AG11b: 1886: Women/Wives, Household servants (Paternal)

      This continues from Part AG11a (Table of Contents in Part AG1a) in a series presenting Walther's essays to the Western District that supported his theme "That Only Through the Doctrine of the Lutheran Church is All Glory Given to God Alone". — This segment concludes the essay from the 1886 Western District convention. Even though Walther's biblical teaching shows how far today's American society has strayed from God's Word, yet he charges his own times with the same charges that we face today! — From pages 45-58:

Notable Quotes:

[Women, wives]

45: Thesis II: "the woman 1. according to God's Word is bound in conscience to be subject to her husband"

45: "The spirit of independence, which has now taken hold of almost all peoples, is now also rampant among women" [Walther called this out even 140 years ago! Who can deny this now?]

45: "In the church, however, such women do not want to be mere listeners, as the apostle clearly and unambiguously demands, but they also seek to take control of the pulpit"

46: "Those women who are addicted to innovation now say, of course, that this Bible verse applies only to barbaric times, but not to ours"

46: "The Lutheran Church alone is so simple-minded that it submits unconditionally to the word of the apostles and prophets.…Woe, therefore, to those whom God has led into this [Lutheran] church and who leave it as apostates!" [E.g. Dr. Jaroslav Pelikan, "Father" Richard John Neuhaus, Ed. Preuss, etc.]

48: "Where can we find women today who speak of their husbands as their lords?" [Luther's Gen. 3:16]

48: "…but the parents are mostly to blame. They have experience, should know better, and should never allow marriage to such a worldly man.

49: "in this sense marriage represents a kind of kingship, not popular rule"

50: "2. the husband has neither the right nor the power to rule over the faith and conscience of his wife"

51: "One should therefore not marry an unbelieving person in the hope of converting them."

52: "A wife is not under the rod like a child, but should be her husband's helper."

[Household servants]

52: Thesis III: "household servants… 1. are bound by God's Word to honor their masters …to faithfully carry out the orders given to them in accordance with the agreement made"

53: "It is a shameful principle that the Communists put forward that all people should be equal. God's Word says the opposite. Rich and poor, high and low, masters and servants must be among themselves."

54: Genesis 31:38-41: "Jacob put up with all of Laban's injustice [unlike Communists] and waited for the day of retribution." [Genesis 31:38-41]

54: "one can also employ ungodly people, but one should not take them into the family, as one does when one makes them servants or maids"

54: "In Luther's time, slavery was already virtually abolished in Germany"

54-55: "For from the authority of parents flows and spreads all other authority."

55: "servants and maids should see to it that they… also honor them as their own fathers and mothers"

55: "Those shameful people [Communists] who engage in agitation want to eat bread, but it is against their honor to help out as farmhands."

56: "2. those who are in charge of the household have neither the right nor the power to rule over the faith and conscience of their servants."

56: "since most of the servants mentioned in Scripture were slaves, it is very difficult to cite passages that are appropriate to our circumstances." [But Walther's deep Scriptural understanding finds 2 of them!]

57: "However, a householder must ensure that his unbelieving and papist servants are instructed in the true faith…But they are not to be forced to convert"

      Now I present my English translation of the full complete essay. It includes missing portions restored, all emphasized wording retained, wording sometimes closer to Walther's, and hyperlinks for reference and navigation. All references to Luther's writings are linked to English versions:

Download text file with no highlights here; German text file here.

In the next blog posts, Excursus 2A and 2B expand on Walther's history of the Jesuits. Then Part AG12 concludes the series with an all encompassing download of all 11 essays.

AG11a: 1886: Worldly Authorities III, Household Authority (part 1, Parental); "children only toys"

      This continues from Part AG10b (Table of Contents in Part AG1a) in a series presenting Walther's essays to the Western District that supported his theme "That Only Through the Doctrine of the Lutheran Church is All Glory Given to God Alone". — At this 1886 Western District convention, the last in Walther's great series, he addresses a subject where I wondered that it might be boring. But I was greatly mistaken, for in reading the first two pages, I wondered that this was his most important one, especially for our times today. I could not stop highlighting the text as Walther speaks to the heart. Many of the points he makes may be shocking to our modern ears, but they are biblical. — From the report, pages 9-58:

Notable Quotes:

9: Theme: "…the household rule has neither the right nor the power to rule over the faith and conscience of its subordinates"

10: "If there is no return to the right leadership and sanctification of the household government, at least in Christianity, we are heading for terrible times."

10: "The Church has the calling to be the salt of the earth and to resist the encroaching moral and religious decay."

10: "the Lord has helped our small band to gain a salutary influence everywhere, including in matters of Christian morals and order."

