[Issues, Etc. Blog of the Week 12/11/2009]
The Augsburg Confession teaches: "Concerning church government it is taught that no one should publicly teach, preach, or administer the sacraments without a proper [public] call." [Augsburg Confession, Articles of Faith, XIV. Concerning Church Government] (Kolb, R., Wengert, T. J., & Arand, C. P. (2000). The Book of Concord : The confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.] Note that this article is undisputed. It is the norm accepted by the whole church at the time of the Reformation!
Since becoming a Lutheran I have been concerned about an ongoing constellation of problems concerning the office of the ministry in the Missouri Synod. I cannot deal with all of them here. I want to briefly describe some things I have personally observed concerning what I will name as the "Abuse of the Call."
One note before describing the problem is that these abuses have become so common and in some cases so long standing that long time LCMS folks may not give them much thought. I hope that this will stir you up to revisit the Lutheran Confessions and other books concerning the Office of the Ministry (by such men as Chemnitz and Walther).
The first ring of abuse, and the highest in the hierarchy of the church, is at the level of District Presidents. Two main areas have been noted. I review them here.
1) Removal of men from their calls without proper reason and process (Todd Wilken, Martin Noland, et al.) -or- allowing a congregation to do so. This is often followed by activity noted below.
2) Hindering confessional men from receiving a call through active and passive acts, i.e. acts of commission or omission. Actively blocking the call process through various bureaucratic means, providing unwarranted negative input about a man (perhaps in violation of the 8th commandment), unilaterally taking names off of a congregation's call list, refusing to pass a name on to another district. Passively doing nothing to help a man, not following up in necessary steps to help a man to receive a call -or- "not so benign" neglect.
Note that this kind of abuse is despite the fact that DPs have no constitutional or confessional authority to hinder or abuse the call process. The Power of the Keys, and thus the power to call belongs to the Church and by extension and in practice to the local congregation!
The second ring of abuse is when churches do not take seriously their responsibility/authority to properly call a man.
1) This often happens due to ignorance or lack of understanding concerning the Power of the Keys and the authority to call a qualified man. This often exhibits itself by churches allowing a DP to usurp the congregation's responsibility/authority. Nature abhors a vacuum.
2) Another reason is due to lack of finances. There are many (small) churches that have severe financial issues. "Pay scale guidelines" can serve as a further obstacle to calling a man. However, so called "tent maker" options could be explored (i.e. a man has a part time job and serves the congregation). Many men are willing to serve for less than pay scale guideline levels. Willingness to share a man with other small congregations might work in such cases. A local congregation might need to re-examine its priorities. They may have more resources than they think. Churches must take the initiative to explore their options.
3) The most disturbing problem is due to convenience/lack of commitment. Some churches are more than willing to allow a "fill-in" pulpit supply situation to be the regular, ongoing situation. I won't discuss the problems with many ad hoc or fill-in pulpit supply situations here. The issue is congregations that for various reasons do not regularize their public ministry through a proper call. This neglect of their congregational responsibility/authority is a serious problem. In the Saint Louis area, as in any seminary/graduate school town, such ad hoc arrangements are common. However, is this truly what the confessors taught in AC XIV?
The third ring is by servants of the Word themselves:
1) The most common is politicking for a call. We have all seen the process abused when men use personal influence to get a call. Walther considered this to be illegitimate (cf. Walther's Pastoral Theology).
2) Another abuse is contributing to the degradation of the office of the public ministry by participating in invalid or illegitimate situations. I have come to the conclusion that in doing so many servants of the Word have unintentionally contributed to the problem. Too often many "logical" reasons are given for such ad hoc arrangements--but how many are truly emergencies? Once again does AC XIV allow for such ad hoc arrangements? And even if a theological argument can be made for such arrangements is the situation presently such that faithfulness to the Lutheran Confessions requires a strict adherence to the doctrine in order to restore proper order?
Finally, the issue at stake is not merely organizational. The real issue is the proclamation of the Gospel and confidence that the man in the pulpit is speaking for God, that the man at the altar is forgiving sins by the authority of Christ through Word and Sacraments. With such treasures given to the Church by our Lord why would we settle for uncertainty, confusion, and lack of proper order?
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Citadel (a cautionary tale)
The smoke and dust rose in an ever increasing pillar. Our beloved city was gone. In a moment of time it was no more. We stood together, in a small cluster, on the hillside, weeping and singing our laments. "Oh, Citadel, fairest of cities, beautiful sanctuary, our home in this new land. Gone! Gone! Nothing remains. Gone!"
