Journal of Lutheran

Mission August 2017 | Vol. 4 | No. 2

The Journal of Lutheran Mission
Contributing Editors
David Berger, Emeritus, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis
Rev. Dr. Steve Briel, chairman, Board for National Mission, LCMS
Rev. Allan Buss, parish pastor, Belvidere, Ill.
Rev. Roberto Bustamante, faculty, Concordia Seminary, Buenos Aires
Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver III, director, LCMS Church Relations
Rev. Thomas Dunseth, director of deaf ministry, Lutheran Friends of the Deaf, New York
Rev. Nilo Figur, area counselor for Latin America and the Caribbean, Lutheran Hour Ministries
Rev. Dr. Roosevelt Gray, director, LCMS Black Ministry
Rev. Dr. Carlos Hernandez, director, LCMS Hispanic Ministry
Rev. Dr. John Kleinig, emeritus lecturer, Australian Lutheran College
Rev. Ted Krey, regional director, Latin America and the Caribbean, LCMS
Deaconess Dr. Cynthia Lumley, principal, Westfield Theological House, Cambridge
Rev. Dr. Gottfried Martens, parish pastor, Berlin
Rev. Dr. Naomichi Masaki, faculty, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
Rev. Dr. Tilahun Mendedo, president, Concordia College, Selma
Rev. Nabil Nour, fifth vice-president, LCMS
Rev. Dr. Steve Oliver, LCMS missionary, Taiwan
Rev. Dr. Michael Paul, LCMS theological educator to Asia
Rev. Dr. Roger Paavola, president, LCMS Mid-South District
Rev. Dr. Darius Petkunis, rector, Lithuanian Lutheran Seminary
Rev. Dr. Andrew Pfeiffer, faculty, Australian Lutheran College
Rev. John T. Pless, faculty, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
Rev. Dr. Timothy Quill, faculty, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
Rev. Dr. David Rakotonirina, bishop, Antananarivo Synod of the Malagasy Lutheran Church
Rev. Dr. Lawrence Rast, president, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Rev. Geoff Robinson, mission executive, Indiana District
Rev. Dr. Carl Rockrohr, pastor, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Rev. Robert Roethemeyer, faculty, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
Rev. Dr. Brian Saunders, president, LCMS Iowa East District
Rev. Dr. Detlev Schultz, faculty, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
Rev. Bernie Seter, chairman, Board for International Mission, LCMS
Rev. Kou Seying, associate dean, Urban and Cross-Cultural Ministry, Concordia Seminary, St Louis
Rev. Alexey Streltsov, rector, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Siberia
Rev. Martin Teigen, parish pastor/Hispanic ministry, North Mankato, Minn.
Rev. Dr. Wilhelm Weber, Jr., rector, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Pretoria, South Africa
Rev. John Wille, president, LCMS South Wisconsin District

Executive Editors
Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver III, director, LCMS Church Relations
Rev. Bart Day, executive director, LCMS Office of National Mission
Rev. John Fale, executive director, LCMS Office of International Mission
Introduction
Confessional
Fellowship in
Wittenberg
T
he sixth World Seminaries Conference
held by the International Lutheran Council
in Wittenberg, Germany (Oct. 1113, 2016)
provided an amazing opportunity to practice good
koinonia in faith and theology. More than 70 people,
mostly professors in Lutheran Seminaries and Schools of
Theology, presidents and bishops of Lutheran Churches,
and guests gathered around a common interest. At the
dawn of the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the
Lutheran Reformation, the participants discussed the
impact of the Reformation in vital areas of the churchs
life today, as reflected in the conference theme, Shaping
Confessional Lutheranism for the 21st Century: The
Impact of the Lutheran Reformation on Mission,
Worship, and Worldview. This years conference took
place at a very significant place: Wittenberg and, more
specifically, the Leocorea, the original location of the
University of Wittenberg, where Martin Luther and Philip
Melanchthon taught theology five centuries ago.
Following the tradition from its first five meetings,
this conference provided the opportunity to discuss
significant themes for theological education, through pre-
sentations by scholars from five continents. From Europe,
Dr. Werner Kln, rector of the Lutherische Theologische
Hochschule (Germany), presented the keynote lecture,
challenging the participants to reflect on the implications
of the Lutheran Church being confessional and how this
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
should particularly impact theological education. Three
other keynote presentations were given on the specific
topics: the impact on mission by the Rev. Dr. Berhanu
Ofgaa, general secretary of the Evangelical Church
Mekane Yesus, from Ethiopia; the impact on worship by
the Rev. Dr. Andrew Pfeiffer, professor of Theology at the
Australian Lutheran College; and the impact on world-
view by the Rev. Dr. Makito Masaki, president of Kobe
Lutheran Theological Seminary from Japan.
The assembly had also the opportunity to hear
reactions to the keynote speakers from: the Rev. Dr. Klaus
Detlev Schulz and the Rev. Dr. Lawrence Rast from the
USA, the Rev. Dr. Armin Wenz from Germany, and the
Rev. Roberto Bustamante from Argentina. Two speakers,
the Rev. Dr. Sergei Isaev from Russia, and the Rev.
Leonerio Faller, from Brazil gave short presentations on
subjects not necessarily tied directly to the conference
theme.
May the Lord continue to bless sound theological
education all around the world, so that faithful pastors
and missionaries may be prepared to proclaim the
saving message of Jesus Christ, the fundamental reason
confessional church bodies and seminaries to gather in
theological conferences as this one. May these studies
here published bless the people of God in their confession
of the saving Lord Jesus.