10: "the church, its preachers, and its members will not make any friends by punishing all pervasive corruption"

10: "the Lord has helped our small flock [the Old German Missouri Synod] to gain a salutary influence everywhere, including in matters of Christian morals and order"

11: "This [Household] authority itself, however, is divided into three different authorities, namely parental, marital, and paternal."

12: "Only the Lutheran Church has the true teaching about these three estates"

[Children]

12: Thesis I: "children 1. are bound…not only to love their parents…but also to honor them and be subject and obedient"

12: "The father may be pious or godless, but a father is a father."

13: "It does not help if such a son treats other people kindly and lovingly: if he is disobedient to his father, God sees this as a sin against Himself"

13-14: "When a son has grown up, learned something, and earned a lot of money, parents are often afraid to say what they should say"

14: Americans: "We [Germans] must do things differently than the Americans; we must not follow what they consider decent. Our standard is not the fashion and customs of our country, but the Bible, and we must strictly follow it in these matters."

14: "Jesus, the Prince of Life…is subject to Joseph the carpenter, who is only his foster father, and to Mary…"

15: "The father is not obliged to give his children an account of the reasons for his commands"

16: "Because the authority of parents is divine, they cannot forgive anything of it. If they do so, they sin against God"

16: "Scripture says, “The husband is the head of the wife.” Consequently, when parents disagree, children must obey their father."

17: "Parents now have the great task of resisting and controlling the evil that is in their children"

17: "Some children have such a nature that everyone likes them; …thinks they have very good children. And yet it is all nature, an outer veneer…'Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,' says Scripture."

17: "Discipline has two meanings: first, instruction, and second, when instruction is fruitless, punishment."

18: "the apostle's admonition also expresses God's will that children must submit to their parents' discipline"

18: "A father who thinks he has no time, that he must attend to his business,…he must entrust the upbringing of his children to his wife or strangers, is a shameful father."

18: "In this country [America], the situation in this regard is sad. Many Americans say, 'I don't want to teach my children any religion'…But that is a truly satanic principle."

19: "Most people see children only as their toys, delight in them, hug and kiss them, and think that is enough."

20: "Herein lies the first duty of parents, to care for their children, not only physically, but also spiritually"

20: 2 Tim. 1:5: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice” ===>>>

20: "It is a real shame for men that one so rarely hears that they have made a special impression on their children with their Christianity" [Walther hits home!]

21: "Those who spare the rod deprive their children of salvation." [more than "spoil the child"!]

22: "For God's sake, we should make our children poor sinners at an early age"

22: "if they [wayward children] do not comply with the house rules, they should be sent out of the house." 

25: Luther's Preface to his Small Catechism, § 11: unwilling children's "parents and landlords shall deny them food and drink and inform them that the prince wants to drive such uncivilized people out of the country"

26: "children choose people [for spouses] whom their father wants nothing to do with, who speak a different language, are of a different nationality…Family happiness is ruined…"

27: "The main cause…is and remains that people no longer fear God and His holy Ten Commandments."

27: "children, in particular b. when starting their own family, must obtain their parents' consent when choosing a spouse" 

28: "Children are his [the father's] property, and are not their own masters"

29: "It is not living together that makes a couple married, but the mutual promise with the permission of both parents."

30: "It is most terrible when the parents are good Lutherans and the children marry Papists, so that the doors of the house are opened to Roman priests."

30: "this is also the case with an arbitrary promise of marriage made by the children. The father can also revoke such a promise, or rather, he can declare it null and void."

31: "young people are married as soon as they have given their vows with the consent of their parents"

32: Balduin: "In our [Lutheran] church, however, it is taught with great unanimity that the consent of the parents is necessary for the marriage to be valid"

34: "For if the father does not agree with the mother on the marriage of their children, the consent of the father will undoubtedly take precedence, because the man is the master of the woman"

35: Luther on Gen. 6:2, "they took them wives of all which they chose": "they cast aside the law of their fathers and did not keep a certain order of marriage, but followed their lust badly and took those they loved by force, against their parents' will"

35-36: "It is clear that the most godless society that has ever existed is that of the so-called 'Jesuit Order,'…In 1773, Pope Clement XIV abolished the Jesuit Order because all Catholic political powers had demanded it." [See Part AG10b.]

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35-37: A true history of the Jesuits by C. F. W. Walther. "The Jesuits also undoubtedly killed Pope Clement XIV with a terrible poison that took effect over a long period of time. The Pope himself said, when he signed the bull of suppression: 'I am signing my death warrant.'" [Note: AI bots (Gemini,  ChatGPT) will give false narratives to defend the Jesuits!]

