Biggest on the Block - Not

Editorial Comment
[Caution: The following is an editorial, that is, in literary terms, an opinion piece. As such it has no points to prove or sources to cite, but seeks only to provoke thought and from thought, perhaps action. Some readers may find it somewhat acerbic and perhaps even a bit caustic in places. Rest assured it is written in love and hope. Pastor Spencer]

Long, long ago, at a WELS Pastoral Conference far away, a rather well-renowned speaker made the following declaration at the end of a presentation, "There is absolutely no reason why the Wisconsin Synod cannot be the biggest church on the block. We have what no other church has – the pure truth of the Gospel." Now, while it is true that I sometimes have a hard time remembering the exact birthdays of each of my five children, and have been known to arrive home without the requested gallon of milk or carton of eggs, I remember this incident with incredible clarity.

The comment received a great deal of approval at that time and place, although in those days WELS Pastors seldom, if ever, gave anyone a standing ovation, or even so much as clapped for anyone or anything – at least not in church or meetings anyway. Neither did anyone even say with jocularity, "Give the governor a harrumph!" Such things were simply not done in our circles back in the Neolithic age, i.e. before yippee-skippee worship infected us. Still, there was much nodding of heads and the murmur of "That's right!" and "He makes a great point!"

Of course, being then the rather naive and foolish person I was at the time – only a year out of the seminary – and unfamiliar as I was, not having been born and raised WELS, with the rule that a Pastor must have twenty years experience before he can so much as second a motion, much less comment on a older Pastor's statement – I arose to challenge what I felt was a rather brash and uncalled for declaration by my elder brother in the ministry.

I offered the exact opposite opinion; that there was and is indeed a very good reason why the WELS was and is never going to be the biggest church on the block. The reason, I said, was that very self-same pure Gospel, which I had the audacity to remind this Pastor, was foolishness to natural man, and completely hated by the world. I also reminded the group of Jesus' own prediction that unless the Last Day would come sooner rather than later, there wouldn't even be any believers left on earth at all! This, I declared, certainly didn't bode well for any church, but especially for one which claimed to stand solidly on the foolishness of the Cross!

Well, I discovered quite quickly somewhat to my dismay that although WELS Pastors back then weren't yet in the habit of giving expressions of acclamation, they were quite adept at booing! This would be the first but by no means the last time brother Pastors would accuse me of being "negative."

Be that as it may, and I will admit to being perhaps just a bit more cynical than some, or even most, still, there is, I believe, an important truth in my challenge of that now-famous speaker all those decades ago, that bears repeating still today.

The only reason that the darkness of this old sinful world has not completely overcome the light of the Gospel, is not for lack of effort, but because of the mercy and power of God through His Means of Grace, period! In spite of all the attacks, both from without, but more especially and more damaging, from within the church, the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, preached by His faithful servants, and practiced in the Sacraments of Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord's Supper, continues to exist throughout the world, and even flourishes now and then, here or there.

[We'll leave aside for the moment the whole question of just how purely and truthfully the Gospel is being proclaimed throughout our synod today. That will be addressed in a future editorial.]

But nowhere in Scripture are we who endeavor to maintain and share the pure Gospel as delivered to us by the prophets, Apostles, and Reformers, and so beautifully professed in the Lutheran Confessions, promised that we will ever be "the biggest church on the block" (whatever that means anyway). That is simply never going to happen.

In fact, the Bible prepares us instead for the exact opposite – what I often refer to as "The Lutheran Church of the Living Room." The day may well come, and soon, when faithful confessional Lutherans will have nowhere else to meet, and have such small numbers that local groupings will easily fit into the average living room or den.

Naturally, this does not mean we will not work our hardest and put forth our absolute best efforts to proclaim the Gospel and be faithful tools in the hands of the Holy Spirit to win souls for Jesus' kingdom. But we must always remember that despite our most ardent work, the love of many will indeed continue to grow cold towards God's offer of free and faithful grace. Regardless of what we might wish and hope and pray for, the world will turn against us more and more and seek to destroy us, and in those efforts our numbers will inevitably shrink as we are hard-pressed on every side!