Rev. Dr. Gerson L. Linden
Seminaries Relations Committee
Chairman
THE TRUTH HASNT CHANGED

Lutheranreformation.org
THE LUTHERAN CHURCHMISSOURI SYNOD
 Journal of Lutheran

Mission August 2017 | Vol. 4 | No. 2

Table of Contents
Shaping Confessional Lutheranism for the 21st Century:
The Impact of the Lutheran Reformation on Mission, Worship, and Worldview
by Werner Kln..................................................................................................................................................... 2
Hermeneutics in the International Lutheran Council
by Roland Ziegler ............................................................................................................................................. 12
The Impact of the Lutheran Reformation on Worship
by Andrew Pfeiffer............................................................................................................................................ 25
Response to Andrew Pfeiffer: The Impact of the Lutheran Reformation
on Worship German Perspective
by Armin Wenz..................................................................................................................................................... 36
The Lutheran Impact on Mission
by Berhanu Ofgaa ............................................................................................................................................. 40
Shaping Confessional Lutheran Worldview in the 21st Century
by Makito Masaki............................................................................................................................................... 46
The Act of Making a Knowledgeable Confession: A Response to Makito Masaki
by Lawrence Rast............................................................................................................................................... 54
Closing Remarks
by Al Collver....................................................................................................................................................... 59
Book Review: Brand Luther: 1517, Printing, and the Making of the Reformation
by Adam Koontz ................................................................................................................................................. 61
Book Review: Pauline Hermeneutics: Exploring the Power of the Gospel.
by John G. Nordling........................................................................................................................................... 63
Book Review: The Enduring Authority of the Christian Scriptures
by John T. Pless ................................................................................................................................................... 65
Book Review: The Journal Articles of Hermann Sasse
by John T. Pless ................................................................................................................................................... 67

2017 The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod. Published by The Lutheran Church Editorial office:
Reproduction of a single article or column for parish Missouri Synod. 1333 S. Kirkwood Road,
use only does not require permission of The Journal Please direct queries to St. Louis, MO 63122-7294,
of Lutheran Mission. Such reproductions, however, journaloflutheranmission@lcms.org. 314-996-1202
should credit The Journal of Lutheran Mission as the This journal may also be found at
source. Cover images are not reproducible without www.lcms.org/journaloflutheranmission.
permission. Also, photos and images credited to
Find the Journal of Lutheran Mission on
sources outside the LCMS are not to be copied.
Facebook.

Member: Associated Church Press Evangelical Press Association (ISSN 2334-1998). Indexed in
ATLA Religion Database. A periodical of The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synods Offices of National
and International Mission.

Shaping Confessional Lutheranism
for the Twenty-First Century:
The Impact of the Lutheran
Reformation on Mission, Worship,
and Worldview
Keynote Address to the Sixth World Seminaries Conference, Wittenberg, Germany, October 1013, 2016
by Werner Kln
1. Introductory Remarks
A
ccording to Hermann Sasse, the Lutheran
church is the confessional church par
excellence. And indeed, the confessional habit
is significant for the profile of Lutheran faith, worship,
theology, church, mission, and worldview, and thus an
unmistakable mark of Lutheran identity.
The Lutheran church, however, is characterized as
being confessional in a special manner. This is due to
the fact that confession, in the Lutheran use of the term,
is meant as a responsible reaction to God's faith-creating
action through his word, expressing not only a person's
private convictions on religious matters, but formulating
an agreement on the foundational features of Christian
faith, revealing the accordance of a person's belief with
the doctrine of the church universal. Inevitably, from the
Lutheran point of view, the doctrine of the church has
to be proved by the Scriptures. Confession as a personal
action, as well as a statement on behalf of the church,
responds to the scriptural witness, and is determined by
and based on the basic testimony of God's word. The doc-
trinal documents, for their part, define and regulate the
teaching and preaching and the life of the church by nor-
mative standards derived from the Scriptures and applied
to the necessities and needs of the church; this holds true
for mission, worship, and worldview. Though this appli-
cation occurs at certain times and places in history, it is
intended to confess the truth of faith valid for all times.
Believers of all times and ages take part in the confes-
sional obligation of all Christians.
The implications global changes have for our iden-
tity as Lutherans in our missionary task, in our worship,
and in our worldview, however, must be taken into con-
sideration within our own ranks. Nevertheless, it has to
be remembered that the roots and requirements of the
2 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
Confessional Lutheranism,
the historic faith found in the
Holy Scriptures, translates the
truths of Gods Word in order to
communicate to different cultures
and settings. Education in the
truth of the Holy Scriptures and
the Lutheran Confessions shapes
the churchs mission, worship, and
worldview as she encounters a
changing world.
Lutheran church are basically ecumenical. The Preface to
the Augsburg Confession and Articles I and VII, Luther's
explanation of the Third Article of the Creed, the first part
of the Smalcald Articles, and the Binding Summary of
the Formula of Concord, just to name a few of the rel-
evant basic texts, are a fundamental witness to this. In
the first half of the nineteenth century, the church fathers
were aware of this truly ecumenical responsibility. In this
sense it was quite logical for Wilhelm Lhe to describe the
Lutheran church as the reconciling center of the confes-
sions. This is where we stand.
2. Mission
2.1 Luther: The Preeminence of the Missionary Witness
Luther and the Lutheran church have been accused of
not having been missionary-minded. It has been shown,
however, and can be demonstrated that such a perception
is simply wrong. It is true, certainly, that Luther, his fol-
lowers, and successors did not organize mission practices
as they originated in the late eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries.1 But for the Wittenberg reformer, the mis-