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37: "2. parents have neither the right nor the power to rule over the faith and conscience of their children"

38: "When creatures presume to give commands against God's will, these commands have no validity…No father or mother can command anything that is against a child's conscience"

38: "For conscience is the voice of God within every human being, accusing and condemning him"

39: A Christian will "only be certain and satisfied when they know what God has written in His Word"

40: "There are many good Christians who think that we fight and argue too much in our magazines and sermons…The devil must be cast out, or the kingdom of God cannot come."

40: "When a Christian recognizes the truth that leads to salvation, he also speaks it out…Then no consideration for father or mother may hold him back."

41: On John 2:4: "Since she [Mary] wants to interfere with His office, His kindness ceases."

41: "Parents do not have absolute power to marry their children against their will. They must also ask their children what they want."

42: "…a qualification, as Eph. 6:1 explains: ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord,’ that is, in those things that are pleasing to the Lord"

42: "Christ commands that parents be set aside when they demand something from their children that is contrary to God; for it means “hating father and mother” (Luke 14:26)"

42: Luther: "I call it worldly to raise children in such a way that they seek nothing more than pleasure, honor, and wealth, or the power of this world."

43: Luther: "although there is no greater authority on earth than the authority of father and mother, it is nevertheless null and void when it comes to God's Word and work"

44-45: "parents, relatives, or guardians do not always act wisely when they force their sons, or relatives, or wards to study theology, to which they are not naturally inclined."

In the next Part AG11b, we conclude this 1886 essay, on the subjects of Women/Wives and Household servants. 

Walther on Jesuit expulsion from…Catholic lands (Excursus 1)

      The following is an "Excursus" to Part AG10b (Table of Contents in Part AG1a) presenting Walther's essay to the 1885 Western District convention. — While translating Walther's essay, I ran across his reference to a most remarkable historical event, well attested even by Wikipedia. it amazed me how little is known by most people, including me. Here is how Walther reported it, after addressing "heretics" who taught as Communists:

Therefore, it was right that the Jesuits were expelled from Catholic countries in the last century (not for religious reasons, for they were the most loyal papists), and their order was solemnly abolished by Pope Clement XIV in 1773 at the insistence of Catholic powers.

The Wikipedia article admits that "The Jesuits…were not above getting involved in politics". It is shocking that this expulsion, or "suppression" was not from Protestant lands, but from Catholic lands! Why is it not better known among Protestants today? Not so with C. F. W. Walther, who holds it in front of his Lutheran people as an example that secular authorities rightly have the power to control religious groups who threaten the state.

      It is distressing how little even today's Lutherans think of the danger of the Jesuits. A well known Wisconsin Synod (retired) professor, Dr. John Brenner, obtained his PhD from Marquette University, "a Catholic, Jesuit university in the heart of Milwaukee"!

      Readers should turn to the Wikipedia article for a fuller history of this remarkable "suppression", the: "Suppression of the Society of Jesus". 

The caption to the painting shown on Wikipedia reads:

The Society of Jesus expelled from the Kingdom of Portugal by the Royal Decree of 3 September 1759; as a carrack sets sail from Portuguese shores in the background, a bolt of lightning strikes a Jesuit priest as he attempts to set a terrestrial globe, a mitre, and a royal crown on fire; a bag of gold coins and a closed book (symbols of wealth and control of education) lie at the priest's feet.

I suspect that there are strenuous efforts to remove this offending history from the Wikipedia pages! (Proof of this is the statement in the article on the papal brief Dominus ac Redemptor: "Despite being portrayed as a threat to the peace, the Society is suppressed but not explicitly condemned by the papal brief.") I have created an archived copy today to capture this history for all time. — In the next "Excursus 2B", we present Walther's publication from the Jesuit constitution that condemns them for all time, their exception clause permitting sin. — To continue Walther's "All Glory to God" series, see the next Part AG11a. on his essay the next year which contains even more history of the Jesuits.

AG10b: Secular Authorities, part 2 (Jesuits, French Dragonnades)

      This continues from Part AG10a (Table of Contents in Part AG1a) in a series presenting Walther's essays to the Western District that supported his theme "That Only Through the Doctrine of the Lutheran Church is All Glory Given to God Alone". — This concludes the essay from the 1885 Western District. This segment overlaps with some of the material in Prof. Lindemann's essays on "Religious Freedom" and ""Religious Intolerance in America". — 

Notable Quotes:

42: Thesis VII, 3: "a. the secular authorities have the right to neutralize…those heretics who…are dangerous to the state, but that, b. outside of this case, the secular authorities have neither the right nor the power to use coercive force against false beliefs and false worship"

43: "Truly, the secular authorities would therefore have sufficient reason to take action against the Pope as a heretic with principles dangerous to the state; but because they fear him, they bow down before him."

