Preuss5: "we trusted, in love"; he "did not resign voluntarily"

     This continues from Part 4 (Table of Contents in Part 1) in a series presenting C. F. W. Walther's account of Dr. Eduard Preuss's apostasy to the Roman Catholic Church. — By his own theological actions, Preuss was a dishonest hypocrite between his former and later life, resorting to morally unthinkable actions. And his secret business dealings revealed below by Walther (who should know better than anyone) only confirm his inner self. — From Der Lutheraner, vol. 28 (Feb. 15), pp. 74.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -    An Apostasy.    - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[by C. F. W. Walther; Part 5]

 

What can we say about that? — We think that only those who have lost a feeling for truthfulness, sincerity, and honesty for his own person, only those do not see that Dr. Preuss, if he has not lied in his letter of resignation, then he was hypocritical in his articles for the Abendschule and Lehre und Wehre. And that if he was not hypocritical in these articles, then he was so in his letter of resignation. That is, that in any case, whatever case we may assume, he has revealed himself as a thoroughly and almost unprecedentedly dishonest character. For it is conceivable that even an honest man, although tormented by grave doubts about Lutheran teachings, may remain in the Lutheran office for a time, hoping to be released from his doubts, and remaining silent until then about the teachings which have become really uncertain for him; but unthinkable, it is morally unthinkable, that the one whose faith is shaken in the main doctrine of the Lutheran Church [Justification] should at the same time not only still present this main doctrine orally and in writing, but even defend it with great zeal and apparently great assurance of faith and faithfulness, and even cite the antagonism of certain doctrines against that main doctrine which has become uncertain to him as the last, highest, most certain proof that such doctrines must be erroneous. But the latter was done by Preuss in those articles. And at the same time that the Antichrist was publicly portrayed, he surrendered his body and soul to the same a few days later. The world so often says that preachers and theologians themselves do not believe what they preach and write. As unjust as this is now, when the world thereby declares all preachers and theologians to be hypocrites, it cannot be denied that there are also preachers and theologians who preach and write what they themselves do not believe, that is, hypocrites; a striking example of this is Preuss, according to his own admission.

Perhaps this still seems to stand in the way of many: First of all, that Preuss experienced among us Lutherans a love which he did not experience anywhere else; that we Lutherans, when he stood in the deepest shame before the whole world, [See Ziegler, p. 290 fn # 8] endangered our own good name by accepting him and, while we reaped shame for it, tried to help him again to a good name, because since there was no compelling proof of guilt, we trusted, in love, his personal assertions that he was innocent; secondly, that Preuss among the Lutherans obtained suitable and rewarding offices according to his gifts. Some may wonder therefore what could have made him, other than his conscience, suddenly give up all this, voluntarily resign himself, and now throw himself into the arms of a community of which he <column 3> did not know whether it would give him a better lot?

Unfortunately, however, it is a fact that Preuss did not resign voluntarily, but only sent in his resignation because he had to fear dismissal. By a strange chain of circumstances at the end of November last year [1871] we discovered that Preuss had already long ago besieged the publisher of a Christian, entertainment newspaper dependent on the synod [Abendschule?] to accept him as co-owner. And when he was not able to achieve this, he had already drawn up a contract on July 22, 1871, signed it himself and coerced the aforementioned publisher into co-signing it, in which Preuss, behind the back of the synod in which he held office, made it binding as soon as the other counterparty would be required to resign from office, namely to “turn his entire working time over to the good editorial work and constant improvement” of that newspaper, on the condition that of reaching a certain number of subscribers he would receive an annual salary of $4000, and as editor, with the increase in the number of subscribers, to receive an ever-increasing salary punctually on the specific day. At the same time, Preuss had insisted that this agreement should be kept strictly secret until the proper time. As long as this matter was still pending and Preuss thought that it was certain of its goal by the signed secret contract, as long as there was not to be discovered the slightest doubt about any Lutheran teaching by Preuss, so he rather taught and defended orally and in writing each of them with all his dialectical gifts so abundantly given to him 6), and declared himself continually ready to step into the breach for any point of our church doctrine. 

