Theological Issues In The ELCA
by George Wolfgang Forell
Theology has played an important part in the life of the Lutheran Church in the 2(Mi Century. It was theological revival in response to the National-Socialist movement that forced the church to oppose the racism of the Nazis. Hundreds of ordinary parish pastors participated in the opposition to the so-called German Christians. This confrontation forced Lutherans to engage political issues on the basis of their faith. Theologians who came as refugees to the U.S. contributed to an understanding of the social ethical implications of the Christian faith.
While critical of the Social Gospel, these theologians articulated the need for social and political responsibility not independent from Lutheran theology but based upon it. They claimed that theology was not irrelevant to social action but actually supplied the basis for it.
Today few people in responsible positions in the ELCA would dare assert that the church should not deal with questions of social policy. Love must become active in justice.
How deeply is this social activism rooted in the theology of the Lutheran Church? It is possible to have a religious organization which docs not have any theology. What is commonly called "main line Protestantism" has no clearly defined theology. What holds these groups together is a common history and certain sociological similarities. Such organizations are characterized by a certain moral stance which stays very close to the conventional wisdom of the moment.
This may very well be the future of theology in the ELCA. Professional theologians would be segregated in seminaries, where they would do what theologians are supposed to doù they could disagree with each other to their hearts' content. The seminaries of" the church would become increasingly "non-denominational". The notion that a theological consensus is desirable and should be developed, as expressed repeatedly in the Book of Concord, would seem quaint and obsolete. In fact, so would the notion of heresy or false belief. It would not matter what you believe as long as you arc sincere.
Why do I consider this a possible scenario? (1) The ELCA has not provided a structure for the interaction between theology and the organized church. When a theological issue must be addressed it is turned over to a special commission which will be inclusive (race, sex, age, language other than English, etc.) but may very well not include a theologian. Inclusivity docs not go that far.
(2) Many leaders and ordinary members consider theology irrelevant to the basic needs and tasks of the church. Professional theologians have the reputation of writing and speaking in a jargon which is practically incomprehensible to the average pastor, not to mention parishioners.
[German theologians in] the Barmen Declaration of 1934 declared in the face of the neo-paganism of the Nazis: "Jesus Christ, as he is attested for us in the Holy Scriptures is the one Word of God which we have to hear and which we have to trust and obey in life and death. We reject the false doctrine, as though the Church could and would have to acknowledge as a source of its proclamation, apart from and beside this one Word of God, still other events and powers, figures and truths, as God's revelation." The problem here addressed is as acute as it has ever been. Modern religiosity in the United Slates, consists largely of the worship of "other events and powers, figures and truths" apart from and besides this one Word of God – the worship of self, the spiritual power in every individual claiming that every human being is God, or the worship of the elemental spirits – be that the power of the stars or the impersonal process undergirding the universe.
Even theologians have great difficulty with the second article of the Apostles' Creed and John 14:6: "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father but by me." This scriptural claim is found offensive by many. Willing to accept a creator God and equally willing to "share the spirit", they are offended by the scandal of Christology. But if church history teaches us anything, it tells us that there is no Christianity without Christ. Our whiteness or blackness, our masculinity or femininity, our wealth or poverty, our liberal or conservative politics, or even the voice of our blood cannot substitute for this one Word of God. Yet under the aegis of pluralism they become sources of the proclamation of the church, often to the virtual exclusion of the Gospel.
Related to this embarrassment over the exclusiveness of Christology is the discomfiture with the doctrine of justification by faith as the article with which the church stands or falls. Luther claimed fin the Smalcald Articles! that "nothing of this article can be given up or compromised, even if heaven and earth and things temporal should be destroyed".
It appears that main line Protestantism lacks the willingness to make such an uncompromising statement. If the Lutheran Church joins this movement, it will promote culture religion. But since we live in a culturally pluralistic society, some will rely heavily on the authority of Adam Smith, others on Karl Marx, and some on Dale Carnegie. As far as the interaction with culture and society is concerned, the church will merely follow the crowd.