43: Luther on Communists of his time: "…that one should have no property of one's own, but should leave one's wife and children, house and farm, or hold and have all things in common: these are to be punished immediately and without any doubt by the authorities"

43: "it was right that the Jesuits were expelled from Catholic countries in the last century" [Suppression of the Society of Jesus, See following Excursus 1.]

43: "In America, this category includes the Mormons, who were expelled from Missouri and Illinois because of their thievery and settled in Utah" [This is glossed over in today's America.]

44: "b. the secular authorities have neither the right nor the power…to use their coercive power against false beliefs"

44: "Without external force, through the Word alone, the 'deception' of the Antichrist should therefore be destroyed."

44: Luther: "what raving people we have been for so long, wanting to force the Turks to believe with the sword, the heretics with fire, the Jews with death…"

46: Luther: "I am truly sorry that such miserable people are so pitifully murdered, burned, and horribly killed; everyone should be allowed to believe what he wants" [Luther for Freedom of Religion!]

46-47: "History tells of many bloody atrocities committed by Roman Catholic authorities…A second example of deliberate cruelty…against the Huguenots…is the infamous [French] Dragonnades." [See also this blog post.]

48: Dragonnades: “Die or become Catholic!” [Wikipedia: "The dragonnades caused Protestants to flee France"]

49: "Calvin forced the Council of Geneva in 1553 to burn Servetus, who denied the Trinity"

49: "Even the Reformed Max Göbel must admit: the Reformed… were far more the persecutors than the persecuted in preventing Lutherans from worshiping…so too did they commit many injustices with the help of their Reformed state government'

50: "We Lutherans in America cannot therefore thank God enough that the federal constitution makes it impossible for our authorities to give preference to one religion over another."

50: "here [in America], to the shame of those fears [in Germany], religious freedom has proven to be the highest and richest blessing for both the state and the church."

51: Western District: "With thanks to God for the freedom enjoyed by the Church in this country, the synod concluded its doctrinal deliberations"

      Now I present my English translation of the full complete essay. It includes missing portions restored, all emphasized wording retained, wording sometimes closer to Walther's, and hyperlinks for reference and navigation. All references to Luther's writings are linked to English versions:

Download text file with no highlights here; German text file here.

Immediately following is an Excursus 1 on the expulsion of the Jesuits from Catholic lands by the Catholic authorities. Then follows the next Part 11a…

AG10a: 1885, Worldly Authorities II: Secular Authorities (part 1): obey, and disobey

      This continues from Part AG9b (Table of Contents in Part AG1a) in a series presenting Walther's essays to the Western District that supported his theme "That Only Through the Doctrine of the Lutheran Church is All Glory Given to God Alone". — At the 1885 Western District convention, Walther first addressed the remaining Theses left from the 1883 convention on Churchly Authorities, then moved on to the Theses on Secular Authorities. For this Thesis Walther provides much historical evidence that goes along with Prof. Lindemann's essay on Religious Freedom. Also this subject matter will be of great interest to readers in today's world, and especially in America today where the political situation has changed dramatically from Walther's day. But Walther's counsel is still appropriate for he covers historical situations that were even worse than America's political climate today. — From the 1885 report, pp. 13-66:

Notable Quotes:

14: Thesis VII: "…even secular authorities have neither the right nor the power to rule over the faith and conscience of their subjects"

15: "the authorities may not demand anything that violates the commandment of the one who is also their Lord. In such cases, obedience must be refused. In all other matters, however, their commandment is divinely binding."

15: "Romans 13:1–7 is the basis for the doctrine of authority."

15-16: "…at the very time when the Apostle Paul wrote this to the Romans, the bloodhound Nero sat on the Roman imperial throne and used his power to cruelly torture Christians."

16: "we read much in the pages of history about revolts against the authorities in Catholic and Reformed countries."

17: "…we must not resist tyrannical authorities with violence. But the Lord gives us one permission in Matthew 10:23: 'When they persecute you in one city, flee to another.'" [Counsel for today!]

19: "nevertheless, Christ submits to the Roman governor Pilate"

20: "But what if the authorities demand that we do something that is sin? Then our church teaches that we must refuse to obey"

21: "the secular authorities b. have no right to command their subjects to do what God has forbidden, or to forbid what God has commanded, or to compel them to do anything against their conscience"

21: "There is a King above all kings; therefore, His commandments are far above the commandments of all human kings."

21: The apostles "therefore establish the rule in Acts 5:29: 'We must obey God rather than men.'"

