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Rev. Dr. Matthew R. Richard

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Rev. Dr. Matthew R. Richard The Galesburg Rule - A Contemporary Interpretation Introduction: A Brief History By: Rev. Dr. Matthew Richard “Lutheran pulpits are for Lutheran came about from within Lutheranism; ministers only. Lutheran altars are for the General Synod to be specific. The Lutheran communicants only.” General Synod, which was led by a man named Samuel Simon Schmucker, had The thesis stated above is known as the deeply breathed in the ecumenical ethos summary for the Galesburg Rule of of the day. More specifically, 1875. The Galesburg Rule, as it Schmucker proposed a basic became known, is a result of a series of confessional proposal of holding to the theses on pulpit and altar fellowship by Augsburg Confession and the Small Charles Porterfield Krauth. Catechism only. Indeed, Schmucker attempted to lay forth an American Krauth, who was the main leader of the Lutheranism that would be much more General Council in the nineteenth- versatile within an American Protestant century and an ardent defender of culture. Schmucker was attempting to Confessional Lutheranism, had serious deemphasize Lutheran particularities in concerns about departure of the order to conduct outreach and Lutheran Church in America from her ecumenicalism without creating Lutheran Confessions. Furthermore, he conflicting doctrinal differences. was concerned with the apparent According to Charles Arand, Schmucker put the emphasis on ‘American’ and not amalgamation of American Protestant 1 tenets with Lutheran theology. Finally, upon ‘Lutheran.’ he was concerned with opening altars and pulpits without restriction. In short, Conflict seriously arose and the true he wanted the influence of Reformed colors of Schmucker came about in Churches removed and a return to 1855 when Schmucker and Benjamin Confessional Lutheranism for Lutheran Kurtz wrote the Definite Synodical Churches. Platform. The Definite Platform “represents a determined effort to bring www.pastormattrichard.com | Was there a reason for Krauth to be Lutheranism into concord with concerned though? Yes, there most Calvinism. It reflects the results of many definitely was. years of unionism between Lutherans 2 and Calvinists.” Though the Definite While there was always the concern for Calvinism infiltrating the Lutheran 1 Charles Arand. Testing the Boundaries: Church, the gravest of concerns for Windows to Lutheran Identity (St. Louis, MO: Lutheranism in the nineteenth-century Concordia Publishing House, 1995), 27. Rev.Matthew Dr. R. Richard 1 Richard 2 Platform was never adopted by the century. Otherwise stated, due to the General Synod, it surely revealed the ecumenical ethos of some within the theological disposition of Schmucker General Synod and the unionistic and Kurtz. Simply and bluntly stated, attitude of Schmucker, Krauth’s the Definite Platform neutered the Galesburg Declaration emerged as an Augsburg Confession. Schmucker and attempt to stand against this relentless Kurtz took a black sharpie to the drive to write off Lutheran distinctions, a Augsburg Confession and crossed out drive which could have possibly led to sections that were not palatable. They the elimination of Lutheranism within deleted what they perceived as errors in North America. the Augsburg Confession; sections such as: private confession and absolution; “Lutheran pulpits are for Lutheran baptismal regeneration, Christ’s true ministers only. Lutheran altars are for body and blood in the supper, Lutheran communicants only.” forgiveness of sins in the Lord’s supper, etc…, for this modification was based off of their belief that the Lutheran Church Discussion Questions: needed further reform away from 1) Does the attitude/opinion of Catholicism. They feared burdening Schmucker exist today within people with “excessive doctrines, Confessional Lutheranism? especially the peripheral points, 2) In what ways is Lutheranism being [believing] it would hinder, hide, and de-emphasized today by those within remove the central principle of Lutheranism? Lutheranism, that of justification by 3) What are the justifications being grace through faith.”3 In summary, the used today in the de-emphasis (i.e., Definite Platform was Schmucker’s Schmuckerization) of Lutheranism? attempt at making Lutheranism more 4) Where is the greatest threat to American and palatably Protestant Lutheranism? Is it from inside or through his embracement of Pentecostal from outside? piety and nineteenth-century liberal 5) As stated above, Schmucker theology. attempted to make Lutheranism more American, thus resembling www.pastormattrichard.com | It is within this context that one must generic Protestantism. Today, does understand the difficulties brewing within it really matter if Lutheranism is the Lutheran Church of the nineteenth- Americanized? Is there really that 2 Carl S. Meyer, ed. Moving Frontiers: much of a difference between Readings in the History of The Lutheran Church— Confessional Lutheranism and say, Missouri Synod (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1964), 41. Pop-American Evangelicalism? 3 Arand. Testing the Boundaries: Windows Rev.Matthew Dr. R. Richard to Lutheran Identity, 30. 2 .
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