This scenario is not the only one conceivable for the future of theology in the church. It is imaginable that the ELCA would take theology seriously, steering away from least common denominator ecumenism and building its proclamation on the exposition of the Holy Scriptures with the help of the great trinitarian creeds and the confessions of the Lutheran Church. The ELCA Constitution certainly makes this possible. There are other reasons which may supply hope.
First, there is the hunger and thirst of all kinds of people for the good news of Jesus, the Christ. We live in an age in
Forell is an International leader in Christian ethics and Carver Distinguished Professor of Religion, University of Iowa search of faith. The frauds that make the headlines bear witness to the fact that people in America are seeking and not finding.
The only thing the church of the Reformation has to offer is the Gospel of justification by grace through faith. Feeling good about yourself is not enough. We must believe that we are accepted even when we do not feel good about ourselves. Salvation by little moral rules docs not work, but neither does salvation by embracing various political causes. This does not mean that morality or political action are useless – they just don't save. Secondly, there is a developing consensus among Lutheran theologians in this country on this basic issue of the Gospel. Since the days of the Lutheran Orthodoxy in 19th Century America, there has not been a similar consensus sufficient to sustain the kind of debate, within a universe of discourse which is essential for theology.
Third reason? The men and women preparing for the ministry in our Lutheran seminaries arc different from those of a generation ago; many are second-career people. [They] have a very clear idea why they want to be pastors. They have given up money and position and are going into debt, threatening the security of their families, because they want to be servants of God through the ministry of Word and sacrament. They arc not interested in the superficial aspects of the ministry. They had lessons in salesmanship before. They have come for [hat which is the center of theology, the service of Word and sacrament.
The last point: the significance of the intentional inclusiveness of the ELCA. Anybody who has participated in worship in those Lutheran congregations which are largely Black or Hispanic, will have observed the vitality with which the gospel of justification and forgiveness has been appropriated. It is apparently easier to understand the Gospel as "good news" in the inner city than in the suburbs. There are few of the oppressed and the poor who think that they are good or even feel particularly good about themselves. Without cross and resurrection the church has no real message for them. Thus they bring a theological realism about the human situation which may have a profound effect on our theology.
In view of the euphoria of some over the establishment of the ELCA one should be aware of the flaws in its structure, especially in regard to theology. In view of the pessimists, one should be aware of the potential of the Lutheran movement because of the place of the Word of God in its life. As so often before in the history of the Christian Church, we may be at a moment of decision; the proper stance for us may be the prayer "Come, Holy Spirit".
– excerpted by
Dr. George H Muedeking,
*This essay has been excerpted from "The Future of Theology in the Lutheran Church", Lutheran Quarterly. Spring 1990, by permission.
David Preus to Keynote
FOCL Rally May 19
The Rev. Dr. David Preus, former American Lutheran Church presiding bishop, will keynote FOCL's first annual mass rally, Pentecost Sunday, May 19th. His address will highlight the 90-minute rally at Sacramento's Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 1615 Morse Avenue, beginning at 3:30 p.m. The theme of the event is,"God's Holy Word: Our Great Heritage".
Dr. Preus was president of the ALC until its merger into the ELCA. He also served as Vice-President of the Lutheran World Federation and as a member of the World Council of Churches' Central Committee. His dynamic address will focus on the critical challenges the ELCA faces in defining and expanding its mission and ministry while remaining faithful to its heritage of doctrine and life.
Also featured among the other speakers is the Rev. Dr. George Muedeking, well-known throughout the nation as former editor of the Lutheran Standard. Dr. Muedeking currently serves as FOCL POINT co-editor, and is on the board of directors of the FOCL organization. A lay perspective will be presented by FOCL board member Alan Waite.
A combined choir from four Sacramento area congregations will add the musical dimension. Following the rally, a light supper will be served.
According to Pastor Phil Lee of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, and president of FOCL, "The intent of the organization is to underline the growing concem among ELCA laity and clergy that insufficient attention and fidelity arc being given to our historic Lutheran confessional heritage – a heritage rooted in God's Holy Word, the Bible."