We had come to the new land years ago. We were seeking a sanctuary, a place of freedom, a place to worship God in Spirit and truth. The road was long and difficult. Across the sea, down the rivers, to the west, toward the setting of the sun. For centuries we had been a people sojourning first here then there. Ever gong on, ever westward. We longed for a settled life, a place of security.
When we arrived at the valley we beheld the fertile lands, the merging of two great rivers, the rich forests. This was a place to settle, to build, to grow, to prosper. There was no king, no emperor, no supreme pontiff. We would be governed by the sacred scriptures, by the faith of our fathers that is found in them. In our new homeland we would trust in our God and serve our neighbor. Each man would contribute to the whole. Each week we would join together to hear God's truth and receive his gracious gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. Then we would go out into the land and live in faith toward God and in love toward one another.
This was our hope. It was the plan. But the plans of sinful men often go astray. Even at the beginning we encountered problems. Some of our group wanted to adapt our ways to the ways of the people of the land. They did not think it wise to be different, to stand out. "We must make them trust us, to feel comfortable with us." Others would claim, "They will be more likely to join us in our faith if we put away the old dusty ceremonies and non essential dogmas of the past."
So, we split into two factions. One was always changing. Always trying out new ideas from the people of the land. In short order they no longer taught the faith as our fathers passed it on. Their doctrines changed. They held ceremonies that resembled the ceremonies of other faiths. They thought us foolish for hanging on to the old ways. "You cannot keep your grandfather's ways forever!"
We thought them foolish and unfaithful to our faith for abandoning the ancient ways. How could one claim to be a follower of the faith when throwing away its teachings and changing the very ceremonies that helped to teach its truth and give its blessings?
Many of our people did not understand the fuss. "Why are your two groups always fighting? Can't we all get along?" An uneasy truce was reached. Both sides gathered with their own. Both looked with suspicion on the other. Both became certain that they were right.
Each side occasionally tried to exert control over the other. Neither succeeded until the last days of the Citadel. A man arose who used political power and rhetoric to fool those in the middle who just wanted to get along with everyone. His conciliatory words and his promises of better days caused them to give him support. "After all," they claimed, "if we agree on a few basic things it is enough." He was elected the First Servant. As First (as he liked to be called) he packed his Council with friends and fellow "new way" believers. Through executive privilege and through sweeping changes in the rules he forced the people to accept his ideas.
Those of us who thought the First to be teaching errors and leading the people in the wrong direction began to talk about leaving. It would be hard to leave behind our friends on the other side. But our people had left other places before. We had survived. We could do so again. Most of our group thought we should wait. "Maybe things will change. It will be alright if we just have patience." The few who saw the danger ahead reminded the others of the problems in the old land. "The First has taken on powers that are not in keeping with the scriptures and our father's faith. He is not acting like a servant, but like a dictator!"
At this time cracks in the Citadel walls began to appear. The builder's guild began to search the chambers below the Citadel to discover the problem. After surveying the storage rooms near the foundations of the walls they came back with distressing news. Their report said, "Years of neglect and certain unwise practices have created a dangerous situation. Some of the foundation bedrock has been weakened by cutting into them to expand the archives. The old theology books and histories of the people were placed in these rooms by the First to make room for the new library in the Council chambers. We had to move aside stacks of books and records to find this problem. Our recommendation is that the rooms be cleared out so new buttresses might be constructed to strengthen the walls. Remember the builder's maxim, when the foundations are weakened, the walls cannot stand." The report was not made public. The First demanded that the builder's guild swear an oath of secrecy. "We do not want to alarm the people with this news until we assign a task force to look into these opinions."
We got a copy of it. The next day it was published in the Daily. The uproar was amazing. That night the First addressed the people in the plaza. "This report in the Daily is not true. There is no danger. We will assign a blue ribbon task force to look into these allegations. But, I speak with every confidence that we are entirely safe. Please return to your homes and live your lives with the knowledge that your First is always vigilant and concerned about your welfare." That night we made plans to leave the Citadel.
On the last day our small group gathered by the west gate with our carts loaded with our few most prized possessions. As the first rays of dawn lightened the eastern sky and the first birds began to sing, the gates creaked open. The gatekeeper looked at us and remarked, "Headed west then? Wher'ya goin'?" We handed him a copy of the Daily and left the Citadel. As we reached the top of the hill the ground began to shake. A loud crack boomed across the valley. We all turned to look. In stunned silence we saw the walls begin to fall inward and disappear in a cloud of dust and smoke. The entire city was gone. When the foundations are weakened, the walls cannot stand.