22: "What is the work of the Lutheran Reformation other than obedience to the words: 'One must obey God rather than men'?"

23: "a Christian soldier should rather give up his life than go to war at the behest of his king in an unjust war."

24: Luther: "if you do not know, or cannot find out, whether your master is unjust, you should not weaken your uncertain obedience for the sake of uncertain justice, but rather do your best for your master"

24: "no man should allow himself to be used for this purpose, nor be obedient to the emperor [for the Pope], but be certain that it is strictly forbidden by God to obey the emperor in such a case"

27: Thesis VII, 2: "a. the secular authorities are indeed obliged to protect the church in its freedom against injustice and… b. have neither the right nor the power to usurp the government of the church and to compel it to adhere to the true faith."

28: "We therefore highly praise our local [American] authorities for not only refraining from interfering in the government of the church themselves, but also for not tolerating others interfering in it"

29: Treatise: "it is incumbent upon kings and princes…to ensure that the Church's power to judge is not taken away, and that everything is judged according to the Holy Scriptures and the Word of God."

30: In Reformation times: "Far from considering the so-called ecclesial acts of the princes to be princely official acts, they were rather seen as burdens that the princes bore only provisionally…"

31: "It is therefore contrary to Christ's kingdom and spirit to try to force people to the true faith by external force."

31: "our [Lutheran] church…teaches and professes that the secular authorities as such have nothing to do with spiritual and soul matters, that is, with matters of religion and the church."

32: ""A bishop [and prince] as bishop has no power to impose any statutes or ceremonies on his church without the consent of the church"

32: "We Lutherans also celebrate the so-called National Day of Thanksgiving every year, which our governors and presidents recommend that we celebrate; but we would not do so if they ordered it by virtue of their office."

34: "Luther fought earnestly against the consistories as soon as he saw that they wanted to become 'spiritual authorities.'"

35: "Luther finally declared: 'We must tear apart the consistory, for we want, in short, to have neither the lawyers nor the pope'"

35: "Emperor Constantine the Great…in reality the decline of the Church began with him"

37: It is "far from the true Lutheran Church to call upon the help of secular authorities to compel those outside to embrace its faith."

37: "the so-called Paris Blood Wedding [or “St. Bartholomew's Day massacre”] of 1572, celebrated by the Papists…Without doubt, it is with reference to this that the princes of the Augsburg Confession wrote a few years later [1580] in the Preface to the Book of Concord…"

38: "many martyrs were also found among the  Sacramentarians …were not killed because of the doctrine of Holy Communion, but because they did not want to worship the papal abomination, as Lutherans"

39: Luther against violence: "so that no harm comes to the secular authorities, they should also be satisfied and attend to their own business… and no one should be forced by violence. For faith is a free work…"

This portion on Worldly Authorities was an eye opener for me. — In the next Part AG10b we conclude Secular Authorities, part 2, with full downloads of the files.

AG9b: 1883, Churchly Authorities: governing bodies, preachers; with download

      This continues from Part AG9a (Table of Contents in Part AG1a) in a series presenting Walther's essays to the Western District that supported his theme "That Only Through the Doctrine of the Lutheran Church is All Glory Given to God Alone". — Walther now finishes his "Churchly Authorities" heading with the topics of the limitations of the powers of a congregational governing body and of preachers. — From pp. 46-66: 

Notable Quotes:

46: Thesis V: "Nor does any governing body of an individual congregation, whether it be called a council, elders, church council, presbytery, or the like" (Walther first gives biblical teaching on the "governing body".)

47: "We do not find any account of the establishment of the lay presbyterate in the New Testament.…certain proof that it is not an office in the church specially instituted by God"

49: "Among them [Presbyterians], the presbytery rules the congregation so completely that everything they decree is law for the congregation."

50: "It was therefore apostolic practice that not the presbytery stood above the congregation, but the congregation above the presbytery."

50: Thesis VI: "But can't the preacher, who is a servant of Christ, rule over Christians in God's stead? The sixth thesis answers this question: No preacher can…"

50: "Nor should he think that [he is lord over congregation] because he is more educated and knowledgeable"

51: "the office of a preacher is the highest…of all offices…nevertheless, it is…only a diakonia, a service"

52: "Through the Lutheran Reformation, we were not saved from the papacy in order to establish another form of rule…" [Also not synodical rule.]

52: Smalcald Articles: "In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul makes all church ministers equal and teaches that the Church is above the ministers" [Tr 11]

54: "The preacher must have his doctrine examined and judged by the congregation."

