WIC7: Christianity, A Religion of the Hereafter (1920 Synod) (Appendix)

      This concludes from Part WIC6 (Table of Contents in Part WIC1) in a series presenting a new translation of all of Franz Pieper's essays previously translated in the 1933 CPH book What Is Christianity? And Other Essays. — This installment features an essay of Dr. Pieper that was not included among the essays for the 1933 CPH book, but was worthy of inclusion. It involves the matter of the death of each one of us — where will we go when we die? Pieper sets our hearts and minds at rest as Christians. 

      His essay for the 1920 Delegate Synod convention was not published in the Proceedings, but serialized in 5 monthly installments in Lehre und Wehre at the beginning of the following year, 1921. From volume 67, pp. 1-7, 33-39, 65-70, 97-102, 129-134.

Notable Quotes: 

Part I: Against Liberal Theology, "social gospel": Even 100 years ago liberal theology was exploding. We see the fruits of that in today's world.

1: "a powerful movement has begun that wants to either completely eliminate the hereafter, heaven and hell, from the Christian religion.… to turn the Christian Church into a reform school for this life"

2: This world's religion: "the Church…should not emphasize the "hereafter", heaven and hell and the creeds"

3: "for politics is religion, and religion is politics, because both struggle for the same ideal of producing political justice and just politics"

4: Rockefeller "calls interest in creeds and the "hereafter" worthless "theoretical religion"

4: "'Interchurch World Movement'.…has set itself the goal of spreading so-called Christian civilization."

5: "an attack on the Christian Church which must be called satanic in the most eminent sense"

5: "Christ also makes a powerful reference to hell.…these people want to have the subject of hell cast aside as an obsolete one!"

6: "every sin …first and foremost registers a debt before God in heaven"

6: "the knowledge of sin…saves us from the attempt to push the creeds … into the background"

Part II: "exerts the greatest influence on life in this world": good for Christian counseling

35: Christians "see their life here on earth as nothing other than a journey, a journey that is directed day by day towards the eternal heavenly home."

36: Christians "paradise is not on this earth…is the heavenly paradise"

36: Liberal "Interchurch World Movement" described as "Another Babylon, more portentous, more mysteriously potent for evil, more daring in blasphemy, more impotent of power to reach up into heaven".

37: "The Christian religion solves all these problems precisely because it is the religion of the hereafter."

38: Marriage: Husbands "love, honor and nourish their spouse"; wives "love, honor and be subject to their husbands"

38: Parents-children: Parents "regard their children as a precious gift from God; they bring them up in discipline and admonition of the Lord"; children "honor and love their parents as God's representatives on earth and are subject to them in all things"

38: Citizens: "never make revolution, but recognize the existing authority, … in all things that are not contrary to God's Word."

38: Employers-workers: Employers "do not abuse their position to tyrannize over the workers and reduce their just wages"; Workers "do not abuse the power that lies in their greater numbers" in unions.

Part III: Missionary activity

66: Christians are to "convey the connection with heaven to other people through the proclamation of the gospel. … the real purpose of our life in this world!"

67: "Even if a person takes his own life, he does not thereby escape existence in an eternal afterlife."

69: "The gospel of Christ… has been widely replaced by the Unitarian doctrine that Christ is not the eternal Son of God and therefore not the Savior of men through his vicarious satisfaction"

70: "God's eye is presently on us in the whole world, especially on the Missouri Synod ….perhaps God's judgments on us have already begun."

Part IV: "public preaching ministry"

97: "The preacher must first of all be certain of his own heavenly home."

98: "a Christian preacher who has the salvation of souls in mind will proclaim God's Law in all its severity… [all] must throw themselves into the dust before God"

99: "the preaching office is not merely to civilize souls, but to save them, the preacher will not allow his office to be made small and unimportant"

100: "Christian preachers in particular should not expect the due reward for their faithful ministry in this world."

101: "We teach our theological students what and how they must teach in order to save souls to heaven."

Part VI: Connection of "Christian Church on Earth with Heaven"; material for Christian counseling.

130: "Christians perceive God's wrath around them … the certainty of God's grace fades…Their connection with the gracious God in heaven does not seem to exist"

130: "the death of Christians looks, on the surface, exactly like the death of unbelievers"

130: "There is a ladder to heaven for us humans here on earth."

131: False connections: a) Spiritualism, "an imaginary connection between this world and the hereafter"; b) Reformed "immediate effect of the Holy Spirit, i.e. an effect that is detached from all external means".

132: The right connections: "These are the means of grace ordained by God for the time of life here on earth, namely God's own Word and the sacred acts instituted by God, Holy Baptism and Holy Communion".

133: "We so-called Missourians and those with us who hold the Holy Scriptures to be God's infallible word are regarded in wide circles as backward eccentrics."

133: "We can be imprisoned and cut off…: if we have a Bible with us or if we have the Bible in our memory and heart, then we remain in secure contact with our Savior and our heavenly home."

134: "In every Christian home belongs the home service."

      In translating this essay, I had no help as in the previous essay, comparing it to other previous translations such as from Prof. Mueller's book. He, and/or Concordia Publishing House, did not include this wonderful essay. But it was not a long essay and it's subject matter will interest all Christians. Therefore it deserves to be included. — Now I present the first full polished translation of Pieper's 1920 essay to the Synod's convention in Detroit:

Download DOCX file without highlighting >> here <<; German text file here.

      When the German Missourians speak of one who has passed away among them, they speak of a "Heimgang" or "going home". It is a striking image for the future of all Christians who believe in Christ as their Savior from their sin. May all readers, and I, fix our eyes on Jesus in the hereafter with Him, our eternal home. Amen! — In the last Part WIC8, we provide a download of a compilation of all essays into one book of 212 pages.