sionary expansion, which occurred in biblical times, is
neither past nor complete; therefore, all people without
exception are in need of the proclamation of the biblical
message of Law and Gospel.2 For historical and geograph-
ical reasons, the Lutheran territories in the first decades
of and centuries after the age of the Reformation had no
immediate access to harbours and for this reason could
not establish overseas missions.3 Nonetheless, as Detlev
1 Volker Stolle, The Church Comes from All Nations (St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 2003), 11.
2 Stolle, All Nations, 13.
3See Albert B. Collver, Loehe: Mission Societies, The Church in
Motion, and Mission Dei, in Wilhelm Lhe und bIldung: Wilhelm
Schulz has pointed out, the Reformation must be seen be easily demonstrated that every culture in which God
as a missionary movement.4 This analysis is based on the gives his gifts has developed its own ways for speaking of
perception that according to the Lutheran Reformation, reality.12 For Lutherans, it is noteworthy that they have
the word of God is dynamic in itself. That is why Gods both affirmed the created goodness of their cultures, and
mission takes place within the life of the Church, and yet at the same time, served as sharp critics of what their cul-
it also extends beyond the Church to those still held in tures do in opposition to Gods will; thus missionaries in
unbelief.5 In the first place, this missionary activity takes the course of the past centuries have often found them-
place through preaching, teaching, and administering the selves in conflict with traditional cultural values, but
means of grace; these are the most original and appropri- have also attempted to affirm and enrich those values.13
ate form of mission.6 That this highly complex work of
In line with this assessment is the translating is necessary across limits of
God can use
observation that according to Luther, time, space, and culture, is no mystery.14
mission is bound to the Cross. The 7 small circles of For North America and Europe, chal-
reformers vision is not a Christian true believers and lenges for the Christian witness may be
world. It has always been seductive to employ minor identified as the following: pluralism;
Christiansand to church leaders in groups of deliberate secularization, especially withdrawal
particularto see the church as a cul- from religion; and individualism with
Christians
turally, politically, morally influential, clear tendencies to narcissism.15 In addi-
and even ecclesiastical predominant
witnessing faithfully tion, the phenomenon of estrangement
factor or institution in this world. That to the gospel as and the feelings of meaninglessness and
tempting dream, which in some realms blessed bases for powerlessness might be seen,16 and last
of Christianity still lingers on, belongs his mission. but not least, all this in the face of the
most intimately to the imperial ideol- reality of death.17 But the very structure
ogy and ecclesiastical enthusiasm of the Constantinian of the relationship between God and his people, as it may
era. Many times, the church presented itself as some- be discovered in Luther and in the Lutheran Confessions,
thing of a subculture in the surrounding environment8 continues to be fruitful for application of the biblical mes-
in which it was often enough indeed tempted to support sage into other contexts.18 In any case, translation has
the ruling culture instead of standing up to it critically, been the core task of any missionary attempt, and Luthers
when it openly went against Gods will. In this way, it has translation of the Bible into German was a major contri-
a self-critical element of its own.9 bution to this challenge.
In an astounding manner, Luther was remarkably In Luthers time, Germany was indeed a mission field,
sensitive in terms of customs and culture. And up to as on the ground of the rediscovery of the biblical gospel,
our time and day, mission always takes place in a given the entire country had to be evangelized anew. In the
context.10 Therefore the gospel should be preached in the nineteenth century, the most striking definition for the
language of the target group it was addressed to and it reality of missions is in Wilhelm Lhes statement in his
should be brought to each nation in its own language. But Three Books About the Church that the work of Missions
it should not be proclaimed in a dead language.11 It can is nothing else than the One Church of God in motion,

Loehe und Christian Formation, ed. Dietrich Blaufu and Jacob Corzine
(Nrnberg: Verein fr bayerische Kirchengeschichte/Neuendettelsau: Letters to Lutheran Pastors: Volume I, 19481951, ed. Matthew Harrison
Freimund-Verlag, 2016), 172. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2013), 215.
12 Robert Kolb, The American Mind Meets the Mind of Christ, in The
4 Klaus Detlev Schulz, Mission from the Cross: The Lutheran Theology of
Mission (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 47. American Mind Meets the Mind of Christ, ed. Robert Kolb (St. Louis:
Concordia Seminary Press, 2010), 8.
5 Schulz, Mission from the Cross, 50.
13 Kolb, American Mind, 10.
6 Schulz, Mission from the Cross, 53.
14 Kolb, American Mind, 612.
7 Stolle, All Nations, 105.
15Robert Kolb, Speaking the Gospel Today (St. Louis: Concordia
8 Stolle, All Nations, 7. Publishing House, 1995), 11, 32, 182.
9 Stolle, All Nations, 10. 16 Kolb, Speaking the Gospel Today, 8692.
10 Schulz, Mission from the Cross, 301. 17 Kolb, Speaking the Gospel Today, 9496.
11 Hermann Sasse, Ecclesia Migrans, chap. 12 in Hermann Sasse: 18 Kolb, American Mind, 10.

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod 3

the actualization of the One universal Catholic Church.19 the credibility of the churchs missionary efforts has to be
Along these lines, but even before Lhe published his proven by the harmony of doctrine and life.
booklet, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Prussia, also It seems to me that Germany, as the home country of
known as the Old Lutherans, in their first general con- the Reformation, and the continent of Europe in general,
vention of 1841, after ten years of persecution, adopted a nowadays represent prime mission fields.26 These days,
remarkable resolution on mission, claiming that, Mission it is far more likely that, at least in Europe, Christianity,
is a concern of the Church as such. Missionary activities or rather the church, will take a shape similar to the
should not be left to societies, groups of individuals, not one it had throughout the first three centuries: being a
even to single congregations, or districts, but ought to be minority, despised, mocked, marginalized, suspected,
regarded as a core task of the church itself, and therefore neglected, displaced, persecuted, and even killed. At least
steered by the church. This principle has found its clearest in the northern parts of the world, pastors and congre-
expression in the slogan embraced and promulgated by gations as they reach out to communities saturated with
the Bleckmar Mission (now Lutherische Kirchenmission/ the ideas and assumptions inherent in pluralism and mix-
Mission of Lutheran Churches): The Lutheran Church and-match religion face a rather complicated situation.27
does Lutheran Mission Work.20 This we have to realize in due
This motto was later on devel- soberness. I do not see the Lord
oped into the phrase: Lutheran There can be no doubt that, promising his church it will be
Mission Work Results in a a culturally, politically, morally
as long as we are churches
Lutheran Church. influential or even predominant
It has been noted that the
bound to Scripture and the factor or institution in this world:
structure of the Augsburg Lutheran Confessions and on the contrary, he tells his
Confession of 1530 reflects intend to remain so, we will little flock not to be afraid
salvation history,21 and thus be aware that effectiveness (Luke 12:32).
