The trials of Lutheranism

We joined Upper Arlington Lutheran Church on Palm Sunday 1976--35 years ago, and 26 years after my baptism on Palm Sunday 1950. At that time its synod was the American Lutheran Church, but polity meant little to us. (For us it was confirmation. Those who are already Lutheran join by letter of transfer.) At the journal First Things there is a good summary (and book review) of what has been happening the last 40 years in both Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA, created by a merger of the Lutheran Church in America and American Lutheran Church in 1988).

Article | First Things

And here's a comment by a reader which summarizes what was going on at the congregational level. We've lost members at UALC, but our vote was about 99% to leave. The devastation would have been disastrous if it had been 80-20 or 70-30. Many congregations were never given an opportunity to vote--it's very risky for a pastor to not be "rostered" especially if he's still paying off his college loans, because where will his next job come from? New synods take awhile to grow and start calling pastors.

It took 20 years but the activists in the ELCA finally got their wish. By a slight margin two summers ago in Minneapolis they allowed for the installation of actively homosexual clergy, even though in many states they are not allowed to be married.

Many of us thought that with a change of that importance they should have called for a two-thirds majority, of course that is the requirement that they required of our congregation to leave the ELCA. If that would have been the only problem.

We were very concerned about their latest positions on abortion as well as statements that are clearly anti-Israel. Furthermore, we have no logical basis from which to exclude either members or clergy who wish to practice polygamy or take under-age brides. The structure of the ELCA from the first moment was too weak, there was not enough restraining power in the Bishops to slow down precipitous actions. The large group of lay persons and clergy were going about their business trying to bring Christ to the world. But a detemined minority were determined to gain power whatever the cost.

We were in trouble no matter what the decision. Our congregation voted 80%/20% to leave the ELCA, and many of that 20% have left. We would have had many more losses had the vote been reversed, as many would have left for a more traditional church, if any be left. We have joined the LCMC, for the moment along with hundreds of other former ELCA churches. I feel adrift, like someone has just pulled some really sneaky, nasty trick on me and my fellow church members. All this time we thought we were trying to make our church a joyful and welcoming place where folks could hear about Jesus and find some comfort from the troubles of the world. I could use some comforting right now.

One commenter on this entry mentioned he'd given up on the Lutherans and had become a Roman Catholic. Yes, there is a strong desire for leadership, especially for those who love tradition, liturgy and theology. However, now that he's there, he'll probably find out that all that Martin Luther objected to is still in place--the priesthood of ordained clergy over the priesthood of all believers, the insertion of church tradition between the believer and God as mediator instead of Christ as the mediator, veneration (worship) of saints, indulgences, a works not grace operation, and on and on.