We had come to the new land years ago. We were seeking a sanctuary, a place of freedom, a place to worship God in Spirit and truth. The road was long and difficult. Across the sea, down the rivers, to the west, toward the setting of the sun. For centuries we had been a people sojourning first here then there. Ever gong on, ever westward. We longed for a settled life, a place of security.
When we arrived at the valley we beheld the fertile lands, the merging of two great rivers, the rich forests. This was a place to settle, to build, to grow, to prosper. There was no king, no emperor, no supreme pontiff. We would be governed by the sacred scriptures, by the faith of our fathers that is found in them. In our new homeland we would trust in our God and serve our neighbor. Each man would contribute to the whole. Each week we would join together to hear God's truth and receive his gracious gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. Then we would go out into the land and live in faith toward God and in love toward one another.
This was our hope. It was the plan. But the plans of sinful men often go astray. Even at the beginning we encountered problems. Some of our group wanted to adapt our ways to the ways of the people of the land. They did not think it wise to be different, to stand out. "We must make them trust us, to feel comfortable with us." Others would claim, "They will be more likely to join us in our faith if we put away the old dusty ceremonies and non essential dogmas of the past."
So, we split into two factions. One was always changing. Always trying out new ideas from the people of the land. In short order they no longer taught the faith as our fathers passed it on. Their doctrines changed. They held ceremonies that resembled the ceremonies of other faiths. They thought us foolish for hanging on to the old ways. "You cannot keep your grandfather's ways forever!"
We thought them foolish and unfaithful to our faith for abandoning the ancient ways. How could one claim to be a follower of the faith when throwing away its teachings and changing the very ceremonies that helped to teach its truth and give its blessings?
Many of our people did not understand the fuss. "Why are your two groups always fighting? Can't we all get along?" An uneasy truce was reached. Both sides gathered with their own. Both looked with suspicion on the other. Both became certain that they were right.
Each side occasionally tried to exert control over the other. Neither succeeded until the last days of the Citadel. A man arose who used political power and rhetoric to fool those in the middle who just wanted to get along with everyone. His conciliatory words and his promises of better days caused them to give him support. "After all," they claimed, "if we agree on a few basic things it is enough." He was elected the First Servant. As First (as he liked to be called) he packed his Council with friends and fellow "new way" believers. Through executive privilege and through sweeping changes in the rules he forced the people to accept his ideas.
Those of us who thought the First to be teaching errors and leading the people in the wrong direction began to talk about leaving. It would be hard to leave behind our friends on the other side. But our people had left other places before. We had survived. We could do so again. Most of our group thought we should wait. "Maybe things will change. It will be alright if we just have patience." The few who saw the danger ahead reminded the others of the problems in the old land. "The First has taken on powers that are not in keeping with the scriptures and our father's faith. He is not acting like a servant, but like a dictator!"
At this time cracks in the Citadel walls began to appear. The builder's guild began to search the chambers below the Citadel to discover the problem. After surveying the storage rooms near the foundations of the walls they came back with distressing news. Their report said, "Years of neglect and certain unwise practices have created a dangerous situation. Some of the foundation bedrock has been weakened by cutting into them to expand the archives. The old theology books and histories of the people were placed in these rooms by the First to make room for the new library in the Council chambers. We had to move aside stacks of books and records to find this problem. Our recommendation is that the rooms be cleared out so new buttresses might be constructed to strengthen the walls. Remember the builder's maxim, when the foundations are weakened, the walls cannot stand." The report was not made public. The First demanded that the builder's guild swear an oath of secrecy. "We do not want to alarm the people with this news until we assign a task force to look into these opinions."
We got a copy of it. The next day it was published in the Daily. The uproar was amazing. That night the First addressed the people in the plaza. "This report in the Daily is not true. There is no danger. We will assign a blue ribbon task force to look into these allegations. But, I speak with every confidence that we are entirely safe. Please return to your homes and live your lives with the knowledge that your First is always vigilant and concerned about your welfare." That night we made plans to leave the Citadel.
On the last day our small group gathered by the west gate with our carts loaded with our few most prized possessions. As the first rays of dawn lightened the eastern sky and the first birds began to sing, the gates creaked open. The gatekeeper looked at us and remarked, "Headed west then? Wher'ya goin'?" We handed him a copy of the Daily and left the Citadel. As we reached the top of the hill the ground began to shake. A loud crack boomed across the valley. We all turned to look. In stunned silence we saw the walls begin to fall inward and disappear in a cloud of dust and smoke. The entire city was gone. When the foundations are weakened, the walls cannot stand.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
"Against stupidity the gods themselves struggle to no avail."
