The Record-courier. [volume] (Gardnerville, Nev.) 1904-current, 1917-06-29
THE LUTHERAN
CHURCHAT HOME
tB, REV. \. II. MENzEL)

In Gods wise providence the Luther
an Church also has found room for
development according to the ideals
Of Luther here in America. It was
transplanted to our shores In the
DAYS of It's prime, the first Lutheran
settlers coming to the Dutch colonies
an the Hudson river during the Thirty
Years War. Distincitively Lutheran
settlements were made. beginning
With 1888. by the Swedes along the
tbe Delaware The most noted among
the early Swedish pastors was Cam
.,anlns who arrived In 1643 and trans
planted Luther's Small Catechism in
to the language of the Indians. In
New Netherland New York; the
CATION as early as 1913. but were
sorely oppressed by the Reformed
Dutch authorities. Their first pastor.
John Ernest Gntwasser. who arrived
In 1861, was sent back to Holland by
Gov. Stuyvestant In 1863. After the
establishment of the English rule,
The Lntherans were granted freedom
of worship t15Gi). In 1903 the great
influx OF German Lutherans into New
York and Pennsylvania began. In
1874 the Lutheran Salzburgers, driy-
en- from their homes In Austria by
the persecution of Rome, settled in
Georgia. Henry NJ. Muhlenberg. who
arrived in 17A2. gathered the scatter
ed Lutherans into churches and be-
came the founder of the Pennsylvania
Ministerium in 174S. Before the
Revolution Lutheran churches were
founded throughout the Colonies. Men
prominent In the affairs of the coun-
Try were found among their members.
but wave OF rationllism and union
Europe at the beginning of the last
century also cast their blight on the
Lutheran Church in America, SO that
when the General Synod of the Lnth-
eran Church was organized in 1920
there was little left of Lutheranisn
bat the name.
New life was infused into the
Lutheran Church In this country by
the arrival. In the late thirties, of
loyal Lutherans who had left the
iatherland. because they could not,
for conscience sake. remain where
error and false doctrine were tolerat-
ed and defended by the church auth
critics. They settled chiefly In the
middle west, and In 1s4I. under the
leadership of c. +. ". Waither, ever
since stood for conservative. confess
sional Lutheranism and by its cour-
ageous testimony TO the truth has had
whole American Lutheran Church. A
loghut college which had been erect
ed In 1899 IN the haekwoods of Per-
ry county. Mo. by the Saxon immi
grants. was taken over by the Synod
ard in course OF few decades de-
We oped into a chain of educational
Institutions stretching ffoa AeN
York 10 san Franc e,sco, and from Il
Paai To New Orleans. The large NJ
migration from northern Europe. the
attention given TO the Christian train
Ing o. the young by Sailed teachers
IN he parish schools. and the untiring
sacrificing labor OF the pastors in
the home mission field are some oi
the factors which. under the Lords
gracious blessing. account for the
phenomenal growth OF the i.ltheeal
Church In the United States during
ihe last Ealf century Some ssi eds
tlat a.d not share the dociii,;,
iens If the General synod in lses
lrned The Genera. Cclncil OF the
ntleran Church, shi,c those that
agreed With the conservative posi-
ton OF the Missouri Synod organized
the Synod Conference OF North Amer
na In 1872. Beside these three gem
eral bodies there Is the United synod
south and a number of independent
5 mods.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church
Is the largest Protestant Church in
The world. numbering s,.aost - 'ean.
members as all others combined. In
ihis country 1t ranks third among the
Protestant bodies, and in white mem
bership Is said to exceed them all.
It's missionaries are found in every
corner Of the globe.
The Lutheran Church however.
does not seek glory In numbers but
IN the saving OF souls by the preach
ing OF the pure Gospel of the crucified
and risen Christ. the Only Savior of
mankind.