————————

6) Dialectical gifts are gifts to prove and disprove in disputation.

————————

- - - - - - - - - -  Continued in Part 6  - - - - - - - - - - -

      In the above, reference is made to the Abendschule, a popular newspaper by the Missourian Louis Lange. A previous blog post gave some information on it. — It is evident that Walther did not enjoy giving the full account of Dr. Preuss's coercive business dealings. — In the next Part 6…

Catholics, the Press, and Politics in 19th century America

      I made note of two short blurbs on the above topics while reviewing Der Lutheraner in the late 19th century, after Walther's passing.  Did those who followed Walther also warn against Rome like he did?  We find out from two of those who followed in his footsteps.  From Der Lutheraner, Vol. 50 (1894), p. 31 [EN]: 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The Jesuits and the Press of this Country. A newspaper reports: “Every Jesuit college in America has a journalism class to train young men and girls to work on the various daily newspapers. And almost every large daily paper in this country has employed one or more of the graduates of these classes. The staff of the Associated Press, as well as of other similar companies for the circulation of the daily news, consists largely of Roman Catholic managers and reporters.” — Rome knows that as fear of Rome wanes, so does vigilance against Rome. That is why the Roman dragon is retracting its claws for the time being, is feigning like a lamb, and is leaving no means untried to make public opinion favorable to itself.     F. B. [Friedrich Bente]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I was not surprised at Bente's report from his time and glad that he brought this to light, to show that the influence of Rome was growing even then. And the Associated Press can be questioned regarding its promise of giving "an accurate and impartial report of the news". — Anecdotally, I was surprised to recently find that the Wall Street Journal not infrequently shows pictures of the Pope on its front page, even though my reading of the same paper in the 1970s found little or no references to Roman Catholicism in that earlier period.  

      And from Vol. 55 (1899), p. 36 [EN]: 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The papists are now proceeding to establish yet another, the fourth, institution of higher learning in our federal capital, Washington. It is to be named "Collegium of the Holy Cross" to provide an even higher education for students who have already been through the Roman Catholic University of Notre Dame in Indiana. The plans for the main building have already been largely made and the funds, it is said, are ready, so that the construction can be started immediately, and already in September of this year, classes are to begin in the new institution. It is certainly no accident that the Papists should choose the State [national] capital for institutions of this kind, while they could build the same or larger institutions in many other places at less expense, and in areas where the Roman Catholic population would be much stronger than in the District of Columbia. It is political influence that is sought and unfortunately found, in that where the representatives of our people are together, and at the same time the representatives of all foreign nations are easily accessible, a number of the most learned and spiritually eminent men from the Roman Catholic Church of this country are gathered into the faculties of these institutions, who can then, at any time, exert their influence where it can be most effective for the political interests, and by showing the studying youth the ways of higher politics, in which they again find opportunity to promote the plans of the Roman See in many ways. Our public affairs are now already influenced by the papist dignitaries of the land to an extent which no one would have thought possible fifty years ago, and we American Lutherans have now more than ever the duty to warn against Rome as a dangerous enemy, not only of the Church, but also of the State. A. G. [A. L. Gräbner]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A search of current Catholic/Jesuit institutions in the Washington D.C. area turned up only 3: Catholic University of America, Georgetown University (Jesuit), and Trinity Washington University (Nancy Pelosi, Class of 1962).  The last of these could be what Gräbner reports on above, but that is speculation.  In any case, Catholic influence in Washington D. C. is overwhelming now, and this blog does not have space to list all but the above mentioned Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, President Joe Biden, and Supreme Court Justice John Roberts. Seven members of the Supreme Court are currently Roman Catholic, followers of the Pope. — Now even Lutheran professors of "conservative" Lutheran synods have been trained at Catholic/Jesuit universities. But Gräbner's charge to American Lutherans, "to warn against Rome", is needed now more than ever. Lord, have mercy on us!