provides the theological frame- Luthers view of mission is
is not ours but the Holy
work in which Gods mission characterized by such soberness;
and the mission of the church
Spirits, through God's word it takes setbacks and opposition
have their place, carried out and the sacraments. into account. This fact, however,
particularly by the office of the by no means impedes the mis-
ministry, but nonetheless by sion of the church from being
any Christian witnessing to the gospel, as mission is to confessional; quite the opposite.28 Mission and church,
be understood as a fundamental life expression of the and in particular the Lutheran church as the church of
church,22 and missionary opportunities present them- pure doctrine, are most closely related to one another.29
selves even in the immediate vicinity.23 On the basis 2.2. MissionThe Islamic Challenge
of the Reformations doctrine of justification, it is nearly With regard to Islam, Lutherans should be very much
self-evident that the gospel message is uncondition- aware of the fact that it was Luther who staunchly opposed
ally necessary for all people without exception.24 In the any attempt to crusade against the Turks, then the rep-
twenty-first century, the Lutheran Confessions may still resentatives of Islam, although he regarded it legitimate
be seen as a perfect document to use as the voice of a that the emperor and the princes of the Holy Roman
faith community.25 In addition, it has to be observed that Empire of the German nation defend the empire and their
territories against the aggression of the Ottoman troops
19Wilhelm Lhe, Three Books about the Church, trans. James L. Schaaf in the late twenties and thirties of the sixteenth century,
(Philadelphia: Fortress, 1969), 174.
20 Friedrich Wilhelm Hopf, ed., Lutherische Kirche treibt lutherische
Mission (Hermannsburg: Bleckmarer Mission, 1967).
26 Schulz, Mission from the Cross, 58.
21 Schulz, Mission from the Cross, 6263.
27Paul W. Robinson, Pluralism and Mix-and Match Religion, in The
22 Stolle, All Nations, 75. American Mind Meets the Mind of Christ, ed. Robert Kolb (St. Louis:
23 Stolle, All Nations, 41. Concordia Seminary Press, 2010), 75.
24 Stolle, All Nations, 104. 28 Schulz, Mission from the Cross, 300301.
25 Schulz, Mission from the Cross, 6061. 29 Stolle, All Nations, 106; Collver, Loehe, 182.

4 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

and that in this case, the population was obligated to
support this armed conflict as defensive warfare. That is
why it is understood that intelligence and police observe
terrorist groups and people arousing suspicion of being
sympathetic with those attempts, and of course take legal
measures against them.
On the other hand, Lutherans ought to remember
that Islam, according to the Augsburg Confession, is
judged to be an anti-Trinitarian heresy rejected in the first
article, and according to the Large Catechism, a contra-
diction to the Christian creed, and thus, Muslims are in
line with heathen, [Turks,] Jews, or false Christians and
hypocrites (LC II, 66), which I regard as a noteworthy
sequence and enumeration as it states that all these people
are outside this Christian people. Yet the Christians
living under Muslim rule should bear witness to their
faith by displaying obedience to the worldly powers (as
everywhere) and bear witness to their Christian convic-
tions personally.
It has to be regretted that Christian churches in
Germany and Europe have done almost nothing to
develop missionary strategies to Muslims. The main-
stream churches in Germany, for example, prefer to
pursue a strategy of dialogue, and by trying to do so, face
the very same difficulties civil authorities are confronted
with. In 2002, the Independent Evangelical Lutheran
Church (SELK) council published a manual on living
together with Muslims. In this document, the doctrinal
differences between Christian faith and Islam are denoted
unambiguously. Missionary witness over against Muslims
is seen as a consequence to Christian faith and love. As
a rule, the minimizing of the fundamental differences
between Islam and Christian faith is refused clearly: It
is inappropriate to abandon the option of witnessing the
total truth of the Gospel just for the sake of dialogue.30
Any arbitrary pluralism is rejected. Religious freedom,
however, ought to be granted also to Muslims.
At the same time, pastors and congregations of the
SELK are encouraged to engage theologically with the
issue of Islam, and to face the challenge of testifying to
the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior of
all humankind. Since the 1990s, missionaries in the cities
of Leipzig and Berlin have been reaching out to Muslim
migrants, mostly from Iran, who form a considerable
and still rapidly growing group within the Lutheran
30 Wegweisung fr evangelisch-lutherische Christen fr das
Zusammenleben mit Muslimen in Deutschland, 6, www.selk.de/
download/Islam.pdf.
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
congregations celebrating their services in Farsi. This can
only be seen as a miracle in our eyes.
2.3. Challenges
Living in a post-Christian environment, like in Europe,
it will be most necessary for the mission of the Lutheran
church to cling faithfully to its biblical and confessional
roots, to dedicate itself to the task of translating and
transferring the biblical Lutheran heritage into a lan-
guage understood by contemporary people, supported
by authentic ways of living and working together. At least
this is the historical experience of the SELK: God can use
small circles of true believers and employ minor groups of
deliberate Christians witnessing faithfully to the gospel as
blessed bases for his mission.
There is, of course, a real difference between a respect-
ably large confessional Lutheran church in a Christian
western country with freedom of thought and a minority
church in a post-Christian context, such as Europe or in
a country with completely different religious orientation
such as Japan, India, or China. It also makes a difference
whether other Christian denominations and confessions
have had a dominant role for many years or even centu-
ries, like the Roman Catholic Church in South America,
or in Italy, Spain, and Portugal.
If it holds true that Christianity is in the process
of moving from the northwestern hemisphere to the
South and the Southeast, there is first and foremost one
task that lies ahead of us. Having inherited the ortho-
dox doctrine of the early church from northern Africa,
from theologians and bishops like Athanasius, Cyprian,
and Augustine, first in Europe, where this heritage was
historically received throughout the Middle Ages and
gratefully embraced by the Lutheran Reformation, and
was handed on to the adherents of Lutheran theology and
the Lutherans emigrating to the Americas, to Australia
and to Africa, we are undoubtedly obligated to pass on to
the emerging southern churches what once was granted
to us. Moreover, the changes in the kind of Christianity
that is emerging, especially in what is labeled the global
south, cannot be neglected. In the era of globalization,
the northern churches will have to listen very carefully to
what the emerging churches in the South have to say on
Christian identity and authenticity, not least in the area of
Christian conduct and ethics.
