SCHMUCKER, S(AMUEL) S(IMON)

born Feb. 28, 1799, Hagerstown, Md., U.S. died July 26, 1873, Gettysburg, Pa. American Lutheran theologian and educator. A principal exponent of a reformed American Lutheran Church, he joined in the establishment of the General Synod (1820) that coordinated the various Lutheran churches in the United States and helped found Gettysburg Seminary (1826; now Lutheran Theological Seminary) and Pennsylvania College (chartered in 1832 as Gettysburg College). In his Definite Synodical Platform (published anonymously in 1855) he reinterpreted the Augsburg Confession in terms of 19th-century liberal theology, Pentecostal piety, and the need for an American expression of Lutheranism integrating with other churches. He collaborated in organizing the Evangelical Alliance (1846) and wrote Elements of Popular Theology (1834) and The Unity of Christ's Church (1870). His Definite Platform was rejected by the Lutheran membership, which had recently been increased by conservative immigrants.