“The Church and the Secular Press.” by Pieper: "seducing Christians", "Cosmopolitan Christianity"

      The following short essay in 1899 Der Lutheraner magazine by Franz Pieper is striking for us today as the future of print newspapers dwindles because of the Internet media sources for news and information.  Yet the story remains the same if we substitute for "newspapers" the term "media".
      This essay follows Walther's writing from 18 years earlier on a similar subject in Der Lutheraner in 1881 – see my blog series "Godless newspapers".  — I have discovered additional information about German language newspapers in America from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) here (WayBack). Unfortunately, it takes no notice of religion among the native German people, and ignores any mention of church papers.  Yet it is striking how prominent the German papers were in America up to World War I. There is a good overview of the history of the newspaper Germania here. (WayBack) — My paternal grandfather came from Germany in the late 1800s.  Although I never knew him, I suspect he would have read the German papers in his day. — There is more than one striking feature in Pieper's remarkable article… "the power of Missouri"?
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Text extracted from Der Lutheraner, vol. 55 (October, 1899), p. 189; translation by BackToLuther; bold text is Pieper's emphasis, hyperlinks, highlighting, red text, text in square brackets [ ] are mine.

The Church and the Secular Press.

[by Franz Pieper]

Presidential election – 1900:
William Jennings Bryan vs. McKinley

The Lutheran of October 5 [1899] expresses in an extended editorial the assumption that the Missouri Synod is preparing to make politics, and possibly to speak the decisive word in the next presidential election.

How does this paper come out with these strange thoughts? It is reported from the New York Tribune that Dr. [Hermann] Dümling joined the editorial staff of Germania in order to keep “objectionable matter” out of this paper. But this purpose of Dr. Dümling's new position does not make sense to the Lutheran. Rather, the terrible thoughts just mentioned above come to him. 

He thinks that if “one of the most capable pastors of the Missouri Synod” joins the editorial staff of Germania, it is probably for the purpose of possibly controlling the next presidential election through this “most widespread German newspaper”. The Lutheran says: “Many of us have come to know the power of Missouri in the German church movements of this country, and it is only natural that we do not like it at all when a Lutheran church body makes use of the secular press to make its influence felt in politics.”

We can calm the Lutheran down. First of all, the Missouri Synod as such has nothing to do with the fact that Dr. Dümling became editor of Germania. Then we also know and the Germania itself has announced that Dr. Dümling's appointment to the Germania has no “political” purpose at all, but merely to keep “objectionable matter” away from the Germania, not only from the “weekly” but also from the “daily” Germania. The policy of Germania is none of our business and has no interest in us. But because Germania is read in many thousands of our Christian homes, we have a great interest in keeping out of this newspaper all offensive reading material. And Dr. Dümling's entry into the editorial staff of Germania makes only this sense.

We can assure the Lutheran: No righteous Missourian pastor or professor, as long as he is able to work, gives up his ecclesiastical office to become politically active. If he makes the personal sacrifice of taking over the editorial work of a secular newspaper, this is done in the knowledge that in this way he is rendering a necessary service to his Church and to his Savior, namely for his part the service of keeping away the rubbish with which most secular newspapers pollute and poison Christian homes and hearts, year in, year out, and daily. There can be no doubt that the secularization and stagnation of modern Christianity is to a large extent attributable to the pernicious influence of the secular press, which so generally finds its way into the homes of Christians. 

The worldly press, as it is ordinarily constituted, is in a constant struggle against the Christian church. The secular press wants to make the church secular and thus does not seek less after the life of the church than the press of the false churches which spread false doctrines. On Sundays the pastor preaches to his congregation: “Do not love the world, nor what is in the world.” But six or seven times a week a newspaper comes into the home and is read by young and old, in which the sinful nature of this world is partly hidden, partly openly glorified and praised. Now it is true: We cannot protect our Christians and also our youth from all temptations on the part of the world. They come into contact with the world and should learn to fight against the world. But the Lord Christ also taught us to pray: “Lead us not into temptation.” Christian parents do not do their duty unless they try to keep temptation away from their own family. It is also part of this that they strive to exclude soul-poisoning reading from their homes as far as possible. 

