3. More About Papa

The main business at Wittenberg, in those early years, was the production of Lutheran preachers. Although it had been my father’s intention to study law, Doctor Sprecker needed only to suggest the ministry as a profession for his young disciple. But when Papa had finished his college training and applied for a license to preach he failed to answer the Examining Board’s questions correctly.

For one thing, he did not believe that unbaptized infants went to hell; adding, to his inquisitors’ horror, that he wasn’t sure there was such a place as hell; that he couldn’t fit hell into his belief in a God of infinite Love. And, furthermore (as if these heresies weren’t sufficient to blackball him) Papa went on to say that he didn’t believe in the Devil; for if God had created all things He surely wouldn’t have rigged up that kind of competition to dispute His Own authority.

At the noon recess, when the outraged Examining Committee were at dinner in the President’s home, kindhearted old Doctor Sprecker pleaded with them to be mindful of the rash young man’s inexperience in solving such philosophical riddles; and, having been comforted with their host’s fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy and warm apple pie, promised to have another go at my papa in the afternoon.

They asked him to tell them how he felt about Martin Luther, for surely he had been properly indoctrinated on the life of the great reformer. But here again my papa froze them by replying that while a general clean-up of the old Mother Church was clearly in order, Martin Luther loved a good fight and was lucky to come out of this one with a whole skin.

This was the wrong answer. The Committee wanted a little more reverence shown for the man who had courageously risked his future, and they said so. But my papa was unimpressed. Considering how firmly the Church handled apostates, the good Doctor had done very well to escape a bonfire and die of natural causes, in bed, with his boots off. And then Papa added that he had often wished Luther had kept his vow of celibacy, and had avoided the criticism of those who thought he broke from the Church primarily because he wanted a wife and children. If he had remained single, said Papa, it would have added much to his stature.

With this, the Examining Board gave up and left the room without the formality of a motion to adjourn.

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