ELCA needs strong, loyal opposition
by Dr. Frederick W. Baltz
WordAlone Board member
One of the important things the ELCA seems to have lost is an openness to dissenting opinion.
People from earlier generations tell of church conventions where people argued long and hard, stopping just short of fistfights. Despite the apparent disunity, the people then went forward to do the will of the majority. Everyone had been heard. Today if you raise an objection to something like the mandatory historic episcopate you may be told that you should stop, "The church has spoken." You will not be encouraged to continue to voice your concern. On the contrary, you will feel pressured to keep silent. You will no doubt have the impression that the leadership does not want to listen to you or contribute in any way to your being heard by people beyond your local congregation. It may seem that people consider you disloyal.
In the Lutheran tradition we have always considered our leadersfallible, just like the rest of us. We have rejected the Roman Catholic doctrine that says that the Pope, when speaking ex cathedra (from the chair) on matters of faith and morals that must be held by the whole church, cannot be in error.
The ELCA culture offers a subtler outlook on infallibility. We believe our leaders not only can make mistakes, but have made them. It's just that when you try to give an example, you find that your example couldn't possibly be one of the mistakes (for example, Called to Common Mission, the full communion agreement with The Episcopal Church USA). The church has spoken. "The church" here is a churchwide assembly, which is about one five-thousandth of the membership of the ELCA. Since Luther rejected the notion that popes and councils were mistake-proof (the famous Worms speech), it stands to reason that he would say the same of the churchwide assemblies. Therefore every viewpoint needs to be heard, the loyal opposition included.
Our only real hope is to look to Scripture for our direction, and to realize that even then we all can make mistakes as we interpret the Scripture. We must be most careful not to mandate what is not required in Scripture, and not to allow what is forbidden in Scripture.
Gaining and keeping a hearing will be a matter of continual effort for the WordAlone Network. In the meantime we have established some things.
The information is sketchy at present, but there is now good reason to believe that WordAlone-thinking people know what they are doing in their congregations. It now appears that there is more benevolence sent, greater participation in the life of the congregation and greater growth where WordAlone thinking is heard. (see "For the record," Network News,
July – August 2005
<http://www.wordalone.org
We have also established that we can make a difference, even if some don't want to listen to us at all. Passage of recommendation 3 that would have granted ordination by exception for practicing gays and lesbians was not the "done deal" that some forecast. It was defeated 490 for adoption to 503 against. There is strength in our network. And we have established that there is more to do.
I tend to think it will be harder and harder for anyone to paint us with an "ugly brush" as the truth of what we intend to do within this church becomes clearer--continue to stand strongly with the loyal opposition.
We need to be a voice among others who would stop the ELCA's drift away from Scripture and the Lutheran confessions. To be loyal is to recognize both the good and the bad in the institutional church, and to keep working as long as it takes to make the present situation better.
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How does one choose between moving to a church that better follows the lead of Scripture and remaining in a church that one loves dearly and can hopefully be moved in that direction? That's where I am now.
Click on the title for the Word Alone Network website.
---Katie
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