The Last Day will one day reveal that, in the hearts of many people who, while they lived under the sound of the Word of God, were held back from their spiritual life, or again suffocated from it, through the influence of the worldly newspapers.

So it is truly worth the effort when Christians take it upon themselves to produce such secular newspapers which exclude all offensive reading material from their columns. If, for the purpose of this judgment, experienced people, be they pastors or professors, enter the editorial department of a secular newspaper, then one does not immediately sense politics behind it, as happened to the Lutheran, but one assumes—what is actually the case here—that it is a matter of the production of a secular newspaper that is not offensive to the Christian home.

The production of such newspapers was particularly important to the blessed Dr. Walther. We know that he traveled several times to persuade pastors to take over the editorial work of such secular newspapers. He repeatedly stated that he did not consider it a waste of energy to take the best pastors out of ministry in order to render this very important service to the Church. He said this to those who said that a pastor or a professor should not give himself up to be the editor of a secular newspaper.

Of course, one thing is necessary if the evil is not to become worse. The worldly newspapers, which are published by Christians, must now also really keep away all offensive things from their columns. If such newspapers are once again like the world, e.g. by displaying theaters, balls and other worldly entities, they are a double damage to the community. They seduce Christians into a cosmopolitan Christianity, into the deadly belief that Christ is in agreement with Belial. No Christian, let alone a Christian pastor or professor, can give himself up to this.

But such worldly newspapers, which really keep away everything offensive from their columns, are to be held up and valued as a precious gift of God. Such newspapers should not be obstructed, but encouraged and supported, even in cases where they hold political opinions which do not always coincide with ours. As far as politics are concerned, after all, every Christian has his own politics, that is, he does not let himself to be dictated by a party, by a newspaper, or by individual persons how he should vote, but he decides this himself before God to the best of his knowledge and conscience.          F[ranz] P[ieper]

= = = = = = = = = = =  End of essay  = = = = = = = = = = =

      In a more recent case of a related matter, we find that Concordia Seminary President Ludwig Fuerbringer's youngest son, Otto Fuerbringer, also joined a secular publication, Time magazine.  Unfortunately, although once considered a "conservative", yet his magazine in 1966 would, on the question of “Is God Dead?”, state that believers  “perhaps secretly fear that he is”.  How different that is from the situation above and indicative that it was the "cosmopolitan" Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, not the true Missourians, that practically led the world into a "cosmopolitan Christianity", even the "radicalism of the 1960s".

      I have news for the National Endowment for the Humanities – there were German Lutherans in America, even if they won't report about it.  And among those Lutherans of America, some even wondered at the "power of Missouri [Synod] in the German church movements of this country".  Better historians than those of the NEH (or Time magazine) do not ignore true religion in the history of a land.

“godless newspapers”; Walther recommends… (1 of 2)

      In one of C.F.W. Walther's sermons published in the book Epistle Sermons ("Day of National Penitence", p. 515), he spoke of the "godless newspapers".  Here is the quote (again) from page 515 (emphasis mine):

“Christians daily receive their wisdom from the godless newspapers of sly, political opportunists who forget God, who despise all sworn treaties, and who trample under foot all the laws of God and man. It is terrible to say it, but all such newspapers have even become the Gospel of many Christians upon which they swear, and he who has a different opinion is as far as they are concerned a political heretic, a traitor”

I never forgot that statement by Walther.  It speaks to the heart of a Christian today, here and now.  So when I ran across an article by Walther in the 1881 issue of Der Lutheraner on this subject, I had to translate it.  What would he say about the newspapers in his day?  Were they really as bad then as they are today?

Der Lutheraner, vol. 37 (1881)p. 139-140: "Etwas über das Lesen weltlicher Zeitungen."; German text file here. Translation by BackToLuther, highlighting is mine.