55: "one should not read bad or suspicious books or listen to such preachers, unless one has a special calling to do so (Acts 19:19, Matthew 7:15)." [Acts 19:19: "Many of them also which used curious (or magic) arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men"]

56: "The present Romanizing Lutherans now admit that ”the church" has the power to test doctrine, but they deny this right to individual Christians."

57: Luther: "For Christ immediately sets up the opposite, taking away from the bishops, scholars, and councils both the right and the power to judge doctrine, and giving it to everyone and to all Christians in general"

58: "C. The preacher must not command anything that Christ has not commanded."

59: "…Hebrews 13:17 and Matthew 23:2-3, which are …often misinterpreted by Romanizing Lutherans and used to whitewash their priestly rule"

61: "the Jesuits, these satellites of the Antichrist"

61: "D. A preacher has no power to determine or act arbitrarily on matters that concern the entire congregation."

61: "As regards excommunication…the Apostle (1 Corinthians 5) rebukes not so much the bishop as the entire congregation of Corinth for not taking action against the adulterer…A preacher therefore has neither the right to impose excommunication nor to release anyone from it without the congregation."

63: Luther: "I call it the devil's ban and not God's ban, since people are banned for wicked deeds before they are publicly convicted before the congregation, contrary to Christ's order.…the pastor only has to carry out the excommunication publicly in the name of the congregation" [On excommunication]

66: "which of the various good orders and ceremonies are to be chosen, the preacher cannot determine in the slightest without the consent of the congregation" [Pastors do not chose the church order, only the congregation.]

      Now I present my English translation of the full complete essay. It includes missing portions restored, all emphasized wording retained, wording sometimes closer to Walther's, and hyperlinks for reference and navigation:

Download text file with no highlights here; German text file here.

May readers, like me, gain an increased Biblical understanding of Christian freedom and the limitations of Churchly Authority over congregations. Amen! — In the next Part 10a…

AG9a: 1883: Worldly Authorities I: Churchly Authorities

      This continues from Part AG8c (Table of Contents in Part AG1a) in a series presenting Walther's essays to the Western District that supported his theme "That Only Through the Doctrine of the Lutheran Church is All Glory Given to God Alone". — At the 1883 Western District convention, Walther begins a 3-year series on the topic of Worldly Authorities for Christians: Churchly (1883), Secular (1885), and Household (1886) authorities. — In this first installment, he deals first with what the conscience is, then what tyranny is over conscience. Walther speaks with authority because he teaches according to Holy Scripture, so that we can be absolutely sure of what Christian doctrine is in this matter. — This is an extensive essay, so I am breaking it up into 2 parts. The first part is from the 1883 report, pp. 18-46:

Notable Quotes:

18: Conscience, what it is and is not, its definition; erring conscience after Fall

19: "rule over the conscience of another…1) either by force compelling another to believe…or 2) compelling another to do so by virtue of his supposed authority, office, and prestige"

19: Luther, Diet of Worms: "But Luther did not recant. Why not? Because, he said, among other things, it is 'neither safe nor wise to do anything against one's conscience.'"

19: Thesis I: "…no creature in heaven or on earth, but God the Lord Himself alone, has the right and power to rule over the faith and conscience of Christians"

20: "Matthew 15:9: 'In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.' A powerful word from our Savior."

20: Christian freedom: "Christ paid a high ransom to obtain for us …freedom from the curse and compulsion of the moral law, but also freedom from the ceremonial law and from all human laws"

21: "our church rejects all domination of people's consciences is also clear from its description of Christian freedom"

22: Hunnius: "…under the papacy, the Christian people are burdened with far more additions, customs, and ceremonies [than under Levitical law] , all of which are presented as matters of conscience"

22: "But just as it is a grave sin to want to rule over consciences with human statutes, so it is also false humility to submit to human commandments"

23: Christian freedom "by no means implies freedom to disrupt and despise all established orders…a Christian should also willingly comply with his brothers in this for the sake of love and peace."

24: "It is precisely the children of this world who are slaves to their prophets of wisdom."

24: Walther: "And—we may confess to God's praise—our Missouri Synod has remained faithful to the divine Word and the Lutheran Confessions in this regard as well. For a quarter of a century, it has fought publicly for this doctrine [of Christian freedom.]"

25: Walther: For our synod constitution stipulates, among other things, the following for all time:

"The synod is only an advisory body with regard to the self-government of the individual congregations…"

25: "If a congregation finds that the [synodical] decision is not in accordance with the Word of God or is unsuitable for its circumstances, it has the right to disregard or reject the decision"

25: Walther: "…in the event that our synod should ever knowingly attempt to enforce other principles, it has already called upon all its members, preachers, teachers, and congregations, to leave it as a hypocrite and apostate." [All Glory to God, pp. 421-422]

25: Thesis II: "…not even the whole church"

26: "the holy apostles did everything in their power to prevent their high position in the church from giving rise to domination over conscience within it."