The Sacramento Rally is the kick-off of what will be a persistent effort by FOCL supporters to expand its message throughout the Sierra Pacific Synod in the years ahead. Mrs. Christine Bradnax, Caimichacl, secretary of FOCL, reports that membership in the group is on the rise, and increasing numbers continue to add their voices to those already concerned about the future of the ELCA. Supporters of FOCL plan to arrive early and help make this event a successful beginning for its ministry to West Coast Lutheranism. Brodnax says, "If you are interested in attending the rally, call (916) 483-0451 for further directions or details."
The Need For FOCL: A Lay View
by Alan Waite
Two competing understandings of the world exist within the ELCA today: the progressive and the immutable. As an undergraduate at California Lutheran University, I accepted for many years the seductive reasoning of progressive theology. I embraced the philosophies of liberationùthat linkage between social activism and faith. It was a theology reflecting both the positivism so prevalent in 20th Century theologians and the alluring concept of "putting teeth into ideals".
It was all so captivating, ennobling, very "60s". This theology thrust concepts into the Christian lexicon never seen beforeù"dignity of the individual", "issues of justice", "inclu-siveness". I became a soldier in the progressive movement.
Progressives taught me that the end-product of Scripture could only be enacted through political and social change. They coined the phrase "realized eschatology", proclaiming that the Kingdom is here and now, not in some murky distant future. We need to and can bring it about.
The progressives began to redefine traditional understandings of Scripture, flavoring it with human advances in the social and natural sciences. The battle cry was, "Cast off the galling chains of white, male, European dominated, racist, sexist culture." I was bedazzled by the possibilities of what the Scriptures could meanùand how they supported a bevy of social causes. The new Reformation had begun!
Suddenly I was an agent for change! I became a central actor in the drama of life. I had worth and value, and a calling. What a vision! Then....I graduated.
Eventually time, experience, and pain – so often in my life self-madeùled me to see that progressive theology was unconnected. It lacked depth, perspective, reverence, and above all, humility. True humility was supposedly the cornerstone of this kind of thinking, but in asserting its own humility, it betrayed itself.
But what alternative was there? Was it not the only one I 'd never taken seriously beforeùthe immutable message of the Lutheran Confessions;ùthat we arc broken, powerless, sinful people by nature? All of us, equally broken, not just the white male European, not just the rich, not just the empowered. No, everyone! The biblical descriptionofhumanexistence transcends the ages, cultures, technologies or philosophies we try to cling to. That immutable message teaches us to venerate, not the creation, but the Creator.
It is here where God's "foolishness" becomes his wisdom. Here we see the folly in our social and political strivings to achieve justice when it is disconnected from the fundamental understanding of our own inadequacy. We see that an all-embracing progressivism only replaces one system of sin with another. It affirms our own sin-bondage.
The striking irony of progressive theology is that in attempting to reform what it asserts to be an intolerant church, it has become intolerant itself. Sin begets sins. This is the struggle FOCL faces – to remind us of the immutable message of God's revealed Word as we have inherited it. Whenever we embrace the secular vision of contemporary culture, we exercise a right which God does not allow for his people.
FOCL is not a visionary organization. It is a forceful call to return to our senses.
RESOLUTIONS
Our last newsletter reminded congregations of their privilege to introduce resolutions for Sierra Pacific Assembly action in May. Here is one congregation's submission which merits prayerful consideration:
WHEREAS, The ELCA has a heritage of faith and experience which has preserved the Gospel of Christ Jesus, by Grace alone, Scripture alone, and Faith alone; and
WHEREAS, the Constitution of the ELCA states "congregations, synods, and churchwide organizations shall act in accordance with 'the Confessional Documents of the Church' (5.01.a.), which includes first and foremost the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments (2.03) ";and
WHEREAS, many clergy and lay members of the Sierra Pacific Synod are deeply concerned that these doctrinal foundations of the Lutheran Church are not being sufficiently emphasized and upheld throughout the ELCA, which eventually will cause division and strife within the ELCA; and
WHEREAS, the depth and breadth of this concern is illustrated by the June 1990 St. Olaf "Call to Faithfulness Conference" where over 1,000 clergy, lay members, and prominent theologians from all over the nation echoed these same concerns; and
WHEREAS, the Scriptures command us to "agree with one another so that there may be no division among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought" (I. Cor. 1:10);
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that this Sierra Pacific Synod Assembly, as a statement of unity, urges its congregations to affirm, lift up, and stress wherever possible, our unique confessional Lutheran heritage, during 1991; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that each congregation of the Synod is urged to emphasize this confessional heritage through public prayers, classes, forums, seminars, sermons, special worship services and any other method which is appropriate.
