Evangelical Fundamentals

PART ONE

Evangelical Principles and History

Containing

I. THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

by Pastor David Brüning

II. THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH IN AMERICA

by Pastor Ewald Kockritz

III. THE STORY OF THE CHRISTIAN YEA

by Pastor Julius Horstmann

Introduction

There is a peculiar fascination about the study of history which never fails to attract the earnest and the thoughtful. Who of us has not enjoyed thoroughly the quiet hour at home when father or mother told their eagerly listening children of their own childhood and youth, of grandfather and grandmother, of the old homestead far away, perhaps across the sea, of some noble or famous ancestor, of lessons learned or of duties done, or of important deeds or events that became milestones on the pathway of their lives. Did not life seem brighter and bigger after that; did not the heart grow braver, the will stronger and the bonds of filial love more firm and tender as we listened, and did we not consecrate ourselves with a new determination to live up to the great and good and beautiful things that had been recounted? 

It is a similar service which this little volume would perform for those who take the time to read it thru. It invites you to spend a quiet hour or so with the things of the past, to listen to the family history of your beloved Evangelical Church, who is our spiritual mother. It would unroll before its readers the interesting and inspiring story of the development of their Church, of the spirit that gave it life, of the soil in which it was nourished, of the fierce period of storm and stress and struggle that gave it strength and character, and how it was transplanted to the soil of the New World, where, in the sunshine of God’s blessing, and nourished by the soil of a pure and earnest devotion to Jesus Christ and the Gospel of His Kingdom, and by the bracing atmosphere of full religious liberty, it has grown into a sturdy tree that is bringing forth good fruit. A knowledge of the noble men and the great deeds and events that have helped to make our Church what it is today can go far toward firing the reader with

new devotion toward Him who is the head of the Church, and with a new earnestness and enthusiasm for the great task entrusted to the Evangelical Church in America. 

In publishing this volume the aim of the committee has been not so much the presentation of altogether new material, as the gathering together of such material of general interest and value which has already been published at one time or another. Pastor Bruning’s exposition of the fundamental principles of the Evangelical Church deserves a much wider circulation than it has received, and even those who are familiar with it will find pleasure and profit in reading it again. Pastor Kockritz’ Diamond Jubilee Memorial is worthy of a permanent place in our Evangelical literature and has been reprinted with such changes as condensation and the insertion of the statistics of 1915 made desirable. The article on the Christian Year (Evangelical Year Book, 1913) was added because of the value of this institution for an orderly view and presentation of the facts and truths of the story of Christ’s redemption, and for preserving and fostering the sense of the historical continuity of the Church. Many new illustration have been added to make the volume as attractive and interesting as possible. 

Saint Louis, Missouri, June, 1916                                                                                              J. H. H.