Lutherans...Pan Lutherans

Soooo... I am sorry for my absence. I changed law firms and then for some reason changed passwords and lost control of my blog momentarily. I have had a great month practicing law on my own but the transition effects.... the little things... like my blog. All fixed now. So when I have been thrashing around over the last month I have got to spend some time with some of my favorite Lutherans plugging in and reconnecting. It is such a reaffirming thing because of course the people I am attracted to are people who think a lot like me and they are in the main stream but so far out of the accepted mainstream of my denomination as to not even be discussed.

As a result of this what I want to do is start a blog called Pan-Lutheran where we Lutherans can band together rather then falling apart. Because that is what we are doing. Falling apart. When I grew up I was Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and we were the dominant Lutheran body in America. Then the two other groups, The Lutheran Church in America and The Evangelical Lutheran Church joined forces in the Evangelical Lutheran Church and became the biggest. Now the ELCA is splintering because the heads of their church condone gays in ministry. At the same time, my church, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod has chosen an extremely conservative President who might force me out of my church.

This all makes me very sad. Lutherans come out of the Reformation as followers of Martin Luther. Although he wrote some crazy (or crazed) stuff in his later years he was a thoughtful, intelligent person. He never wanted to part from the Catholics because he understood how damaging it would be over all for the Church but... that is what happened. Protestantism resulted with a hundred (or more) different non Catholic Christian Churches and now the Lutheran Church itself has splintered into more then a dozen different groups all claiming to be the true inheritor of Luther's vision.

It all makes me sick. Luther was a man. As a man he identified problems with the Catholic church as it existed in the 1500's. I think he was right, but I have been taught he was right. The legacy he left me is that there is nothing I can do towards my own salvation. I am saved by God's Grace and by God's Grace alone. I cannot earn my way into heaven. I cannot be a better Christian then other people. I am saved and because I am saved...if I believe that, I am obligated to try (and fail) to emulate Christ and his ministry, which was to save ALL people.

Somehow this has been lost or perverted. Well intentioned, smart people believe that they understand God's will in our life better or true-er then other people which causes them to separate from the others for the sake of doctrinal purity or their own agenda. Right now my LCMS has been taken over by "Confessional" Lutherans who adhere to the Book of Concord and other writings of Luther, eschewing other views on those writings. To me these people are like the "strict constructionists" who interpret our Constitution. I mean the US Constitution, divining the founding fathers intent. These Lutheran's divine Luther's vision and all I have to say is...he was just a man. A brilliant, troubled man.

The ElCA is also polarized in it's own ranks because the leadership is taking a social/agendaized stand and admitting gays into the the called ministry positions in the Church. So there conservatives member have pulled back.

What I want to say to all these people is stop! We are weaker separated then we are united. I can (and do) pray and worship with people who do not believe as I do. I am a "bad" Missouri Synod Lutheran but I am a Missouri Synod Lutheran even though I have sincere doubts about significant (divisive) parts of our doctrine. I do not force my views on others. In fact i do not even talk about it because the people at my church are remarkable people and i am proud to worship with them whether I agree with them or not. If my Church becomes more conservative it will be hard to stay but i will try, because I love my Church.

In the great commission Christ tells the disciples to"Go therefore, making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Instead we quibble over man made, and defined doctrine. I just want to say, "stop it" and "shame on you". I know your intentions are good, whether on the conservative or liberal side but we have a great, dying Church which needs our help.

Lutherans are some of the best people I know. I would name some great Pan-Lutheran organizations but the politics of my church is poisonous enough that I know to name them, might be to damn them. So...look for my new web site. PanLutheran.com. Maybe we can hold a group of well intentioned people united around Christ's commands rather then around man made doctrine and we can do some good before we fade away. Or maybe not. But I will try.