Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-20
LUTHERANS ASSA|L
i. S. DIVORCE PERIL
Missouri Synod Cries for Halt
in Growing "SoCiaI
Breakdown"

RIVER FOREST, Ill. June 90
Companionate marriage, increase in d.
vorce, decrease in marriage and birth
control have been condemned at the
triennial convention of the Evangelical
Lutheran Missouri Synod.
1t was pointed out that at the pres
ent rate of increase divorces in the
United States would end one-fourth of
all marriages by 1850 and by 1890 the
rate would be one-half.
The Lutheran Church calls for a
halt in the social breakdown in which
marriage has become a matter of mere
convenience to be discarded at will and
for a series of excuses not in the Bible, -
declared Rev. Paul Lindemann, st. Paul,
editor of the Lutheran American.
The growing economic independence
of women was aScribed by Rev. Martin
Walker of Buffalo as the outstanding
external factor in the decreased mar
rage rate and the increased divorce
rate.
The chief factor is the loss of re-
ligion," he said
In remedying conditions, Rev. Mr..
Walker recommended greater uniform
ity in marriage and divorce laws and
more Strictness in issuing marriage
licenses
Birth Control Attacked.
Pointing out that increasing divorce
rate usually was accompanied by de-
Creasing birth rate, synod officials pro-
tested the 'unScriptural but rampantly
popular methods Of birth control and
point to broken lives, shattered homes,
blasted hopes and the score of physical
and spiritual complications which fol-
low in the wake of such unnatural
practices.
The Lutheran Church has no SYM
pathy for the fashionable and popular
mode OF coddling criminals or of as
cribing criminal acts or tendencies to
diseased adenoidS and tonsils"
Organized efforts to abolish the death
penalty are in particular condemned by
the Lutheran Church, the officials an
nounced. The Lutheran Church con-
dennis the movements which would
restrict the force of the law and
facilitate the evasion of its penalties .
the officials said.
Pleads for Energy.
In his message formally opening the
convention, DR.. F.. Pfotenhauer, Chi
cago, president, called on the Lutheran
Church to continue aggressive church
work As theoretically as in the past
three years. Stressing that the fathers
of the church priced purity of teaching
as their greatest treasure, he urged the
church to stand firm at all costs In the
cause of true biblical confession.
A general revolt of sectarian college
students, such as recently swept Des
MoineS University, was predicted by
DR.. w. T. Daul, president of Valparaiso
University, unless the fundamentalistS
give ground to the modernists."
In division of faith in which fun
damentalists are pitted against mod
ernists, the former are more likely to
yield as they are in the minority, he
said. but in case they do not a break
in the church ranks is foreseen by DR..
Daul
Following the presidents announce
ment that education is the keynote of
the convention, it was learned that a
100000 budget is being sought by
educational institutions of the synod.
A resolution asking the Federal
Radio Commission to increase the
power of KFUO, Lutheran broadcast
ing station at st. Louis. from 500 watts
to 1000 watts was passed.