READER RESPONSES
Editor's Note: We invite reader responses to FOCL concerns. Letters may be abridged and will be edited for space requirements.
Dear Editor:
I consider myself typical of those volunteering to serve as lay delegates to the last Synod Assembly. I had high expectations. Unfortunately, many were not met.
The two main speakers, both Lutheran pastors, were dramatic orators whose sentiments I fully embraced. T. Simon Farisani, a black South African, was engaged in the struggle against apartheid. Roland Martinson's theme was health, justice and compassion in the context of stress, conflict and abuse.
But where were the Biblical underpinnings of each address? I recall neither speaker making references to any Scripture passage. Farisani's speech would have been more appropriately delivered to the entourage of Nelson Mandela, and Martinson's to the American Psychological Association.
I was appalled at the political parliamentary maneuvers employed to pass the various resolutions. I always considered the Bible to be the constituting document of the church, so I wondered why the issues were not debated based upon the Holy Scriptures. Too impractical? I would rather be impractical than impious.
I was also dismayed that the Assembly, in order to be an "inclusive church" applied the secular policy of affirmative action, i.e., to bar discrimination based upon sex, race, age, or HIV testing, as a guideline for hiring pastors and church employees, and for choosing assembly delegates.. I support affirmative action policies in our society as the only effective way to force people to do what they should do for the benefit of the whole community. In God's Church we should be guided by other motives, such as love for God and the commitment to include the best people in order most efficiently to fulfill the church's mission.
The Assembly's theme was, "This Is My Family". Jesus said the "family of God" consists of those who do the Father's will (Matt. 12:50). How else do we know the will of God except by knowing the Bible and making it our guide for pleasing God? Hopefully, our upcoming Synod Assembly will better inculcate God's Word into its proceedings.
Jim Stillson, Sacramento
Thoughts: The great Christian Graf Zinzendorf, founder of the Moravian Brethren church, in his late youth came upon Domenico Feti's painting "Ecce Homo", in a Diisseldorf art gallery. Beholding the thorn-crowned and wounded Savior exhibited by Pilate before the Jewish mob, Count von Zinzendorf was particularly moved by its inscription: "I have done this for you; what are you doing for me?" From that moment on he determined that the career of a rich nobleman and civic official was not for him. His future would be to enroll wholly in the service of Christ. As we leave Lent behind and enter the freeing season of post-Easter, we will do well not to forget those scenes of Jesus' sacrifice in our behalf. "What am I doing for Him?"
Prayer Privileges
In Jerusalem the visitor can approach the imposing Omar Mosque, standing in the center of the former Temple Square. Here was where God once asked Abraham to offer his son Isaac. On the edge of the dome in beautiful Arabic letters are the words, "Do not say that God has a son. God has no son. He does not need a partner. Worship only Him. There is no God but Allah." (Koran, Sura 17: 111)
Contrast those sentiments with this: "We have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." (I John 4:14-15)
Now that we Americans have heard our prayers answered for the well-being of our military in the battle for Kuwait, shall we not begin to pray for the Moslems who know nothing of this Son of God who delivers us from the slavery of sin and eternal death? The earthly destruction visited upon the Moslem Iraqi’s is beyond human comprehension: their dead in that 100-day war was the equivalent of America suffering the catastrophe of the death of one million, four hundred and eighty-six thousand persons! All in the space of 100 days!
