“Do not be partaker of other men's sins.” [1 Tim. 5:22] We were reminded of this apostolic warning when we read the following in the Messenger [Sendboten], the Baptist paper of Jan. 24:
"As far as advertisements are concerned, we wish to tell our readers once and for all: they do not contain our judgment and recommendation, but the judgment and recommendation of the businessmen who want to bring their things to the knowledge of the public. We do not knowingly include advertisements that recommend things that are of no real value to the public, but, nevertheless, we are sometimes over-promoted by clever traders, just as our readers are. We cannot check all the items advertised in the paper. That is impossible. Everyone has to do it himself.” —
That the Messenger does not knowingly include fraudulent advertisements and that he declares that the advertisements that appear do not contain far-sighted judgment, this is quite good. But that he declares this, as he writes, in one number “once and for all” is nothing and does not free him from his complicity in fraud; for how many will still read the Messenger who know nothing of this declaration! What a Christian does, he should be sure that it is right. But if an editor includes an unverified announcement in his paper, he can only do so in doubt as to whether it is right. “But whoever,” says the Word of God, “doubts it, and yet eats it, is condemned.” Rom. 14:23. The Messenger admittedly says that it is impossible to examine all the articles that are mentioned. But with this he does not excuse himself, but rather condemns himself. For if it is not possible to check whether such advertisements contain truth or lies, it does not follow that one must accept them unchecked, but rather that one cannot accept them. This is what Christian conscientiousness demands. But if a paper cannot exist without such advertisements, it should not be published, for one should not do evil that good may come from it. Either such a paper is not worth existing, or the world is not worth having it. The advertisement system is already a disgrace of our age in the secular newspapers, but that the religious papers also deal with it is sad beyond all measure. By the way, even the newspapers that call themselves “Lutheran” sin in this. The American Lutheran, this proponent of the revival religion, is the most horrible in this respect. The advertisements alone, which this paper contains, show the nature of its religion. *) Here also the Word of the Lord is to be applied: “By their fruits you shall know them!” W. [Walther]
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*) Thus, for example, the American Lutheran contains in its last January 27, which we last received, among other things, the following advertisement: Headline: “This is no humbug,” and underneath: “Whoever sends in 35 cents together with details of age, height and color of eyes and hair, will immediately receive by mail a well-founded picture of his future husband or wife together with name and wedding day.” This is followed by the name and address of the imposter who sent in this advertisement. What should one call a religion that bears such fruits?