5
3. Worship
3.1 Gods Salutary Self-Communication
The reform of the medieval mass Martin Luther car-
ried out in various attempts from 1523 (Formula Missae
et Communionis) to 1526 (Deutsche Messe und ord-
nung Gottesdiensts), was guided by the rediscovery of
the gospel, and thus by applying justification by grace as
a principle to the restoration of the inherited liturgy.31
In his famous definition of what happens in the divine
service, Luther claimed that our dear Lord may speak
to us through his holy Word and we respond to him in
prayer and praise.32 That is to say that for the Wittenberg
reformer the liturgy was the means by which Gods Word
came to Gods people, thus the people needed to hear this
life-giving Word read and preached.33
The salutary self-communication of God has as its
purpose the trustful reception of this self-communication,
just as such a reception is only made possible through the
one who promises and imparts his salvation.34 In the set-
ting of the Lutheran Reformation, the divine promises
and their God-worked reception in faith are understood
as corresponding dimensions that are in correlation to
one another.35 Thereby it is faith, which is the process of
reception that depends on the promise and affirms it, that
accepts what the self-communication of God says and
works.36 In the perception of the word of forgiveness, this
forgiveness is accepted:37 we should only take and receive
from him [God] (LC VI, 18). Therefore forgiveness is the
epitome of the gospel. And thus, not only the word, but
also the sacraments as modes of application of the gospel
function as means of Gods self-communication.38 That is
why the wording of the words of institution in their literal
sense was so immovably fixed for Luther that he could
not back down in this regard whenever the real presence
31 Arthur A. Just, Jr., Heaven on Earth: The Gifts of Christ in the Divine
Service (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2008), 24870.
32 Martin Luther, Luthers Works, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut T.
Lehmann (Philadelphia: Fortress and St. Louis: Concordia, 19551986),
51: 333.
33 Just, Heaven on Earth, 250.
34See Die Bekenntnisschriften der evangelisch-lutherischen Kirche, 10th
ed. (Gttingen: Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, 1986), Ap XIII, 1920, 295.
Hereafter referred to as BSLK.
35 Quare [i.e. Paul] inter se correlative comparat et connectit
promissionem et fidem (Ap IV, 50, BSLK, 170).
36 Promissio non potest accipi nisi fide. Est autem fides proprie dicta,
quae assentitur pro missioni; de hac fide loquitur scriptura (Ap IV, 112,
BSLK, 183).
37 See Ap IV, 116.
38 Just, Heaven on Earth, 250.
6 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
of the body and blood of Christ in the celebration of this
testament of Christ was called into question (LC V, 814,
Kolb-Wengert, 46768).39
Luther places the gospel in precisely these forms of
applicationproclamation, Holy Baptism, the Lords
Supper and confession as the third sacrament (LC IV,
74)at the centre of an encompassing Christian under-
standing of worship (SA III, IV). In the catechisms, he
provides the Christian community with an introduction
to a life guided by God.40 He thereby points out that Holy
Baptism is Gods salutary self-communication, which
brings to us victory over death and the devil, forgiveness
of sin, Gods grace, the entire Christ, and the Holy Spirit
with his gifts (LC IV, 41, Kolb-Wengert, 461), just as the
sacrament of the altar, which he views as this great a trea-
sure, which is daily administered and distributed among
Christians, provides the new human being with constant
fortification in his battle against Satan, death, and sin
(LC V, 39, Kolb-Wengert, 47071), and just as the Lords
Prayer invokes Gods irrefutable willingness for mercy
in just such a battle, a battle that becomes inevitable for
a Christian precisely by partaking in Gods self-giving
and self-revelation; a Christian who, in the battle of the
gospel for the gospel, takes on his enemies (LC III, 6567;
8081).
Melanchthon uses an extended definition of sacra-
ment, in contrast to the definition of the early Reformation
taken from Augustine and used by Luther in 1520. This
definition includes certain rites within the divine service
that go back to the mandates of God and are connected
to a promise of grace. In this respect Melanchthon counts
Holy Baptism, the Lords Supper, and Absolution as the
sacrament of repentance, the sacraments in their nar-
rower, New Testament sense.41 A characteristic of these
New Testament signs42 is their being witnesses of grace
and the forgiveness of sins.43
Gods institution of these rites and his salutary
self-communication performed through them are the
constitutive parts of this definition of the sacrament.
39 Robert Kolb and Timothy J. Wengert, eds., The Book of Concord: The
Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (Minneapolis: Fortress
Press, 2000). Hereafter referred to as Kolb-Wengert.
40 See Werner Kln, Anleitung zu einem Gott-gelenkten Leben. Die
innere Systematik der Katechismen Luthers, LuThK 29 (2005): 1835.
41 See Ap XIII, 34.
42 Signa novi testament (Ap XIII, 14, BSLK, 294).
43 Sign and witness . . . of divine Will against us, to waken faith and
strengthen faith in us (Ap XIII, 1, BSLK, 68); testimonia gratiae et
remissionis peccatorum (Ap XIII, 14, BSLK, 294).
Melanchthon thereby retains the idea of signification and
word-centeredness that characterize the Augustinian defi-
nition of sacrament.44 In this he follows the identification
of the sacrament as a visible word so that its uniqueness
lies in the illustration of that which the word already
states. The semantic content, the efficacy of the word, and
the carrying out of the divine service are thereby identi-
cal. Only the mode of perception differs.45
This definition of the sacrament has an openness that
allows even ordination or the laying on of hands to be
called a sacrament,46 as well as prayer, the giving of alms,
and the affliction of the believer.47 For Melanchthon,
however, an actual numeration of these sacraments is
irrelevant as long as those acts are retained that mediate
grace and have the ordinance and promise of God.48 As
such, the sacraments certainly aim at faith. The charac-
ter of promise, which is the salutary self-communication
and self-giving of God, is constitutive. Also the relation
to faith, which is the reception in believers of such a
self-communication and self-giving worked by the Holy
Spirit, is foundational.49
This gospel-centred and worship-oriented approach
is received by the following generations in the Lutheran
churches across Germany and beyond. Thus it is and
remains undisputed that the Bible and hymnal, in the way
that they have become determinants for piety and wor-
ship during the Lutheran Reformation, have, during the
subsequent period, defined Christian culture as a whole,
and across all confessional boundaries at that; this may
be exemplified for example by the names of Paul Gerhardt
and Johann Sebastian Bach.50
Furthermore it can be stated that Luther took a medi-
ating position between Abolitionists and Traditionalists,
44 See Ap XIII, 5.
45 Idem effectus est verbi et ritus; ritus est quasi pectura verbi, idem
significans, quod verbum. Quare idem est utrusque effectus (Ap XIII, 5,
BSLK, 29293).