Yet, even then, with the darkness all around us and closing in, we can be sure that Jesus, like the U.S. Cavalry of old, is just over the hill, riding to our eternal rescue. God speed, dear Jesus, God speed!

Deo Vindice!

Pastor Spencer

They have kneelers - and they use them

I promised to share a few impressions of the symposia last week at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne. I won’t bore you with a play-by-play journal of the week. But here are some things that struck me.

I didn’t attend the Exegetical Symposium that took up the first part of the week. Instead, I attended the presentations for the Symposium on the Lutheran Confessions (Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning). The overarching theme was: Justification in a Contemporary Context.

The presentations were very scholarly. I think all the presenters had a doctorate in something or other, and several came from non-Lutheran circles. It seems that the purpose of the presentations was not to teach the truth, but to inform the audience regarding current philosophies and trends in the broader “Christian” context. Rather than, “This is what God says,” it was more, “This is what so-and-so thinks (or thought) about justification.” While that may be helpful for ecumenical dialogue, I would have preferred more discussion of the Scriptures and Confessions themselves. Justification is an article of doctrine that urgently needs to be studied among Lutherans, and the best way to get back to a Lutheran understanding of the chief article, in my opinion, would be to set aside everything written about it in the last 300 years. First Scripture, then the Confessions, then Luther and Chemnitz. Once we have learned from them how to believe and to speak like Lutherans again, then we can move forward cautiously from the 16th century.

For me, the high point of the week was getting to know the LCMS pastors and laity, as well as their culture. In addition to their friendliness, there was a seriousness among them that I have rarely seen in WELS circles, an eagerness to discuss theology and doctrine that was very refreshing. As one pastor told me, “It’s a way of life.” Say what you want about the problems in Missouri, but their conflicts and battles have forced them back into the Scriptures and the Confessions, and as a result, they are far more ready to speak and discuss than those who simply assume their orthodoxy or take it for granted.

There was actually a very open and honest admission in Ft. Wayne that the LCMS has major problems that need addressing. This didn’t just come from a few disgruntled rabble rousers. It came from everyone - from recent seminary graduates to seminary professors to the synodical president Matt Harrison (who, I should mention, expressed to me his heartfelt love and appreciation for our president Schroeder and his joy in renewed discussions with the WELS). It seems to be a given in Missouri that the synod is sorely divided and in desperate need of repentance and help from Above.

…which brings me to what struck me most about the seminary in Ft. Wayne, and it has to do with their chapel. It’s a beautiful, reverent chapel, with a baptismal font filled with water in the entryway. Many, though not all, would dip their fingers in the water and make the sign of the cross on themselves. There was lots of crossing oneself during the Matins and Vespers services, and a reverent bowing of the head at the Gloria Patri – without prompting and without any sort of chatty instruction from the presiding minister. There was a natural piety evident among the worshipers and among the ministers that was shamefully unfamiliar to me. Most noticeably to me, in their chapel they have kneelers – and they use them.

In all my years in the WELS, I can’t remember ever kneeling in church. I recall seeing kneelers (but not using them) in the pews at only a few old WELS churches I have attended, and they were unheard of at the synodical schools I attended. (I honestly don’t know if the chairs in our “newly” renovated seminary chapel have them. Maybe they do.)

What does this mean? It means nothing in and of itself. But to me, the kneeling I witnessed in Ft. Wayne is representative of a very salutary spirit within the Missouri Synod. Both of our synods have the Scriptures and the Confessions as their foundational documents. But both synods have clergy and congregations that have moved away from these foundations in this or in that area. Missouri tends to err more on the side of unionism, while the WELS tends to err more on the side of sectarianism. Neither synod practices much synodical discipline (at least, not the Scriptural kind). Neither synod is united within its own walls regarding the Office of the Holy Ministry, and both have remnants of Pietism and Church Growth philosophies and methodologies running rampant.

