Christians
and Lutherans are one in the same, reading from left to right; however, many
today mistakenly perceive a change in direction when reading from right to
left, particularly in doctrine (Catholic lite, legalistically
creedal, etc.) and practice (infant baptism, cannibalistic sacrament, etc.). So
why do we Lutherans even bother anymore? Why not just free ourselves from
the titles, labels, categories, and simply go forth, Bible in hand, to do God’s
Gospel bidding as we interpret it?
Lutherans are
confessional—not the prie-dieu or Rosary kind, the subscribing kind. We
subscribe to (that is, accept) the ten documents or Symbols known together as
the Book of Concord, our 440-year old Confession of the doctrines of Scripture (we believe
and teach that Holy Scripture alone is to be regarded as the sole rule and norm
by which absolutely all doctrines and teachers are to be judged). Our Symbols
don’t make us Christian, our faith in Christ Jesus does; however, our
Symbols—our Confessions—definitely retain the flavor of the Protestant
Reformation and they alone are what makes us Lutheran.
Dr. Robert
Preuss said it best in his piece Confessional Subscription:
“Confessional subscription is an act motivated and determined by the Gospel. A
Lutheran’s attitude toward the confessions will indicate his attitude toward
the Gospel itself.” Our Confessions—our Symbols—are not doctrine (even The
Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod website states: “Since the Christian Church
cannot make doctrines…”), but an exposition of the Church’s doctrine, the Word
of God. Confessional subscription is not engaging in symbolatry, a
word I have read more than once; nor does confessional subscription have “the
aroma of an empty bottle,” a phrase meant to connote the persistence of
creedal/confessional churches in this day and age.
Dr. C.F.W.
Walther stated in 1858 in his essay Why Should Our Pastors, Teachers
and Professors Subscribe Unconditionally to the Symbolic Writings of Our Church that
a solemn declaration of acceptance of the doctrinal content (not “doctrine”) of
the Confessions as the divine truth to be preached “without adulteration.” It
is that without adulteration part that keeps our Confessions
relevant in a world of watered-down, feel-good, or downright perverted truths,
both in and out of church. Like our church fathers, we rely on our Book
of Concord and those Confessions within to judge that the Truth (as
delivered by God’s Word) is preached and taught correctly, that our
understanding of Scripture is not unorthodox or adulterated, and that those who
are Lutheran Christian (left to right) make a claim on these labels unconditionally.
I look at the
dissent within the ELCA, the recent advent of the so-named Lutheran CORE (“a
community of Lutheran Christians seeking to mobilize confessing Lutherans for
evangelical renewal”), the mainstream Protestants caving on the question of
same-sex clergy and marriage, and the sheer number of non-denominational
churches professing a grass-roots orthodoxy that meets the needs of befuddled
church-goers in a world in which “tolerance” is the magic word and I’m more
convinced than ever that without a doubt, today’s Lutheran is still in need of
an apology.
Our
Confessions are not outdated. We need them just as much today as the Augsburg
Confession was needed in 1530. At the end of last month’s newsletter,
I asked you to consider what “Zion Lutheran” means. This month, consider what “Lutheran”
means to Christians, non-Christians, and, yes, even to Lutherans! I encourage
you to learn more about our Confessions!
(And look for
a “Confessions 101”-type study to happen once the plague lifts and Sunday
school returns...)
Until next
month…
Peace be with
you all,
Pastor E.B.
