New-York tribune., 1918-04-28

--&- SIUC lnC herman Empire CndC
when Kaiser Wilhelm speaks of
his good old German God" he means
Odin, not Jehovah. The higher criticism,
indeed. might point out that Odin was a
Teutonic hero before he became god,
and that the kaiser's evident admiration
is poor testimony to his character either
before Or after apotheosis; but the low
brow point of view seems to be that the
Kaiser's spiritual vision is as badly de-
formed as his withered arm, and that
when he appears to be looking at and
talking about the good old German God"
he is actually focusing his attention
upon the devil himself And it is rather
startling to find this latter view sup
ported by an eminent theologian of the
Lutheran Church-that is to say, of the
ecclesiastical body in which the German
Kaiser is "summus episcopus," the su-
preme authority in all matters relating
to the Church.
The Lutheran form of church govern
ment is, generally speaking, consistorial.
In consequence there is no uniform
Lutheran liturgy, although Luther's
German Mass and Order of Divine Ser
vice." published in 1926, has been the
model for all Lutheran communities.
And while the Lutheran state churches
of Denmark, Norway and Sweden have
retained the episcopate the German
churches, including those in America,
have not. But throughout Scandinavia,
as in Prussia, the sovereign is "summus
episcopus" and rules by means of pa
tronage and appointment, and through
his oberkirchenrath, or consistorium, o.
directorium.
In st. Louis last week 327 Evangelical
Lutheran divinity students in attendance
at the Concordia Seminary, the largest
of that denomination in the world, heard
the Rev DR.. Theodore Graebner, profess
sor of theology, speaks on behalf of the
Liberty Loan. He said in part:
"The German Emperor apparently has lit
tie regard for moral for religious truth.
He employs both for the single purpose of
retaining and increasing his power. When
he is among infidel theologians he speaks
of the evolution of religion; wher among
believers he talks of the divinity of Christ
Morality and truth he subordnates to
Hohenzollcrnism. 1t is bad business"
DR. GRAEBNER cited proofs to show
~ that the Kaiser approved dcstruc-
tive criticism Of the Bible advanced in
Germany, and continued
ON January, 1902, he invited Professor
Friedrich Deitzsch a radical theologaa. to
deliver lecture entitled Babel and Bible
the purpose OF which it was to show that
the Old Testament is a conglomerate of
Babylonan myth and fable, and in which
the sentiment occurs that polythesm (pa-
ganism) as found among the Canaanites by
no means strikes an unsympathetic chord
in US. The Kaiser was so well pleased with
the lecture that he attended second de-
livered in the following year.
"In this lecture Delitzsch declared that
the Jewish code Of ethics was derived from
pagan Babylonia. that Daniel and Jonah
were lot of myths, that most Of the mira
cles of the Old and New Testaments were
fiction, and that the Jehovah OF the Old
Testament no better than the Baby
lonan gods. The lecture was concluded
with this sentiment: THE aim of all these
Investigations is to further the development
Of religion on the basis laid down by the
Kaiser"
Professor Graebner declared that by
the support which the Kaiser gave the
radical theologians he proved that he
was out of harmony with the very prin-
ciples on which the faith Of the Luth-
eran Church was based. Then he said:
Radical theologians, such as Friedrich
Delitzsch and Adolf Won Harnack, have been
s'gnaliy honored by the German Emperor.
In 1912 the Kaiser, il conversation with
Professor Meier, of Berlin, announced his
dissent from the orthodox Lutheran doc
trine and took his stand with the radicals,
who had undermined the picty and morality
OF the German people. The following is
from the official organ Of our Missouri
Synod
Kaiser Wilhelm has very vague concep.
tons regarding Christianity. He has re-
peatedly honored the inhdcl theologian Har-
nack and rewarded his services with signal
distinctions, and lately with the Order Pour
IA Merite Thereby the Kaiser has not only
deeply grie.ed Christians but has proved
what an ignorant and confused theologian
| he is"
4 7 ABOUT the same time Professor
Graebner was speaking in St.
LOUIS the loyalty Of the Lutheran
1nurch was being proclaimed by the
hey. y. e. Hagglund, president of the
New England conference Of the Swedish
Lutheran Church, in his report at tho
convention Of that body In Springfield,
Mass.
The Church in this country knows
ous one allegiance-that to the United
states Of America" he said at is do
'ass It's bit for the nation in this, its hour
Of trial"
1or the German Empire the two lead
.ae religions are the Evangelical (Lu-
s"cran) with 90 per cent Of the popula.
non, and the Roman Catholic with ~