The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted this past year to "normalize" homosexual behaviour as good and lovely. Paul Speckhard, writing in The Lutheran Forum, has offered a modest proposal for the next step in creative, market research based, consumer focused outreach: Temple Prostitution.
Before you dismiss his suggestion out of hand, you might want to consider the possibility that in doing so you might be implicitly criticizing the way your church approaches "outreach." After all, if it can justly be said that homosexuality is "hot" today it remains the case that heterosexual coupling represents a much wider market and is what could be described as a "perennial favorite" form of recreation. So church marketers might want to consider Speckhard's proposal and think, not about the fact that he is wrong, but rather about why he is wrong.
The problem with satire, of course, is that it only works when it goes beyond the bounds of common sense. So liberals probably won't even find this funny. Nevertheless, I find it appropriate to tag it as "Humour."
Showing posts with label Lutheran Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lutheran Church. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Robert Benne on the Fall of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Respected Lutheran theologian writes on how his denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, became the first confessional Protestant denomination to abandon the Great Tradition of Christian orthodoxy for the heresy of liberal Protestantism. Elements of his analysis are very illuminating.
First, Benne explains how the social gospel has replaced the biblical gospel in the ECLA:
It is interesting to note that in the first great defection from Evangelicalism during the Fundamentalist-Modernist Conterversy of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the pattern was established in which at first the social gospel was declared to be equal in importance with the classical gospel and then, in a generation or two, the classic gospel began to be downplayed. Then the point is reached where the classical gospel is denied altogether. In the words of the delegate quoted above, "There is nothing but the social gospel." Katherine Jefferts Schori said pretty much the same thing at the Episcopal Church USA General Convention in July when she said that the gospel of personal salvation was a heresy.
The results of this shift from gospel (the good news of sin and salvation through Christ) to law (the social agenda of works derived from left wing secularism) are as follows:
The combination of rigid dogmatism and clueless permissiveness on various issues is indicative of a mind that has lost its grip on reality and is wandering aimlessly without any sense of tradition. Benne's insights into the process by which this happened in the ECLA are stiking:
This decision on homosexuality has as its background several decades of determined work by radical activists determined to de-theologize the church and impose a secular, leftist agenda on the church. The theologians and bishops called to defend the faith of the church were marginalized and then out-voted.
It is interesting to note the importance Benne assigns to the quota system that skewed every board, task force or other representative body in favor of the progressives. That makes sense and it would appear that any denomination that wishes to remain orthodox must find a way to avoid such skewing of representative bodies in the liberal direction.
I wonder if this is the real reason why denominations that have embraced the ordination of women, in the name of the secular ideology of power that undergirds feiminism, have all found themselves drifting inexorably in a liberal direction. I wonder if this means that churches have basic choice to make: either reject women's ordination or face an inevitable left-ward drift. Someone should do some empirical investigation of this question. Is is possible that feminism is the great enabler of liberal drift?
First, Benne explains how the social gospel has replaced the biblical gospel in the ECLA:
"There is nothing but the social gospel," shouted a voting member at the assembly. But that is certainly not Lutheran doctrine. The various programs of social change taken to heart by the church are human works in God's left-hand reign, having to do with the Law, not the gospel. Rather, the real gospel is clear: the grace of God in Jesus Christ is offered to repentant sinners condemned by the Law and then called to amendment of life by the Spirit. Liberating efforts in the realm of social and political change are possibly effects of the gospel, but certainly not the gospel itself.
But the ELCA has accepted the social gospel as its working theology, even though its constitution has a marvelous statement of the classic gospel. The liberating movements fueled by militant feminism, multiculturalism, anti-racism, anti-heterosexism, anti-imperialism, and now ecologism have been moved to the center while the classic gospel and its missional imperatives have been pushed to the periphery."
It is interesting to note that in the first great defection from Evangelicalism during the Fundamentalist-Modernist Conterversy of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the pattern was established in which at first the social gospel was declared to be equal in importance with the classical gospel and then, in a generation or two, the classic gospel began to be downplayed. Then the point is reached where the classical gospel is denied altogether. In the words of the delegate quoted above, "There is nothing but the social gospel." Katherine Jefferts Schori said pretty much the same thing at the Episcopal Church USA General Convention in July when she said that the gospel of personal salvation was a heresy.
The results of this shift from gospel (the good news of sin and salvation through Christ) to law (the social agenda of works derived from left wing secularism) are as follows:
"The policies issuing from these liberationist themes are non-negotiable in the ELCA, which is compelling evidence that they are at the center. No one can dislodge the ELCA's commitment to purge all masculine language about God from
its speech and worship, to demur on the biblically normative status of the nuclear family, to refuse to put limits on abortion in its internal policies or to advocate publicly for pro-life policies, to press for left-wing public domestic and foreign policy, to replace evangelism abroad with dialog, to commit to "full inclusion" of gays and lesbians at the expense of church unity, and to buy in fully to the movement against global warming. Though it is dogmatic on these issues, it is confused about something as important as the assessment of homosexual conduct. Yet, it acts anyway because of the pressure exerted by those who want to liberate church and society from heterosexism."