46 Ap XIII, 911.
47 Ap XIII, 1617. Luther's later discussions on the seven Heiltmern
(salutary/curative treasures or medicaments) of the Christian church
found their prelude in these thoughts of Melanchthon. Luther lists
under these Heiltmer: the word of God, baptism, Eucharist, the
appointment of preachers, prayer and, lastly, the Anfechtung of the
believer and the persecution of the Christian. See also Luthers Werke,
Weimarer Ausgabe [Weimar Edition or WA] 50, 62449, the word
heilthum in WA 50, 629, 13; passim.
48 Ap XIII, 17.
49 Haec fides est opus spiritus sancti (Ap IV, 115, BSLK, 183).
50Christoph Wolff, Musik aus dem Geist der Reformation: Bibel und
Gesangbuch in der Musik Johann Sebastian Bachs, in Spurenlese:
Kulturelle Wirkungen der Reformation, 350n 5.
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
and his followers and heirs ought to carefully consider
the great tradition to provide continuity with those who
have used the historic liturgy for more than fifteen hun-
dred years, attempting to reflect the principle of the living
heritage and something new.51 It cannot be ignored,
though, that Luthers reform of the mass, compared to
the traditional liturgy of the Middle Ages, was severe and
one of the most revolutionary inroads into the inherited
structure of the service. This is to say at the same time
that liturgical renewal has always been with the Lutheran
Church since the Reformation.52
3.2 Questions on Liturgy and Culture
One crucial question to be asked is about the relationship
between worship, or liturgy, and culture. If and because
it is true that the divine service is the center of any con-
gregational life, moreover the center of the churchs life
indeed, then the conclusion seems likely that the goal
of good liturgy is always the transforming of culture by
the Gospels of Jesus Christ. But having said this, it has to
be admitted that the cultural context of the liturgy can
never be ignored.53
It seems as though a debate is going onand neces-
sarily soabout how and to which degree the translation
of the biblical message may make use of traditional forms,
expressions, or customs in a given target culture. It might
be said that in missions, acculturation, enculturation or
contextual accommodation were not needed; rather the
true preaching of the pure Gospel and proper adminis-
tration of unadulterated Sacraments of our Lord Jesus
Christ. I am afraid that this view is similar to a spurious
alternative. In contrast to this proposition, bishop emeri-
tus David Tswaedi from South Africa draws our attention
to the fact that culture is dynamic, and from there
concludes that the hallmarks of Lutheranism are not
Germanic, Nordic or American trappings but the bible
based teaching of the church and using the Lutheran con-
fessions as the hermeneutical tool. On this basis, African
Lutheran pastors would have to grasp the basis of the
Lutheran teaching if they would be confident enough to
translate them into their specific situations themselves.54
The question at stake is: Do we really have the fear of not
51 Just, Heaven on Earth, 26062.
52 Just, Heaven on Earth, 263.
53 Just, Heaven on Earth, 264.
54David Tswaedi, Martin LutherOne ConfessionMulticultural: An
African Perspective (lecture, Lutherische Theologische Hochschule,
symposium on LutherUni-confessionalMulticultural, Oberursel,
Germany, November 2015).
7
being able to garb the message in an African culture with-
out changing the message?55
4. Worldview
4.1 World Pictures
In the first place, we have to realize that the church,
according to the New Testament record, lives in the
world, yet not of the world (John 17:1316.).56 This is what
constitutes the uniqueness of its existence. And for this
reason, a national church ideology cannot be an option
for the church, nor for confessional Lutheran churches
specifically.57 In a sort of prophetic manner, Hermann
Sasse maintained as early as 1950 that in our day as the
shadows of night fall ever deeper upon modern Western
man and his culture, the experience of the church will
be that on the one hand, it participates in the decline
around it, but otherwise where the divine service is held,
Christian congregations will rise again.58
Before, I mentioned the doctrine of the two king-
doms, or two realms, to be crucial to the Lutheran
worldview. Luthers distinction between these two ways
of Gods governance gives way to discerning between
penultimate realities, values, and goals on the one hand,
and on the other hand, the ultimate destiny of human
existence. One might tend to blame Luther and the
Lutheran Confessions for having initiated, instigated, and
theologically legitimized the decline of what used to be
Christian Europe to secularization,59 which would be as
foolish as to cast Luther and the Lutheran churches as the
ideological forefathers of Hitler and the Nazi party. On
the contrary, the Lutheran distinction of the two realms
exonerates the church, namely by restricting its tasks
to the proclamation of law and gospel, from ruling and
regulating the affairs of state and society. Given this fun-
damental distinction, this does not at all mean that the
law of God does not apply to mundane matters, and thus
55 The narrative of the two powerful horsemen, one from the North,
one from the South, Naaman and the Ethiopian eunuch, could be
used as another point in this. One, though hearing the message from
the prophet, compared the stream he was instructed to wash in with
the wide rivers back home. The other, having gotten the explanation
from an evangelist, was ahead of the teacher when seeing the water. He
didnt wish to be baptized in Jerusalem, but in roadside stagnant waters
(Tswaedi, African Perspective).
56 Sasse, Ecclesia Migrans, 203.
57 Sasse, Ecclesia Migrans, 209; So we must have the courage to say
farewell to that false view which identifies church and nation, (Sasse,
Ecclesia Migrans, 211).
58 Sasse, Ecclesia Migrans, 213.
59 Charles Taylor, A Secular Age (Cambridge/London: Harvard
University Press, 2007).
8 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
the application of Gods universal will has no place in
the proclamation of the church; quite the opposite. The
political use of the law has to be an integral part of the
churchs message. We will return to this point later on.