[Issues, Etc. Blog of the Week 2/13/2009]
"Invincible stupidity"—What a great summarization of the shenanigans at LCMS, Inc. in regard to the entire Issues, Etc. debacle. In a recent broadcast Todd and Jeff briefly mentioned the ongoing silliness perpetuated by the Purple Vatican as they try to silence the voice of Confessional Lutherans within the LCMS. After Issues, Etc. (hereafter simply IE) was canceled, the Purple Vatican (hereafter PV—Purple Vatican) probably thought that IE would simply wither away. The explosion of support for IE and the response of their listeners was not expected. The voice they sought to silence is now speaking even more pointedly to the issues of the day. By means of their "Christ Centered and Cross Focused" broadcasting and web-casting, IE exposes the false and fruitless fads in the church. The fact that the PV has clearly signed on for the faddish approach to "doing church" is not the fault of those who speak the truth.
Without the PV restrictions Todd and Jeff are free to do shows on any topic that needs to be addressed. This unbridled freedom to speak must be galling to those in the PV who have an agenda to silence all opposition to their plans. But what kind of personal animus would motivate the PV crowd to perpetuate the controversy? Evidently the attempt to trademark the IE "brand-name" is being opposed by the PV. They oppose IE's desire to keep their name! This for a show that the PV did not support and did not want. But this is not enough for the corporate lawyers and bureaucrats. They have threatened Todd and Jeff with personal legal action. Why would they waste their time and effort on this nonsense?
The problem with the PV is that it is run by people who have no grasp on reality and no desire to act as Christians. Think for a moment about the way they are acting. They are suing to stop IE from using their name. They are threatening Todd and Jeff with personal lawsuits. This is not an attempt to further the preaching of the truth. This is a calculated and evil desire to silence those with whom they disagree. It is another attempt to use power for ungodly purposes. On top of this one must wonder why they would waste the time and money on such legal battles when the PV finances are in such a mess?
Invincible stupidity is an apt appellation for this behavior. Sadly, one can almost expect it from that crowd. A playwright wrote, "Mit der Dummheit kaempfen Goetter selbst vergebens." Die Jungfrau von Orleans; Friedrich von Schiller. "Against stupidity the gods themselves struggle to no avail."
"Invincible stupidity"—What a great summarization of the shenanigans at LCMS, Inc. in regard to the entire Issues, Etc. debacle. In a recent broadcast Todd and Jeff briefly mentioned the ongoing silliness perpetuated by the Purple Vatican as they try to silence the voice of Confessional Lutherans within the LCMS. After Issues, Etc. (hereafter simply IE) was canceled, the Purple Vatican (hereafter PV—Purple Vatican) probably thought that IE would simply wither away. The explosion of support for IE and the response of their listeners was not expected. The voice they sought to silence is now speaking even more pointedly to the issues of the day. By means of their "Christ Centered and Cross Focused" broadcasting and web-casting, IE exposes the false and fruitless fads in the church. The fact that the PV has clearly signed on for the faddish approach to "doing church" is not the fault of those who speak the truth.
Without the PV restrictions Todd and Jeff are free to do shows on any topic that needs to be addressed. This unbridled freedom to speak must be galling to those in the PV who have an agenda to silence all opposition to their plans. But what kind of personal animus would motivate the PV crowd to perpetuate the controversy? Evidently the attempt to trademark the IE "brand-name" is being opposed by the PV. They oppose IE's desire to keep their name! This for a show that the PV did not support and did not want. But this is not enough for the corporate lawyers and bureaucrats. They have threatened Todd and Jeff with personal legal action. Why would they waste their time and effort on this nonsense?
The problem with the PV is that it is run by people who have no grasp on reality and no desire to act as Christians. Think for a moment about the way they are acting. They are suing to stop IE from using their name. They are threatening Todd and Jeff with personal lawsuits. This is not an attempt to further the preaching of the truth. This is a calculated and evil desire to silence those with whom they disagree. It is another attempt to use power for ungodly purposes. On top of this one must wonder why they would waste the time and money on such legal battles when the PV finances are in such a mess?
Invincible stupidity is an apt appellation for this behavior. Sadly, one can almost expect it from that crowd. A playwright wrote, "Mit der Dummheit kaempfen Goetter selbst vergebens." Die Jungfrau von Orleans; Friedrich von Schiller. "Against stupidity the gods themselves struggle to no avail."
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