Priest Rebukes Bishop

The Finnish Lutheran priest and educator, Urho Muroma, was incensed when a prominent Lutheran bishop, Eelis Gulin, took a stand publicly in behalf of the evolution theory. In his religious periodical Herää Valvomaan, No. 9, 1957, priest Muroma voiced his indignation by saying: “All honor must be to everyone’s belief, but when a bishop, who is obligated by the canonical law to defend pure doctrine in the church, presents opinions that contradict the two-thousand-year-old faith of the Christian church besides being scientifically untenable and apparently contrary to his own oath when sworn into office, then he is guilty of a most improper act. Bishop Gulin says that the faith of the Christian church in Jesus’ positive authority is ‘ridiculous’ and so do all liberal theologians. . . . The matter is a very serious one. . . . The Baptist church is within its rights to demand that its leaders do not start to defend baptism of infants and, if they do so, to remove them. The Adventist church is within its rights to demand that its leaders do not start to recommend Sunday as sabbath day and, if they do so, to dismiss them. Jehovah’s witnesses are within their rights to demand that their leaders do not believe in a triune God and, if they do so and teach accordingly, to disfellowship them. But in the Lutheran church everyone is entitled to teach any heresy he likes without being punished.”