The Quest for American Kinship:
Liberty, Ethnicity, and Ecumenism
among Pennsylvania German
Lutherans, 1817–1842
by Steven M. Nolt
"I AM PERSUADED," Pastor David F. Schaeffer (1787–1837) declared
on 31 October 1817, that "were Christians more anxious to inform themselves
as to past events, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ would be
more generally experienced, appreciated, and supported, particularly in
this land of liberty." Schaeffer was presiding over a tricentennial celebration
in Frederick, Maryland, of Martin Luther's posting his
"Ninety-five Theses" in Wittenberg, Germany and launching the Protestant
Reformation. For Schaeffer and his Pennsylvania German Lutheran
congregation the festival evoked both ethnic and religious pride. The
church choir even performed special anniversary hymns commissioned
for the occasion.
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