In pages 24–25 of volume 63 (1917) of Lehre und Wehre, Friedrich Bente wrote the following concerning a request for the inhabitants of St. Louis to pray for an end to the war. Given the position of many within visible Christendom, that the Jews, Mohammedans, etc. worship the same God as the Christians, I have deemed it worthwhile to let Bente speak once again with the voice of God.
The God of the rabbi, the priest, and the clergyman. J. Baltzer, the President of the Evangelical Synod of North America [now the United Church of Christ], allowed a request to the members of his Synod for “ecclesiastical demonstration in favor of peace efforts” to appear in the local Westlichen Post, which concludes thus: “The prayers for peace rising from the trenches, prison camps, and military hospitals unite in these days with the great home congregations of the warring peoples. The people crave [lechzt nach] peace. The [p. 25] voice of the people is in this case certainly the voice of God. Should another yearning prevail in our hearts [Brust] than with those deeply affected peoples? In New York, Chicago, Denver, and San Francisco the grand peace demonstrations are organized by large people’s assemblies. Can the St. Louisans not organize an equal and serious demonstration when on December 31, 1916, all rally at their shepherds in their resp. places of worship [Gotteshäusern] and pray for world peace? The source of this peace is for the rabbi, the priest, and the clergyman always the same God of Peace. He hears [erhört] the prayer of His children.” Of this invitation to the prayer for peace, which regularly rises up to God also in our churches, we take note here only because of the last words. These we understand thus, that according to President J. Baltzer Jews as well as Christians have and call upon the same God and are also likewise children of this God. But how is this compatible with the words “Whoever denies the Son, he also does not have the Father” (1 John 2:23) or “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father” (John 5:23)? And how is it compatible with the Christian doctrine that true prayer can only exist [vorhanden sein] as the fruit of justifying faith? F. B.
Altlutheraner 