For the Reformation and post-Reformation times,
it is interesting to see that the reformers and the early
orthodox teachers of the Lutheran church did not have
much of a problem with the new cosmological discov-
eries.60 The new scientific world picture left the early
orthodox fathers, for the most part, at least, often rela-
tively untouched.61 It can be demonstrated in any case,
as Werner Elert has done, that it was Luthers christolog-
ical and sacramental theology that laid the foundations,
theologically speaking, to overcoming the inherited worl-
dview linked to Aristotle and Ptolemy: Heaven, as Gods
place, is not a place in a spatial sense.62 Elert claimed that
the new world picture was the triumph of an exact
knowledge of naturea knowledge that is free from all
theological and ecclesiastical prejudices, and from this
point of view he concludes, The church, which derives
its mission from the Gospel and knows that the proclama-
tion of the Gospel exhausts this mission, has no interest in
the various world pictures.63
In the background to positions like these, Elert sees
Luthers concept of Gods omnipresence and omnipo-
tence: God is in the things.64 Such a view is mirrored in
the position taken by Tycho Brahe, according to whom
God is everywhere and nowhere.65 And the Erlangen
Lutheranissimus is deeply convinced that (many of)
Luthers heirs also followed him in asserting that Gods
presence is always operative.66 The most decisive point,
according to Elert, is that all creation remains Gods cre-
ation including mans feeling of belonging in a direct
manner to Gods creation.67
Of course, one cannot deny that among the early
orthodox theologians of the Lutheran church, there are
those to be found who opposed the new astronomical
60 Robert D. Preus, The Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism,
Volume II: God and His Creation (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1972), 22258.
61 Preus, Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism, 225.
62Werner Elert, The Structure of Lutheranism, trans. Walter A. Hansen
(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1962), 415; Preus, Theology of
Post-Reformation Lutheranism, 22627.
63 Elert, The Structure of Lutheranism, 423.
64 Elert, The Structure of Lutheranism, 440.
65 Elert, The Structure of Lutheranism, 441.
66 Elert, The Structure of Lutheranism, 442.
67 Elert, The Structure of Lutheranism, 45859.
discoveries.68 This antipathy occurs only from the middle
of the seventeenth century, as we find it for example in
Abraham Calov. Prior to that date, the new world picture
developed by Copernicus, Brahe, and Kepler was almost
never discussed in Lutheran dogmatics.69 Robert Preus
has rightly judged that Calov failed to see that the state-
ments on Scripture which assigned a stationary position
to the earth were not statements concerning astronomy or
a world picture, but statements expressing Gods benevo-
lence or wisdom or providence.70 Others to the contrary
took the position that it was not the intention of Scripture
to present a final system of cosmology,71 or even refused
to favor any world picture as being Scriptural.72
From such observations, Preus concludes that in the
mature thoughts of orthodox Lutheranism it was not
the purpose of Scripture to present a world picture, but
only to proclaim God as Creator and absolute Lord of all
things.73 While stating a relative indifference and igno-
rance of the new scientific world pictures among the
great majority of the Lutheran theologians on the one
side, Preus posits that the classical Lutheran theology
is remarkably independent of any philosophical ontol-
ogy and transcends completely any empirical or scientific
world picture.74 Like Elert, Preus traces this back to the
Lutheran Christology and its view on Christs exaltation
and session at the right hand of God.75 To prove this
assumption, Preus quotes from Nikolaus Selnecker, one of
the authors of the Formula of Concord, and his exposition
of Acts 3:21, that heaven is not the place that encloses
Him (sc. Christ), but is enclosed by Him. And there is
not the slightest metaphysical or physical connotation
to this proposition.76 Rather we would have to adopt the
conviction that the Lutheran concepts of heaven and hell
illustrate the transcendence of Lutheran theology over all
world pictures.77
It has to be noted, however, that the more science
in certain realms and to a certain degree presents itself
68 Elert, The Structure of Lutheranism, 43031; See Preus, Theology of
Post-Reformation Lutheranism, 22729.
69 Preus, Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism, 229.
70 Preus, Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism, 227.
71 Preus, Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism, 230.
72 Preus, Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism, 231.
73 Preus, Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism, 234.
74 Preus, Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism, 237.
75 Preus, Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism, 239.
76 Preus, Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism, 239.
77 Preus, Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism, 241.
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
as a metaphysical research programme, the less it is
about explanation but functions as a paradigm that
creates faith.78 That is to say, we will have to look at sci-
entific results in a thoroughly critical manner so that we
do not fall for ideological concepts instead of observa-
tionsand interpretationsof facts. To regard the world
as Gods creation implies, from a Christian point of view,
the awareness of ones responsibilities to the rest of the
creation; this fundamental point sets us apartor on
principle ought to do sofrom all ideas of individualism
if it is understood only as the insistence on my rights79
that characterizes much of the modern, postmodern, and
post-colonial western European and northern American
mindset.80 And the question has to be asked whether
appeals to self-giving and selflessness actually work in the
North American context, a question that applies as well
to Europe and many other contexts that have been influ-
enced by western philosophies and ideologies.81
4.2 The Church in the World
In the Lutheran Confessions,82 the church is defined,
according to its Magna Charta in Article VII of the
Augsburg Confession, as the assembly of saints, com-
missioned to purely preach and teach the Gospel and to
rightly administer the sacraments, and this church does
not strive for a totalitarian domination of the world: For
the Gospel teaches an internal, eternal reality and righ-
teousness of the heart, not an external, temporal one, but
does not overthrow secular government, public order,
and marriage (AC XVI, 45, Kolb-Wengert, 4850).
Right from the outset, the Lutherans claimed that they
did not understand the church to be an external gov-
ernment of certain nations; rather the true Christians
were regarded as people scattered throughout the entire
world who agree on the gospel and have the same Christ,
the same Holy Spirit, and the same sacraments (Ap VII,
VIII, 10, Kolb-Wengert, 175).
We as Lutherans have to be interested, particularly
78 Joel Okamoto, Science, Technology, and the American Mind, in The
American Mind Meets the Mind of Christ, ed. Robert Kolb (St. Louis:
Concordia Seminary Press, 2010), 105.
