Values (or, Doctrine, Worship, Morality)

My latest Partial Observer column is here. It mentions religion, as usual:

"[B]ehaviors of religious adherents that may demonstrate the undesirability of the religion are always disowned. Thus, Arab terrorists aren't "real" Muslims, "Islam" means "peace," etc. And both history and the present is full of Christians accusing other Christians of doing unchristian things. But somewhere in there is "real" Christianity. Honest. Have faith."

The article is really about values. Since values are non-negotiable, everything else must be in order to guarantee peaceful coexistence.

That's true for the politics of the State. Can it be true for the politics of the Church? That doesn't seem to work.

Carl Braaten in his letter to the chief of the Evangelical Lutheran Church puts it well:

I am a life-long political liberal, unlike many of my friends. My wife and I opposed the unjust war against Vietnam in the 60’s and 70’s, and we have with equal conviction opposed the foolhardy invasion of Iraq by the Bush administration. We also supported the ELCA in its ecumenical actions to re-institute the episcopal office by means of passing the CCM as well as to adopt the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with the Vatican. But none of that equates with transforming Lutheranism into a liberal protestant denomination, in terms of doctrine, worship, and morality.

Doctrine. Worship. Morality.

I suppose all a lot can be said about all three, as if in our history we haven't said enough. I'm more or less a neutral - somewhat outside of the box but fascinated by all of it. It seems to me that liberal doctrine and loose morality have a symbiotic relationship - each adds to the other. "Conservatives" seem to object both, yet many conservatives have "contemporary" worship, which can't be honestly interpreted as anything other than "the customer (or "seeker" or "young person")is always right." Individual preference, listening to the "market," often drives worship, especially in the mega-churches.

That's the part I object to most. If there is to be a denomination, it must defined by doctrine, from which both morality and also worship must follow. Yes, many old denominations have lapsed into liberalism, which in this sense means abandoning not just tradition but the very doctrines that founded the denomination.

But it is also with a couple of those denominations, particularly the Evangelical Lutheran and Episcopal churches, that I can rely on most for worship. The order, the readings (and there are readings) and the prayers would be pretty much the same so that in any town you are in, the local church would have the same style and order as any other.

There are some denominations, where you go in to worship, and you have no idea what you're going to get.

What's the point of a denomination if the congregations in it don't worship the same way?