But Missouri is, for the most part, honest about this, open about her disunity, and prepared to acknowledge the seriousness of her flaws. More than that, her current president has repeatedly and publicly called his people (starting with himself) to repentance, and seems committed to addressing every issue from the Word of God. I see many, many LCMS pastors fighting for the historic, apostolic, Lutheran faith. But they are not fighting from a high horse. They are fighting from their knees. And that is a good thing. I hope it continues.

And I pray it rubs off. I know it did on me.

Officially Intrepid

OK, so last week I received the Sabre of Boldness award from the editors of Gottesdienst: The Journal of Lutheran Liturgy. This award is given “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity on behalf of the Holy Church of Christ while engaged in the confession of His pure Gospel in the face of hostile forces and at the greatest personal risk.” You can listen to the audio of the award ceremony on the Gottesdienst Online site.

Whoever nominated me for this award surely overestimated my “gallantry,” as well as the hostility of the forces that oppose me and the rest of us at Intrepid Lutherans. There have been several cases of scoldings, condemnations and synodical shunnings. But as I noted in Ft. Wayne, I’ve received no death threats, nor have I or my children had to go begging bread. And if I were to weigh the friends I’ve lost in the WELS against the friends I’ve gained in the WELS, ELS, LCMS and beyond over the past year and a half of Lutheran Intrepidity, I think I’d still come out ahead.

So “well-deserved” the Sabre of Boldness is not.

But then, it isn’t really an award for merit or accomplishment. It’s essentially an award for being an “unworthy servant” (Luke 17:10). It’s an award for doing what every Christian is called upon to do: to confess the Christ and bear the cross. It’s like honoring a man for being alive. There’s a bit of humor in that, even a hint of sarcasm.

There’s also a degree of sadness in it, an element of commiseration, as we acknowledge together that the cross borne by Christians, and especially ministers of the Gospel, is real, and it’s heavy, even deadly. To quote the Rev. Daniel Deutschlander, “As Christians bear the cross and follow after their Lord, they can expect to endure hostility and persecution from those outside of the church. Sadly, however, some of the most painful experiences of Christians come not from outsiders but from fellow believers.” Ja, das ist gewisslich wahr.

But this is not the sadness of defeat or despair. There’s no room for whining or for bitterness among the people of God. To bear the cross is to be like Christ, and pastors have a unique calling to stand in His stead and take their lumps. If we would be shepherds under Christ, then we must imitate Him and be ready to die with Him. Only the hirelings escape the wounds inflicted by wolves.

So more than anything, I see the Sabre as a display of Christian love, a show of support and encouragement and of steadfast resolve to fight together the good fight against the devil, the world and the sinful nature, to make the good confession that leads first to shame, and then to glory; first to the cross, and then to the crown. (There’s a Transfiguration sermon in there somewhere…)

I’m thankful to God for the committed and confessional Lutheranism I have seen in my Missouri Synod brothers and sisters, and I’m grateful to the editors at Gottesdienst for their display of Christian love in the selection they made for the Sabre, misguided as it may have been. I accepted the award “on behalf of all Intrepid Lutherans everywhere.”

I do recommend a subscription to Gottesdienst. You can subscribe here. We’ve also added them as a link under “educational resources” in the right-hand column.

I’ll post a little more later in the week on my experiences in Ft. Wayne.

Love & Hate

Editorial Comment

[Caution: The following is an editorial, that is, in literary terms, an opinion piece. As such it has no points to prove or sources to cite, but seeks only to provoke thought and from thought, perhaps action. Some readers may find it somewhat acerbic and perhaps even a bit caustic in places. Rest assured it is written in love and hope.
Pastor Spencer]

I love email. I love email because I can see what I'm saying, run spell and grammar checks, and thus not sound foolish when I speak, though some might find that debatable. I love email because I can read and answer when I want, any time, day or night – on MY schedule. I love email because I can send a "read receipt" as soon as I turn on my computer after my devotions – usually around 5:30 AM or so – and know that some will say when they see the time stamp – "Wow, that guy sure starts work early!" (Cue the sound of one hand clapping!)