The combination of rigid dogmatism and clueless permissiveness on various issues is indicative of a mind that has lost its grip on reality and is wandering aimlessly without any sense of tradition. Benne's insights into the process by which this happened in the ECLA are stiking:
"The ELCA has a particular history that has compounded these problems. The mid-1980s planning stage of the ELCA was dramatically affected by a group of radicals who pressed liberationist (feminist, black, multiculturalist, gay) legislative initiatives right into the center of the ELCA structures.
Among them was a quota system that skews every committee, council, task force, synod assembly, and national assembly toward the "progressive" side. (There are quotas for representing specific groups in all the organized activity
of the church. Sixty percent must be lay, 50 percent must be women, 10 percent must be people of color or whose language is other than English. The losers, of course, are white male pastors; our Virginia delegation to the assembly, for example, had only one male pastor among its eight elected members.)Further, the prescribed structure distanced the 65 bishops from the decision-making of the church. The bishops have only influence, not power. (Aware of their divisiveness, the bishops voted 44-14 to require a two thirds majority for the enactment of the Sexuality Task Force's policy recommendations, but were ignored
by both the church council and the Assembly.) Theologians were given no formal,
ongoing, corporate role in setting the direction of the ELCA. They, too, were kept at a distance and actually viewed as one more competing interest group.The radicals so decisive in the defining moments of the ELCA intended
to smash the authority of the influential theologians and bishops who had informally kept both the American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church in America on course. The radicals wanted many voices and perspectives, especially
those of the "marginalized," put forward in the ongoing deliberations of the
ELCA. They were so successful that now, after 20 years, there is no
authoritative biblical or theological guidance in the church. There are only
many voices. The 2009 Assembly legitimated those many voices by adapting a
"bound-conscience" principle, according to which anyone claiming a
sincerely-held conviction about any doctrine must be respected. The truth of the
Bible has been reduced to sincerely-held opinion."
This decision on homosexuality has as its background several decades of determined work by radical activists determined to de-theologize the church and impose a secular, leftist agenda on the church. The theologians and bishops called to defend the faith of the church were marginalized and then out-voted.
It is interesting to note the importance Benne assigns to the quota system that skewed every board, task force or other representative body in favor of the progressives. That makes sense and it would appear that any denomination that wishes to remain orthodox must find a way to avoid such skewing of representative bodies in the liberal direction.
I wonder if this is the real reason why denominations that have embraced the ordination of women, in the name of the secular ideology of power that undergirds feiminism, have all found themselves drifting inexorably in a liberal direction. I wonder if this means that churches have basic choice to make: either reject women's ordination or face an inevitable left-ward drift. Someone should do some empirical investigation of this question. Is is possible that feminism is the great enabler of liberal drift?
Monday, September 7, 2009
Does the ECLA Collapse Herald the Collapse of the Reformation?
This is an uncomfortable question for Protestants. What does it mean historically for the Lutheran Church to sink into apostasy and heresy? Was the Reformation decision to separate from Rome and remain separate a mistake from the beginning? If there is less adherance to the gospel in Protestant Churches than in the Roman Catholic Church, how can one justify being a Protestant?
Carl Bratten, an orthodox Lutheran who is obviously in pain over recent events in the ELCA, writes poignantly on these quesitons.
When a life-long, major Lutheran theologian of the stature of Carl Bratten starts musing aloud about whether or not Lutheranism contained within itself from its beginning the seeds of its own instability, you know that the situation is critical. And when he makes the point that the locus of authority in Lutheranism has been (in a wonderfully evocative phrase) "wandering all over the place," you know that the very essence of Protestantism is being questioned. What a clear and concise definition of modern Protestantism: "an amalgamation of historic Christianity and the principles of the Enlightenment, its rationalism, its subjectivism, and anthropocentrism," which makes it neo-gnostic.
What is going on here is that liberal Protestantism as a whole, liberal Protestant as a world historical phenomenon is being weighed in the balance and being found wanting. It is on a path to destruction, having abandoned the biblical gospel for neo-gnosticism and social justice. The question is "What now?" "Where do confessionally orthodox Christians now look for leadership?" "What is the future for orthodox Christian refugees from the sinking liberal Protestant ship?"
