472 



LUTHERANS. 



Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the 

 Norwegian Synod. Prof. W. F. Lehmann was 

 chosen president. The forenoon of each day 

 was devoted to the continuance of a discussion 

 of a series of theses on ecclesiastical fellow- 

 ship, a number of which had been considered 

 and adopted at previous meetings of the Con- 

 ference. The following three theses were 

 adopted : 



11. It is furthermore inconsistent with confession 

 when an ecclesiastical body is content to have its 

 pastors receive not a regular, but only a temporary, 

 call from their congregations, or when it even itself 

 promotes this disorder by the license system. 



12. It is a crying conflict with the Confession when 

 an ecclesiastical body that calls itself Lutheran and 

 wants to be such, manifests no earnestness and zeal 

 in establishing, so far as lies in its power, orthodox 

 congregational schools where these do not exist. 



13. It is also in conflict with the Confession when 

 a Lutheran organization does not exercise care that 

 in its congregations only orthodox liturgies, hymn- 

 books, catechisms, and books of instruction and edi- 

 fication are used, or does not use proper diligence to 

 put away books that contain false doctrine and to 

 introduce others that are sound in the faith. 



In addition to these theses, the 9th of anoth- 

 er series of theses on parochial boundaries, the 

 consideration of which had been begun four 

 years before, was discussed and adopted. Re- 

 ports were received of the action of the sev- 

 eral synods on a proposition which had been 

 submitted the year before, looking to the for- 

 mation of synods bounded by State lines, and 

 the establishment of a theological seminary. 

 The subject had received general attention, 

 but further action upon it was not deemed 

 necessary. The Conference resolved to begin 

 its missionary operations without delay by es- 

 tablishing a mission among the colored people 

 of the United States. 



Scandinavian Lutheran Churches in the Unit- 

 ed States. The Scandinavian Lutheran church- 

 es in the United States comprised, at the be- 

 ginning of 1877, eight ecclesiastical bodies, 373 

 ministers, 1,071 congregations, and 117,552 

 members. The Swedish Augustana Synod, 

 with 107 ministers, 246 congregations, and 33,- 

 265 communicants, is attached to the Gener- 

 al Council ; the Norwegian-Danish Augustana 

 Synod, with 13 ministers, 53 congregations, and 

 7,000 members, sends delegates to the General 

 Council, but has no organic union with it ; 

 the Norwegian Synod, with 117 ministers, 449 

 congregations, and 53,800 members, is attached 

 to the Synodical Conference ; the Swedish Ans- 

 gari Synod, with 14 ministers, 10 congrega- 

 tions, and 850 members, is connected with the 

 General Synod; and Hauge's Norwegian Syn- 

 od, the Conference of the Norwegian-Danish 

 Lutheran Church in North America, the Swed- 

 ish Evangelical Lutheran Mission Synod, and 

 the Danish Lutheran Church in America, num- 

 bering together 122 ministers, 313 congrega- 

 tions, and 22,631 members, maintain an inde- 

 pendent position. Of the 13 ministers com- 



prising the Norwegian-Danish Augustana Syn- 

 od, four were at the beginning of 1877 labor- 

 ing in Dakota Territory, whither many of the 

 younger members of the older congregations 

 in Illinois and Wisconsin had emigrated. The 

 Church was reported to be growing fast in this 

 part of the Territory of the Synod, and a larger 

 number of ministers was called for. The Synod 

 had an academy at Marshall, Wis., which had 

 recently been reopened, and was giving instruc- 

 tion to a class of " some seven or more " young 

 men in theology. The Swedish Augustana 

 Synod, at its meeting held at Burlington, Io., 

 June 21st, received 18 new congregations into 

 its connection. A report was read from the 

 Rev. J. Teleen, the missionary to the American 

 Indians, giving information in regard to the 

 mission which the Synod had undertaken the 

 year before among these people, to the effect 

 that he had examined the opportunities offered, 

 but had not yet established a mission; after 

 which the Synod resolved to petition the Gov- 

 ernment for a regular Indian agency, or, if an 

 agency cannot be obtained in a short time, for 

 a station near Fort Sill, and to appoint a spe- 

 cial committee to take charge of its applica- 

 tion. It also resolved that Indian youths be 

 received and educated at its Augustana Col- 

 lege, and that the means for carrying out this 

 purpose be collected through the Sunday- 

 schools. A set of theses were adopted on the 

 subject of divorce, based upon the affirmation 

 of the principle that the only ground for a 

 scripturally legal divorce is adultery. 



A Free Diet of the Lutheran Church, " to dis- 

 cuss living subjects of general worth and im- 

 portance to all Lutherans," was held in Phila- 

 delphia, Pa., December 27th and 28th. The 

 programme of the proceedings was privately 

 arranged before the calling of the Diet, and 

 provided for the reading of essays on topics of 

 interest to the Church, by members of several 

 of the bodies into which the Church is divided, 

 and for free discussions of the subject of each 

 essay after its presentation. No subjects were 

 permitted to be discussed other than those of 

 the essays, and no vote was taken on any of 

 the subjects considered. The Diet was under- 

 stood to be without official or representative 

 character, and to be designed simply to give 

 to members of the different Lutheran bodies 

 an opportunity of exchanging views. Besides* 

 the historical and doctrinal papers and discus- 

 sions, the subjects presented which were of 

 the most general interest were, " The Relations 

 of the Lutheran Church to the Bodies around 

 ns," by the Rev. Prof. 0. P. Krauth, D. D. ; 

 "The Four General Bodies of the Lutheran 

 Church in the United States: wherein they 

 agree, and wherein they might harmoniously 

 cooperate," by the Rev. J. A. Brown, D. D. ; 

 and " Education in the Lutheran Church in the 

 United States," by Prof. Valentine, of Penn 

 sylvania College, Gettysburg, Pa. 



