“Men, who in their hearts are strangers to true religion, and opposed to its real interests, are always ready to exercise a controlling influence over the church. In almost every religious community, there are some such men, who would carry the spirit of the world into religion. They have an idea, that the church cannot be sustained without bringing in this worldly influence.

“Let ministers and officers of churches beware of such an influence. The men who would exert it, are often of high standing in community. Their property and rank in society give them the power of creating schisms, and raising disturbances which are not easily quelled. Let Christians beware how they throw themselves into the power of such men; for there is nothing that will so soon destroy a church, as such a worldly spirit and policy. God has separated his church from the world, and there can be no compromise between them; no communion between light and darkness; no fellowship between righteousness and unrighteousness. – George Lintner

George Lintner was a great lover and defender of the Augsburg Confession.

The Church Must Not Use The Methods Of Business

“…those who administer the government of the church… are bound to watch over the purity of the church, and endeavor to guard it against the introduction of a worldly spirit. They are to manage its affairs according to the principles and spirit of the Gospel, and not stop to consult the views and feelings of worldly-minded men, when God commands them to go forward in the path of duty, which he has marked out for them.

Book Contents

• Church Government.
• Submission to Christ’s Authority.
• The Church Must Be Kept Separate And Distinct From the World
• Unity and Harmony Must Be Preserved By Excluding Disorderly and Unworthy Members
• The Church Must Maintain The Pure Doctrine of the Gospel
• Applications To the Lutheran Church
• The Church Council
• The District Synods
• The General Synod

Publication Information

• Lutheran Library edition first published: 2019-09-30
• Updated: 2019-10-06 (v5)
• Copyright: CC BY 4.0