26: "The Papists in particular claim that the church has the right and power to make binding laws."

27: Apology: "we have said…that it is not necessary for human statutes to be uniform everywhere."

27-28: Smalcald Articles: "“It is not valid to make articles of faith out of the work or words of the holy fathers"

28: Formula of Concord: "We also confess to the same first Unaltered Augsburg Confession, not because it was formulated by our theologians, but because it is taken from God's Word" [Walther's emphasis.]

30: "But Ephesians 5:24 already forbids drawing that conclusion: 'The Church is subject to Christ, as the wife is to her husband.'" [Against the papists.]

30: "if the whole Church had the power to make laws, then those who obeyed would have to be outside the Church"

30: "if we look around the Church of the present, we find even in most communions that call themselves Lutheran not only the papist practice of controlling consciences, but also the papist doctrine of ecclesiastical power." []

31: "Through Luther, the grace of God broke this yoke of bondage and brought Christians to the knowledge and enjoyment of their freedom"

31: Thesis III: "Nor any church government, whether it be called pope, bishop, superintendent, deacon, president, or council, consistory, synod, or anything else."

32: "This passage [Acts 15:28] is often cited as proof that the synod at least has the power to make binding rules in external matters" [A synod that oversteps its bounds.]

34: "in the early Christian church, bishop and presbyter or elder were names for one and the same office, namely that of all pastors."

35: Luther: "There should and can be no authority among Christians, but each one is at the same time subject to the other"

37: Against Episcopalians: "Lutherans grant Christians their full Christian freedom and do not grant any church minister power alongside the power of the Word" [*******See this blog post.]

38: "one must also be mindful here that the ceremonies do not ultimately become excessive…that they are not regarded as necessary for salvation"

38: "We often see with regret how many beautiful ceremonies are increasingly falling into disuse among us"

38: "The beautiful ancient Christian custom of making the sign of the cross has now, unfortunately, become so much a mark of Catholics in the eyes of the whole world that we cannot reintroduce it into public use without causing great offense."

40: Luther said "when papal law was occasionally used as the basis for judgments: 'We must tear apart the consistory, for we do not want the lawyers and the pope in it.'" [StL 22, 1511]

41: Thesis IV: "Nor any individual congregation, much less a majority of its members."

41: "Many…think, especially in Germany, that our pastors are in fact quite pitiful … servants of men; that the Missouri Synod has a pope turned upside down, …that it has applied the political-democratic institutions of the American republic to the church" [Especially Loehe was behind this last charge, see this blog post.]

41: "the congregation also have their limits in God's Word."

42: "The smallest congregation stands on an equal footing with the largest"

42: "no individual congregation may rule over the faith and conscience of its own members"

43: "in indifferent matters, that is, in matters that God's Word has not decided but left open, the majority may not demand obedience outright"

44: "external connection with other congregations, for example through a synod, neither gives nor takes anything away from the congregation; it can be a true church even without it."

44: "external connection with other congregations, for example through a synod, neither gives nor takes anything away from the congregation; it can be a true church even without it."

45: "one can certainly do no better service to a congregation that wants to force its members to observe its rules than to resolutely refuse to obey it."

46: "Neither preachers nor listeners may presume to exercise power that belongs to God."

46: Thesis V: "Nor does any governing body of an individual congregation, whether it be called a council, elders, church council, presbytery, or the like" (Walther first gives biblical teaching on the "governing body".)

47: "We do not find any account of the establishment of the lay presbyterate in the New Testament.…certain proof that it is not an office in the church specially instituted by God"

49: "Among them [Presbyterians], the presbytery rules the congregation so completely that everything they decree is law for the congregation."

50: "It was therefore apostolic practice that not the presbytery stood above the congregation, but the congregation above the presbytery."

In the next Part 9b, we complete Walther's essay on Churchly Authorities.

AG8c: Evangelical aspect to Prayer; against Pietism (Prayer III)

      This continues from Part AG8b (Table of Contents in Part AG1a) in a series presenting Walther's essays to the Western District that supported his theme "That Only Through the Doctrine of the Lutheran Church is All Glory Given to God Alone". — This third and final part focuses on the teaching that prayer is to focus on "God's command and promise", and be offered in Jesus' name. — From pp. 54-71 of the convention report:

Notable Quotes:

54: Thesis III: "Our church teaches that only prayer based solely on God's command and promise, and is offered in the name of Jesus, is pleasing to God"

57: "The dogmatists of the 17th century mostly treated the doctrine of prayer under the locus of the law". [Walther counters this by reducing the "legal aspect", emphasizing the evangelical aspect.]