I hate the telephone and I always have. The telephone has always seemed to me to be like a Western Union telegram – seldom bringing good news. It interrupts sleep, dinners, romance, movies, and family time. Plus, a lot of people don't know how or when to stop talking on the phone – and thus waste countless hours with inane prattle. I especially loathe cell phones which interrupt all the events mentioned above and numerous others, not to mention causing distracted driving. And don't even get me started on texting!

I despise all phones so much and adore email do much that I think of people who are the opposite as backward fools and dolts. I do not and cannot understand why anyone would use a phone when they could email, and I reserve my special ire for all those who don't check their email at least a half-dozen times each and every day, and reply within the same day!

So, why should you care, and why am I boring you with this? Very simple. I believe this is exactly the way many feel about sectarian worship forms being used in otherwise professing confessional Lutheran churches! Some love it. Some hate it.

But in addition, those who love sectarian worship forms being used in what should be confessional Lutheran churches seem to think that those who hate such and refuse to use them are backward cretins who don't give a fig about sharing the Gospel. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth!

As a confessional Lutheran Pastor, I love the liturgy. I love the liturgy because it proclaims the Gospel from beginning to end. There is hardly a sentence throughout that is not permeated by the message of God's love in Christ! And all this has already been done for me by believers from Adam to Augustine. I don't need to add a thing. Even my sermons are sometimes a rather poor addition. From the Invocation to the Benediction, all the elements of the historic liturgy, and even the titles these elements have acquired down through the centuries, speak volumes about the undeserved love and kindness of God to the world in and through Jesus Christ. In addition, each part is designed and built by the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles to feed the faith of believers in every time, place, and culture. Simply translate the words into any language, and BINGO, the liturgy will still function perfectly! Indeed, in my humble opinion, the liturgy IS the Gospel in all its grace and glory!

As a confessional Lutheran, I hate sectarian worship. Is that too strong? Sorry. I hate sectarian worship because it is, in the final analysis, man-centered, not Christ-centered. I hate sectarian worship because, as someone born into a sectarian (Baptist) family, and surrounded by this errant branch of Christianity for most of my life, I have seen up close and personal the long-term spiritual damage done to souls by such aberrant man-centered, emotion-based, so-called worship, and the theology that created and feeds it.

Yes, Jesus is sometimes there in sectarian worship, but He is disguised as much in sectarian services from the authentic Christ of the Scriptures as He is in the abomination of the Roman Mass! In both cases the service is built around human emotion, and that emotion for the most part is fear. You'd better be dunked – or else! You'd better make your decision for Jesus – or else! You'd better be joyful – or else! What's the matter, why aren't you happy?! What are you, some kind of back-sliding reprobate?! (Just like, you'd better say your rosary, etc... – or else!)

So, the question is – why in the world would anyone who already has the historic, comforting, beautiful liturgy in the truly Gospel-centered, orthodox confessional theology from which it flows and which it supports and proclaims, substitute such for the mostly empty, law-centered, Christ-hiding, and fear-filled sectarian pseudo-worship?!? That's just plain crazy! Kind of like not turning off your cell phone in church!

Deo Vindice!

Pastor Spencer

Must-listen mini-gems from Marquart: What is the Liturgy?

All it takes is a couple of minutes to listen to this short clip from a longer lecture on Liturgy and Evangelism by the sainted Rev. Kurt Marquart. The full-length audio recording can be found here.

Here's Marquart correcting some common misconceptions of the Liturgy.



A few quotes from the above clip:

"The Liturgy is far more than ceremonies."

"'Liturgy' means a 'public service.' Therefore, says the Apology, the word 'Liturgy' - leitourgia - fits very well with our understanding of the Ministry, because a minister who preaches offers Christ to the people...just as he who consecrates offers the Lord's body and blood to the people."

"So what happens is, the public celebration of the mysteries of God, the giving out of the life of God that flows as at a living oasis. It's a connection to the Eucharist."