Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-05-30
TIE LUTHERAN SYNOD.
General Synod Of the Church in
United States Opens at
Des Moines.
Many Noted Men ofsthe Lutheran
Society Are in Attend.
ance.
Retiring Moderator Reviews the
Church Doctrines in His
Annual, Sermon.
Special to mes-Republican.

Special to s-Repubican.
Des Moines. May S0.-The first bust
ness session of the general Lutheran
synod convened this morning, with 25Ol
Delegates present and visiting clergy
men from Europe. Africa and India. The
.opic of discussion this afternoon was
foreign missions, and addresses were
delivered by Rev. Luther NJ. Kuhlman,
of Frederick Md; Rev. DR.. /. b. Aber-
II Guuter India; Rev. DR.. George AL
brecht, India and Rev. DR.. j. III. Harp
ster, India.
Addresses of welcome were delivered
last night By Governor Shaw, Mayor
Hartenbower and Rev. G. w. L.. Brown.
The response was by the president, DIR.
S. r. Breckenridge. of Springfield Ohio.
The eermon of the president, Rev. DR..
S. r. Breckenridge, was historical re-
view of the general synod. 1t was
strong, conservative plea for the estab-
iished creed, showing the development
and iumph over the efforts made 100
yea ago to liberalize it. He declared
the principles and professionalism and
Lutheranian and to be essentially these:
81. The Bible as the only infallible
rule of faith and practice.
'2 The justification of the sinner by
hie faith alone, apart from the deeds Of
the law, and, as some add:
49, The church is the community of
which Christ is the individual head and
all the members priests unto Godf'
Continuing, DIR. Breckinridge said:
These are the principles that under
lie the reformation. that We're pro-
claimed by the great reformer whose
name has been imposed upon us They
We're also adopted by the evangelical
church, and no one denying any of these
principles can truly claim the name of
either Lutheran or Protestant. I. has
happened in the providence of God that
this church is the Oldest, by far the
most numerous and widely spread of all
the schools into which Professionalism is
divided. This church, tho tardy in its
coming, has found a place in free Amer
tca 1t can scarcely bs. said that before
the arrival of Muhlenberg in 1742 Luz
theran church existed in America
The general synod, he said. was or
ganized in 1920 with these definite pur-
poses in view:
81. To restore the Pictistic spirit OF the
Muhlenberg period.
so. To promote learning. both secular
and Theological.
%. To protest against the rationalism
which had wrought untold havoc in the
church by bringing the Augsburg COM
fession up out of the dust and obligat-
ing every man to subscribe to 1t, not
Quasenus, but quia.
"a. The unification of the church in
this country.
Interest centers in the contest for
president OF the general synod. While
both the leading candidates belong to
What is known as the conservative ele-
nent. the contest is of the liberals
against the conservatives. Rev Will
liam S. Freas. of Baltimore. who was
secretary of the general synod for many
years and is now president of the boart
of church extension. is the candidate OF
the conservative element. Rev. Luther
i. Alber, ID. D., of Germantown, Pa,
who has been pastor of the Trinity Luz
theran church of that city for lift,
years. and has held the position of sec
rotary and treasurer of the pastors re-
lief fund, has been taken up as the can
ddate of the liberal element which feel
confident of electing him.
KEY. Dr. u. w. Enders of York, Pa.
and S. w. Owen of Hagerstown. Md
are also spoken of as candidates for til
presidency. 1t is claimed that no doc.
trinal question is involved in this con
test. and aside from this no spirited
controversy is now in prospect for thi.
convention.
The first important business of the
session was the election of officers fo
the synod to hold for the next biennia
period: President Rev. ID. w. S. Freas
Baltimore; secretary, Rev. DIR. w. L
Fisher. Snamokin. Pa: treasurer, DR.
Louis Manns, Cincinnati.
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