Here is a quiz from a book I am reading. See how many of these you agree with:
1) I believe I can live for 24 hours without sinning.
2) Self-esteem is a Christian virtue.
3) The public schools do the best job of instilling family values.
4) Pastors and bishops are more Christian than laymen.
5) We are going to eradicate hunger in ten years.
6) The best church is one that teaches the power of positive thinking.
7) The best sermons are relevant to the evening news.
8) When I sin, I must resolve to do better to stay in God's grace.
Agree, mostly? If you are Lutheran, I hope not. To quote the author of the book, "If you said, 'I don't think so' to every one, you may well be incurably Lutheran. Orthodox Lutherans carry their theological cautions into their public endeavors. Some would say we take a dim view of human ability to solve problems. Lutherans are inclined to say we are realistic."
The book I am reading is Is the ELCA Lutheran? I had a hard time buying this book, because I get offended when folks, like some LCMS bloggers, lump all of the ELCA membership together and say we cannot possibly be Lutheran, probably not even Christian. There are a lot of folks in the ELCA who are faithful to traditional Lutheran doctrine and practice; unfortunately it does not seem that many of them are in leadership on the national, perhaps even synodical, level. So I broke down and bought this book. It is hard for me to read, because it is making me take a hard look at what is happening in the greater church and how that will eventually affect even those of us far away from Chicago, here in sunny Florida. As I read it and digest it, I will post about the various issues the author, Christine Larson Goble, raises. She does an excellent job of bringing out what the issues are that we should be concerned about. One that is very important is governance, how decisions are made and carried out in the ELCA. You have very little say in anything, did you know that? I'll make that the topic of my next post from the book. If you are really interested, go to Amazon and order a copy.
---Katie
1 comment:
Years ago, back in the 1970s, I already saw the handwriting on the wall when it came to the ALC. It had been flirting with Liberalism for a few years. So, as much as I loved my church, I left it for the LCMS. Does the LCMS have problems? Yes, but it has at least sought to be faithful to what it means to be Lutheran, something the churches that formed the ELCA have failed to do. I hope for the renewal of the ELCA, but I am not letting my hopes get too high.
Post a Comment