59: "Therefore, everyone, whatever he has to ask for, should always come before God with obedience to this commandment."

60: "Matthew 7:7-8: 'Ask, and it shall be given you…'"

61-62: Luther on Moses's silent "cry", or prayer "which fills heaven and earth".

62: Thesis IV: "prayer is neither a meritorious work nor a means of grace, but an exercise of faith"

62: "the Reformed sects call prayer a means of grace"…To call prayer a means of grace does indeed have some appearance of truth"

64: "the sects actually teach that Christ has only earned us the opportunity to obtain God's grace through our prayer [as a means of grace]"

64: "…the Methodist answers him, 'Now you must pray and struggle, and we will pray with you and for you until the feeling of peace with God blesses your heart.'" [We see why Lutherans cannot pray with the sects.]

70-71: Pietism explained!

71: "Our church teaches us that when we ask for forgiveness, we already have it.…not to obtain grace…[but] to obtain the gifts of grace"

      Now I present my English translation of the full complete essay. It includes missing portions restored, all emphasized wording retained, wording sometimes closer to Walther's, and hyperlinks for reference and navigation:

Download text file with no highlights here; German text file here.

For further reading, Franz Pieper has a section on Prayer in his Christian Dogmatics, III, 76-84, Christliche Dogmatik III, 94-103. The modern LC-MS dogmatics, Confessing the Gospel, has a short section in Vol. 2, pp. 1080-1083. — In the next Part AG9…

AG8b: Saints worship, Christ robbed; Person of Christ; the cross, a "magic charm" (Prayer II)

      This continues from Part AG8a (Table of Contents in Part AG1a) in a series presenting Walther's essays to the Western District that supported his theme "That Only Through the Doctrine of the Lutheran Church is All Glory Given to God Alone". — In this second part, Walther continues his defense against saint worship, then brings in how this robs Christ of His honor. — From pp. 34-54 of the convention report:

Notable Quotes: [Thesis I, 2., Thesis II]

35: "what devil has inspired the papacy to say that in times of spiritual distress one should take refuge in the saints instead of in Christ"

36: "…to point Christians to the saints because they are more merciful than Christ?…to say that one should come before God in the name of the saints?"

37: To papists "the sign of the cross has been reduced to a magic charm among them."

38: "The Roman Church is otherwise sharp enough in its censorship when something does not suit it. But here [of saint worship] it remains silent" [Statues of Mary dot the landscape.]

41: In the papacy "Christ ceased to be the gracious Savior of tortured consciences and became a severe judge".

41: Luther, while still a monk: "my heart was completely poisoned by this papist doctrine"

42: Duke George, while dying and told to invoke his patron saint, is later said to have said: ‘Well then, help me, faithful Savior Jesus Christ; have mercy on me'"

43: "We should now also hasten diligently to the Father's heart of our God through Christ in all our concerns, whatever they may be."

Thesis II (on the Person of Christ): "Christ, God and man in one person, is to be invoked and worshipped, not his divinity alone."

44: "the only begotten Son of God, did not merely take up residence in the flesh…“The Word became flesh!” (John 1:14)" 

45: "Christ, as God and man in one person, is to be invoked and worshipped not only according to His divinity, but also according to his humanity"

45: Walther on Phil. 2:9-11: "It does not merely say that the kneeling or worship and invocation should take place in the name of the Son of God, but expressly: 'in the name of Jesus.' But Jesus is the name of our Savior, which he received in His humanity."

46: "1 Tim. 2:5: “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, namely the man Christ Jesus.”

47: "Is it not appalling that almost all churches except the Lutheran, Calvinists as well as Papists, teach that it is permissible to worship Christ according to his divinity, but that to worship him according to his humanity is idolatry?"

50: Errors of Calvinists and Papists on worship of humanity of Christ.

50: "Calvinists…declare what Holy Scripture presents to us in commandment, promise, and example to be idolatry!"[Prayer to Christ's humanity.]

50: Quenstedt: "The Papists, who make a distinction between worship (latreia) and excessive worship (hyperduleia), … [attribute hyper-veneration] to the humanity of Christ and the Blessed Virgin."

51: Luther against Zwingli: "Beware, beware, I say, of alloeosis, it is the devil's mask…that Christ is no longer there with His suffering and life, but just another saint."

52: "the union [of Christ's divinity to His human nature] is and remains inseparable for all eternity"

54: "Let the Papists and Calvinists laugh at us as idolaters: we remain true to the teaching of Scripture"

In the next Part AG8c…