The Anglican Communion is in the process of reforming into two distinct entities and the only real question in play is which side gets the prize of Canterbury as its head, with all the historic prestiege that implies. But regardless, the majority of the Communion is in the process of reforming into an orthodox communion and will be the ecumenical conversation partner with the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. The minority, centered in The Episcopal Church, will likely become a component of the emerging Liberal Protestant religion, which will be cut off from the Great Tradition.
Where does this leave orthodox believers in the Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran and other Protestant denominations? Perhaps the Anglican Church in North America, which has already shown itself to be a big tent kind of entity, will provide a home for refugees from various Protestant, as well as Anglican traditions that have left the Great Tradition. The smaller, continuing Reformed and Lutheran traditions will likely carry on and the Southern Baptists will likely do so as well. It would be wonderful if the Anglican Church in North America could serve as a bridge between the Catholic and Orthodox traditions and the remnants of Protestantism in the West. In this way, the Anglican tradition could fulfill what many have thought was its historic, ecumenical mission.
Carl Bratten, an orthodox Lutheran who is obviously in pain over recent events in the ELCA, writes poignantly on these quesitons.
"I will leave it to smarter historians than I to explain how it happened
that the ELCA could slide so quickly down the slippery slope of liberal
Protestantism. Meanwhile, I would hazard two suggestions. First, Lutheranism may
contain within its origins the seeds of its own instability. When the first
Lutherans lost the magisterial authority of the Roman Catholic Church, it had no
sure authority to put in its place. The solas sounded good in theory, but it
finally comes down to who who has the authority to interpret and apply them in
changing times. In the history of Lutheranism the locus of official authority
has been wandering all over the place. In the ELCA final authority lies in the
hands of a quota-selected majority of lay members who could, if they chose,
decide to merge with the Moonies or Mormons, just as they have decided in favor
of altar and pulpit fellowship with Methodists and Moravians. Far-fetched? Not
any more than the decisions taken at the 2009 Assembly in Minneapolis. In the
church the leaders are supposed to be successors of the apostles and not echoes
of majority opinion.
My second suggestion is that the ELCA has succumbed to the same ailment
as liberal Protestantism. What is that? Modern Protestantism is an amalgamation
of historic Christianity and the principles of the Enlightenment, its
rationalism, subjectivism, and anthropocentrism. The underlying assumption is
the neo-gnostic belief in the inner-dwelling of God, such that everyone is
endowed with the inner light that only needs to be uncovered. The light of truth
does not shine through the Scriptures and the Christian tradition as much as
through scientific reason and individual experience. This is what happened in
Minneapolis: appeals to reason and experience trumped Scripture and tradition,
punctuated with pious injunctions of Lutheran slogans and clichés. The majority
won. And they said it was the work of the Spirit, forgetting that the Holy
Spirit had already spoken volumes through the millennia of Scriptural
interpretation, the councils of the church, and its creeds and
confessions."
When a life-long, major Lutheran theologian of the stature of Carl Bratten starts musing aloud about whether or not Lutheranism contained within itself from its beginning the seeds of its own instability, you know that the situation is critical. And when he makes the point that the locus of authority in Lutheranism has been (in a wonderfully evocative phrase) "wandering all over the place," you know that the very essence of Protestantism is being questioned. What a clear and concise definition of modern Protestantism: "an amalgamation of historic Christianity and the principles of the Enlightenment, its rationalism, its subjectivism, and anthropocentrism," which makes it neo-gnostic.
What is going on here is that liberal Protestantism as a whole, liberal Protestant as a world historical phenomenon is being weighed in the balance and being found wanting. It is on a path to destruction, having abandoned the biblical gospel for neo-gnosticism and social justice. The question is "What now?" "Where do confessionally orthodox Christians now look for leadership?" "What is the future for orthodox Christian refugees from the sinking liberal Protestant ship?"
The Anglican Communion is in the process of reforming into two distinct entities and the only real question in play is which side gets the prize of Canterbury as its head, with all the historic prestiege that implies. But regardless, the majority of the Communion is in the process of reforming into an orthodox communion and will be the ecumenical conversation partner with the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. The minority, centered in The Episcopal Church, will likely become a component of the emerging Liberal Protestant religion, which will be cut off from the Great Tradition.
Where does this leave orthodox believers in the Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran and other Protestant denominations? Perhaps the Anglican Church in North America, which has already shown itself to be a big tent kind of entity, will provide a home for refugees from various Protestant, as well as Anglican traditions that have left the Great Tradition. The smaller, continuing Reformed and Lutheran traditions will likely carry on and the Southern Baptists will likely do so as well. It would be wonderful if the Anglican Church in North America could serve as a bridge between the Catholic and Orthodox traditions and the remnants of Protestantism in the West. In this way, the Anglican tradition could fulfill what many have thought was its historic, ecumenical mission.
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