"We Are the Church Together"
Rev. Eric Lemonholm writes, in response to some things posted here a couple of weeks ago:
When I think of our congregation here on the Iron Range, with our friends in the Roman Catholic church a block away, and a Serbian Orthodox church down the road, it is incomprehensible to think that one of us is closer to God, more orthodox, more 'church' because of the hierarchical structure of which we are a part. That seems irrelevant to whether or not the gospel is preached and received in the local congregation. Such human structures aid in the preservation and passing on of the good news of Jesus Christ; they neither create it nor bind it. Nor is our Lutheran church any further away from the apostles than a Catholic or Greek Orthodox church, simply because we do not reside in their hierarchical structure. The Greek Orthodox Church has preserved much of the tradition of the early Greek church; the Roman Catholic Church has preserved much of the tradition of the Western Latin church. Both have rich, deep traditions of doctrine and piety. As a Lutheran, I have no problem recognizing them as brothers and sisters in Christ, as fellow churches; but the Holy Spirit is not bound to them. The questions for any congregation are: Is the good news proclaimed? Is the good news communicated in the waters of baptism, in the bread and wine of communion?
On a congregation-by-congregation basis, I see the point. But the allure for many of switching denoninations and hierarchical loyalties is, for many, an issue of moving from a denomination mired in doctrinal and ethical chaos and philosophical and ideological trendiness, to one whose hierarchies have structurally sounder and stronger safeguards. It seems that people who switch from, say, Episcopalian to Catholic do so precisely because they loved the Episcopal Church so much.
When I think of our congregation here on the Iron Range, with our friends in the Roman Catholic church a block away, and a Serbian Orthodox church down the road, it is incomprehensible to think that one of us is closer to God, more orthodox, more 'church' because of the hierarchical structure of which we are a part. That seems irrelevant to whether or not the gospel is preached and received in the local congregation. Such human structures aid in the preservation and passing on of the good news of Jesus Christ; they neither create it nor bind it. Nor is our Lutheran church any further away from the apostles than a Catholic or Greek Orthodox church, simply because we do not reside in their hierarchical structure. The Greek Orthodox Church has preserved much of the tradition of the early Greek church; the Roman Catholic Church has preserved much of the tradition of the Western Latin church. Both have rich, deep traditions of doctrine and piety. As a Lutheran, I have no problem recognizing them as brothers and sisters in Christ, as fellow churches; but the Holy Spirit is not bound to them. The questions for any congregation are: Is the good news proclaimed? Is the good news communicated in the waters of baptism, in the bread and wine of communion?
On a congregation-by-congregation basis, I see the point. But the allure for many of switching denoninations and hierarchical loyalties is, for many, an issue of moving from a denomination mired in doctrinal and ethical chaos and philosophical and ideological trendiness, to one whose hierarchies have structurally sounder and stronger safeguards. It seems that people who switch from, say, Episcopalian to Catholic do so precisely because they loved the Episcopal Church so much.
posted by Unknown at 9:35 AM
1 Comments:
Jim - I appreciate your comment! One of Luther's valid points in the 16th Century, however, was that the hierarchy of the RCC of his day did NOT have "structurally sounder and stronger safeguards" vis a vis the gospel of Jesus Christ, but had obscured it with a morass of medieval piety that weighed down the consciences of the faithful. If the present day hierarchies of the Episcopal or ELCA churches are obscuring the gospel, then a return to Reformation principles (here I stand, bound by the word of God and my conscience - I can do no other) may be in order.
Luther in his own words: Here I answered:
“Since then your serene majesty and your lordships seek a simple answer, I will give it in this manner, neither horned nor toothed: Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither sale nor right to go against conscience.
“I cannot do otherwise, here I stand, may God help me, Amen.”
Luther, M. 1999, c1958. Vol. 32: Luther's works, vol. 32 : Career of the Reformer II (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works. Fortress Press: Philadelphia
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