinal position as follows: "If Baptism is regeneration, why, then,
does not every one who has been baptized in infancy walk with God from
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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