Something on reading worldly newspapers.

[By C.F.W. Walther]

Just having and reading a worldly (or secular) newspaper can not be made to be a sin for a Christian if only he does it with the right intention. If a Christian learns from the newspapers how things are going on in the world, what is good and what is bad, it can serve partly as an encouragement, partly as a warning. Many businessmen can scarcely miss a newspaper for the sake of their business.  And especially in a free country, such as our United States of North America, where the citizen has to take part in the elections of civil servants, among other things can hardly be fulfilled if he can not learn from political papers about the state of affairs, about the principles followed by the various parties and about the persons to be elected.

Unfortunately, most of the secular newspapers, and especially the German ones, are not only not as they should be, but are also filled with much poison for the soul. After all, the editors, with very few exceptions, are fierce enemies of the Christian, yes, of all religion. Or they are even unbelievers who consider the true Christian religion to be a fable and, at most, would know only something about a supreme being and pagan morality.

Therefore, the vast majority of secular newspapers fall into the following two classes:

1. Some make it a business to mock everything sacred. Wherever they find an opportunity, they pour the most venomous scorn and mockery over religion and the church [p. 139, col. 2] and present all devout Christians as despicable hypocrites.
2. Other newspapers edited by unbelievers may take some consideration of their Christian readers and speak of Christians as respectable people, and of Christianity as a religion that is not entirely despicable.  But let it be remembered only too clearly that they regard Christ, though highly wise and virtuous, as a mere man, and Holy Scripture, albeit very good, as  merely a human book.

If, therefore, these newspapers in the  second class do not contain blatant blasphemies about the blessed secrets of our most holy Christian religion, nevertheless there are enough essays in which the living God, creator, preserver and ruler of all things is denied, and either the world has been around forever, or

it is at least asserted that the world did not exist, as the Bible says, since not quite six thousand years ago, but for an inconceivable number of thousands of years.  All the new wisdom about the world and humanity which contends against Scripture is praised in these newspapers. And the progress of our time is highly praised, even with the aim against the religious views. If in such newspapers there are not, as in the others, gross maladies, then usually a wretched, sensually charming novel is also added to them. Incidentally, unbelieving editors are not able to write a newspaper that is unobjectionable to Christians even if they wanted to.  Without knowing it, they bring articles that are most annoying to Christians.

We have just read in the local Anzeiger des Westens [“Gazette of the West”] which has hitherto belonged to the more decent newspapers  of the unbelievers [Heinrich Börnstein, Carl Dänzer], a very nefarious article, taken from the "Illinois Staatszeitung", on the Hearing of Prayer.  The word of Scripture also applies to the unbelievers: “For of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” [Matt. 12:34]  And: “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.” Matt. 7:18]  But as far as both classes of newspapers are concerned, they both endeavor to entertain their readers through a mass of phantasms of ill-fated fraud, thieving, murder, suicide, and lust feeding acts of seduction.  In the newspapers of both classes, biblical words are abused from time to time in the most shameful jokes, and not infrequently the worst crimes are reported with laughter provoking remarks. According to the newspaper or the political party served, the most worthless characters and most ungodly portions of its own party are excused, and often given highest praise, while the best men and the best endeavors of the other party are slandered and disfigured with the most libelous drivel  and dirt.  Of course, the right judgment of the most important news  events is out of the question. What condemns God's Word is justified, and what the Word of God praises is condemned.

= = = = = = =   concluded in Part 2   = = = = = = = = 

      This essay is a great lamentation by Walther over the "godless newspapers"!  How his heart ached to see his people read such faith-destroying content. —  What?  Why are we smiling?  Oh, we can see that it is just so today… as it was in Walther's day, in St. Louis, Missouri, the heartland of America.  In the next Part 2, Walther concludes his essay announcing a most welcome addition to the offering of newspapers, surprisingly welcome for C.F.W. Walther – The American Luther.  What?… a newspaper that could actually help Christians?