The Trials of American Lutheranism

First Things ^ | May 2011 | Robert Benne

[marshmallow]

The torments that the two major American Lutheran churches have visited on themselves.

The two largest Lutheran churches in America have now broken up: the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) in the 1960s and 1970s after a brutal conflict between insurgent conservatives and complacent liberals, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) in the last few years, as the predictable result of a flawed ecclesial foundation. While both stories are instructive in their own right, the striking thing about them is that they are compellingly connected. The refugees from the first conflict were instrumental in shaping the flawed foundation of the second. Further, those refugees from the LCMS aided those in the ELCA who were pushing it toward liberal Protestantism. So we are left with one Lutheran communion mired in unending conflict over biblical interpretation, and another merged fully into a declining, desiccated Protestant mainline.

The story of the old conflict, told well in James Burkee’s new book Power, Politics, and the Missouri Synod, is a dark tale about something that really did not have to happen. It is the story of the overthrow of a moderate but unwary president, Oliver Harms, and his associates by a highly organized and mean-spirited group of conservative (reactionary is probably a better word) insurgents. They drew on the unease and suspicion sown over many years by a renegade pastor, Herman Otten, who, ever resentful at being refused certification for ordination, conducted a relentless vilification of LCMS leaders and professors with his newspaper Lutheran News, which later became Christian News.

In some ways the takeover of headquarters was merely an instrument for getting at the leadership and faculty of Concordia Seminary at St. Louis, which the insurgents rightly suspected of moving beyond its conservative constituency in biblical interpretation, theology, and cultural and political attitudes. Charges were..........

[Celtic Cross]

>>>Challenges faced by Lutherans<<<

Being part of a church that embraces contraception, gayness, and abortion sure doesn't help.

[bcsco]

Note for later read.

[iowamark]

It should be no surprise that liberal Protestant churches are going very bad. What is surprising is that the once conservative churches, LCMS, Southern Baptists, are themselves becoming more and more liberal.

[Kimmers]

“That sixties liberals have taken over the ELCA is telling in that the ends justify the means (for them). Their jettisoning of God's law in favor of more a more ‘generous’ and tolerant word has brought about a church where there is NO sin, NO judgment, and NO one way to God. Now, for the most part (realizing that there are still some good and faithful pastors and congregations still within the ELCA) it is one, big do-gooder organization for those who are religiously inclined.”

The above is a comment following the article and that pretty much sums it up.

I was raised in ELCA and I have been going to fellowship churches for awhile. In this church I have been taught to have a personal relationship with God and that has changed everything about my faith and relationship with God.

I found that many churches do not encourage this relationship and the bible is generally interpreted through the minister. In the case of the ELCA I would call it brain washing to fit into the world around you and not the world of Jesus Christ......so the faithful of the ELCA are following the church of man and not the church of God....sad

[fungoking]

As a proud Southern Baptist let me point out the Conservative resurgence of the 80’s and 90’s which led many of the liberals to leave form the “cooperative” baptist or join other liberal denominations.

What is a “cooperative” baptist? A liberal Southern Baptist that believed in majority rule until they got out voted. Most of the liberals were pastors and professors, many of their congregations had no idea how liberal their leasers were.

[Carl Vehse]

Years ago Robert Benne crawled into bed with the whore of ecumenical liberalism and now that he's found out since 2009 he's expected to sodomize with ordain E?CA homosexual clergy and "gay marriages," he's whining and trying to blame it (using Burkee's worthless screed) on confessional Lutherans in the Missouri Synod. The NALC spinoff is simply a clone of E?CA except for ordaining active homosexual clergy. In a few years they'll be voting to do the same thing.

[redgolum]

Was a good article in First things.

The author blames the issues in the ELCA on part with the split that happened in the LCMS. In short, we drove the crazy libs out to form their own synod, which they made dang sure no orthodox Christian group would control.

[Cronos]

What is surprising is that the once conservative churches, LCMS, Southern Baptists, are themselves becoming more and more liberal.

We should all be praying for our brothers and sister to take back their churches from the liberals trying to destroy them

[daniel1212]

In reality, those who (or who are in churches) that in practice hold to the Scriptures being the supreme authority are the ones which show greater unity in core doctrines and moral views, over that of Roman Catholicism, whose doctrinal unity depends upon implicit assent to a self-proclaimed infallible office. And having lost her unholy power of the sword of men to discipline her own, but which she sanctioned torture, etc., her members are little different than the general public in moral views. Yet the more authority they ascribe to Scripture then the more conservative they are.

http://www.peacebyjesus.com/RC-Stats_vs._Evang.html