Surely we can ask our gracious God to empower us Christians to bring the Good Story of Jesus and his Love to the whole Islamic world. And for the handful of Christian missionaries serving in Islamic countries, often under extreme duress – we can ask God to speed his Good News into the hearts of those who hear their message. For "whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God will have God taking up residence in his or her life." O God, hurry the day we will care enough for our Moslem brothers and sisters to tell them about the only Savior of all the world.
FRONT-LINE NEWS
Interest in the issues raised by FOCL continues to enlarge. Board members have been invited to various congregations to present the case for our Lutheran heritage....In Southern California, Pastors Ray Kiblerin and Paul Plasencia have called the clergy together in two meetings since January. "Study of the Ministry" was the major topic, led by the President, of Luther-Northwestern Seminary, David Tiede. Discussion clustered around the high-clerical convictions of the "evangelical Catholics" and the more traditional Lutheran evangelical view that the ordained ministry secures its validity from its servicing of the Church with the Gospel... .Nationwide interest by the ELC A is emerging around the proposed closer tie-in of the ELCA with the U.S. Episcopal Church, as it will be determined at the next ELCA Assembly this summer. TIME Magazine has entered the question of the propriety of such a proposal for the two churches by highlighting the doctrinal excesses of one of the Episcopal bishops, John Spong. Part of the Time article:
Jesus Christ, as portrayed in some New Testament passages, is "narrow-minded and vindictive." The Gospel writers "twisted" the facts concerning Jesus' resurrection, which was never meant to be taken literally. The virgin birth of Christ is an unthinkable notion, and there is not much value in the doctrine of the Trinity, or in the belief that Jesus Christ was sent to save fallen humanity from sin. St. Paul, the missionary of Christianity to the Gentiles, was a repressed and "self-loathing " homosexual. As for the Old Testament, it contains a "vicious tribal code of ethics" attributed to a "sadistic" God.. The idea that Yahweh bestowed the Promised Land upon the Israelites is "arrogance."
Excerpts from a tract by a staunch atheist? On the contrary, those are assertions offered by a bishop of America's Episcopal Church, John Spong of Newark, in his new book, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism.
Spong's wildly offbeat convictions raise an intriguing question: Are there any limits to what an Episcopal leader may believeùor disbelieve? ...Bishop William Frey, president of Pennsylvania's Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, doubts any decisive stand will be taken by the church against his colleague's writings. "The House of Bishops has shown itself to be impotent in the face of challenges to the core beliefs of the church, " Frey says. "We've been paralyzed by our politeness."
Los Angeles Bishop Frederick Borsch, who chairs the hierarchy's theology committee (on which Spong sits), explains that "we are not a confessional church that tries to write a definition of orthodoxy. A lot of us would defend this as the genius of Episcopalianism." (2/28/91 ,p.62)
Prayer Concerns for the Church
Our fellowship is committed to raising before our God some of the concerns that we find within our Church. We invite and encourage you to include the following list of concerns in your daily prayer life:
1) that the mission outreach efforts in China will not lose their doctrinal integrity as a result of few Bibles or Bible teachers.
2) that fellow Christians released from political constraints in Namibia and Eastern Europe may not turn to material possessions and political freedom as a way of replacing the freedom found only in the Gospel.
3) that the coming National Assembly of the ELCA will place evangelism and loyalty to the Scriptures at the heart of its concerns.
4) that the upcoming Sierra Pacific Synod Assembly may enjoy the Lord's guidance as it chooses its Bishop-leader and attempts to sense the will of God in all its deliberations.
5) that the Mission 90 efforts throughout the Church will bring a renewed focus on Scriptural foundations as the key to spiritual life.
On Scripture
The 'Bible teaches us to see, feet, grasp, and comprehend faith, hope and charity far otherwise than mere human reason can; and when evil oppresses us it teaches how these virtues throw light upon the darkness, and how, after this poor miserable existence of ours on earth, there is another and eternal life. Martin Luther
If there is anything in this life which sustains a wise man and induces him to maintain his serenity amidst the tribulations and adversities of the world, it is in the first place, I consider, the meditation and knowledge of the Scriptures. St. Jerome