Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-07-10
Lutheran NATIVITY and LOYALTY.

At, its Hist annual convention re-
Gently held in Philadelphia the
Pennsylvania Ministerium adopted
resolutions of loyalty which show
that the Lutheran church has been
too long in this country (years be-
fore Presbyterians, Methodists and
Baptists) to be styled a foreign
church. The Lutheran church is ma
tive American. We quote these reso-
lutions below, because they repre-
sent the position, attitude and 10y
atty of the entire Lutheran church in
America
They read thus:
Whereas, there appears to be an
impression widely prevalent that the
Lutheran Church in America is a
foreign Church, and that the men,
bers of this Ministerium are newcom-
ers in the State of Pennsylvania, we
hereby lay down the following dec
laration of fact and principles:
l. That the Lutheran Church is a
world Church, and not the offshOot of
and State Church in Germany. 1t was
found in England, France and Italy
four centuries ago. It is found in
Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland,
Russia, Australia, Canada; the Unit
ed States, no less than in Germany
In no case has the Lutheran Church
in the United States any connection
with any Church in Germany, least
of all with that of which the Kaiser
is the head. The Kaiser himself is
not Lutheran, but he and his faith
er and grandfather are of Reformed
stock, and The Prussian Union,
which they founded, is composed of
Reformed and Lutheran elements.
Up to 1907 the Prussian Imperial
Church had no organic association
even with the International Lutheran
Conference, with which the General
Council of the Lutheran Church in
North America has had affiliation, SC
far as great meetings for represent
ing a world Lutheranism was con-
cerned. But since 1907, in which
year. the Imperial Prussian Church
acquired some control of the Interna-
tiOnal Conference, the General Coun-
Gil of the Lutheran Church in Ameri-
ca, to which this Ministerium be-
longs, has been in an attitude of pro-
test against the International Con-
ference, and has stood for a reOrgan-
ization of this World Conference Of
Lutherans on American principles.
II. The Ministerium of Pennsyl-
vanfa is not an exotic Church in
America. Fifty years before VIM.
Penn it's very earliest membership
was invited to settle in Pennsyl-
vania. The Ministerium was organ.
lied and in full operation a quarter
of century before the American
Revolution. It's leaders and it's mem
bership were all patriots in the
colonial era, and they, have partici
pated in a marked and effective de-
gree in all the wars of our nation
from the French and Indian and the
Revolutionary War down. The orig
inal members of this venerable Min
isterium took an illustrious part in
the founding of our American ma.
ton, and at it's birth many of them
sealed their loyalty with their life
blood on the battle fields of the Rev
OlutiOn. Today this Ministerium
stands sQuarely with the President in
his actions and utterances. 1t not
only supports the Government of the
United States in the present war, but
it stands for and believes itself to be
an exponent of those free principles
of government to secure which,
throughout the world the present
war is being fought. This Minis
terium believes that the principles
for which Martin Luther stood out
against the Church and the Imperial
State in his day, in behalf of the con-
science and liberties of the people,
are the principles for which the
United States is contending at this
moment; and it here and now
pledges itself anew, even to its last
drop of blood, in it's attempt to make
sure that government of the peo-
pie, for the people, and by the peo-
pie, shall not perish from the earth;
and that in religion every individual
shall have the right to worship God
in accordance with the dictates of his
own conscience; and we believe that
our words and acts will ever testify
to our Synodical loyalty to American
ideals and American Institutions