79 Joel Biermann, Individualism as the Insistence on My Rights, in The
American Mind Meets the Mind of Christ, ed. Robert Kolb (St. Louis:
Concordia Seminary Press, 2010), 44.
80 Leopoldo A. Snchez M., Individualism, Indulgence, and the Mind
of Christ: Making Room for the Neighbor and the Father, in The
American Mind Meets the Mind of Christ, ed. Robert Kolb (St. Louis:
Concordia Seminary Press, 2010), 57.
81 Snchez, Individualism, 60.
82 Schulz, Mission from the Cross, 5967.
9
in these times, in the freedom of faith. In the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries, the right to exist as an orga-
nization separate from the Roman church was granted
to the Lutheran church in the Holy Roman Empire of
the German nation by the Augsburg Religious Peace
(1555) and, after the Thirty Years War, by the Peace of
Westphalia (1648). But this was achieved only at the
cost of a great sacrifice: by the authority of the regional
monarch over the church.83 At no time did Luthers
great principle of the separation of the secular and spir-
itual powers prevail in the Lutheran Churches and
states of Europe.84 It took three more centuries after the
Reformation until the fathers and mothers of the confes-
sional Lutheran churches in the nineteenth century were
able to disengage from the state-church system as inher-
ited from the late Reformation times. In contrast to the
unionist concepts promulgated by the state, they wanted
to manifest Lutheran identity in the ecclesiastical dimen-
sion by establishing that, as the expression of full church
fellowship, fellowship in public worship, particularly at
the communion table, has as its unconditional prerequi-
site a consensus in faith, doctrines, and confession.
Our forebears were at the same time protagonists
of a new freedom of the church from state control and
political subordination, in character with the gospel.
In addition they were, at least in religious matters, pio-
neers fighting for social values of the modern era such as
freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and freedom of
conscience. The founders of the Lutheran confessional
churches in Europe, Australia, and America proved to
be equal contemporaries of the movement for bourgeois
emancipation. This remains true even if we recognize that
the theological content, for which they were prepared
to bring great sacrifices, was principally conservative.
Nonetheless, the claim for religious and ecclesiastical and
theological independence in terms of confessional church
bodies is an integral part of our common inheritance.
For here, as anywhere in religious matters according
to the reformers understanding, the distinction of the
two kingdoms, or realms, applies: For secular authority
deals with matters altogether different from the gospel
(AC XXVIII, 11, Kolb-Wengert, 92). Therefore, also the
83 Hermann Sasse, Cuius Regio, Eius Religion: On the Four Hundredth
Anniversary of the Augsburg Religious Peace, in Hermann Sasse:
Letters to Lutheran Pastors: Volume II, 19511965, ed. Matthew
Harrison (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2014), 376.
84 Hermann Sasse, Concerning the Freedom of the Church, in
Hermann Sasse: Letters to Lutheran Pastors: Volume I, 19481951, ed.
Matthew Harrison (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2013), 109.
10 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
(episcopal) office to judge doctrine and reject doctrine
that is contrary to the gospel is administered not with
human power but with Gods Word alone (AC XXVIII,
22, Kolb-Wengert, 94). It has to be maintained, however,
that this doctrine is misunderstood and abused wher-
ever it is interpreted and applied as being a license for
Christians to relinquish matters of the state.85
Nonetheless, it remains the task of the church to pro-
claim the righteous, unchanging will of God (FC SD
V, 17, Kolb-Wengert, 584) for his world and its popula-
tion, in a manner that is relevant to today. The church is
thus obligated to be critical of its contemporary setting.
Contemporary life also affects the church and its mem-
bers. One cannot deny that the church is influenced and
affected by worldly societal trends and tendencies. These
movements do not only find expression outside and
around the church but also creep into it. Yet the church
demonstrates that it is contemporary when it resists cur-
rent developments of which it cannot approve.
The renunciation of Gods will consequently manifests
itself in many ways, the most crass of which is evident in
the fact that man suffers under the delusion that he is lord
of himselfor even the whole worldwhile in reality his
toil and effort only revolve around himself. This is really
the most devastating of all human delusions,86 which
characterizes the outlook of modern western man since
the Enlightenment, and represents, from a biblical-theo-
logical standpoint, a false notion of autonomy, or rather,
a false concept of freedom closely bound up with this
notion of autonomy. At the core of this struggle for what
he believes to be freedom is mans delusion of being able
to invigorate and master his own lifewithout God.
Christians and the church, claimed by their Lord, have
nothing to sugarcoat, nothing to gloss over, and nothing
to conceal concerning the predicament of men and our
contemporary society. They will boldly carry out their
task, irrespective of power, richness, or influence of men.
They will not cower before the powerful, and not buckle
before those in charge of the state, society, or economy. I
say this because the history of the church is also a history
of failure in light of this responsibility. The history of alli-
ances between throne and altar, Christianity and power,
85 Friedrich Wilhelm Hopf, Lutheran Co-responsibility for Christian
Witness in Southern Africa (lecture, Mission Conference of
Lauenburg, Ratzeburg, Germany), 2829.
86 Eberhard Jngel, Das Evangelium von der Rechtfertigung des Gottlosen
als Zentrum des christlichen Glaubens (Tbingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1998,
1999), 75, 93, 1089, 111.
church and dictator, demonstrates these failures all too
clearly. If the church desires to do justice to its mission, it
will not give in to majority trends and mainstream public
and popular opinion.
The church will today, as always, warn, and where
necessary, even accuse. It speaks to situations where the
validity of divine standards is being foundationally or
practically challenged, but always with the goal of call-
ing men back into the fellowship and freedom which
God preserves and offers in himself. This task was once
labelled the application of the Word of God to our time
and day. The church has to proclaim that God, who
is visible in Jesus Christ, took it upon himself to repair
the broken fellowship between him and humankind, in
order to free the totality of humankind and each individ-
ual human being out of the injurious bonds in which we
are ensnared, out of the dominion of the ruinous powers,
around and in us, from the self-inflicted lot of threatening
destruction. Until the Last Day, this obligation will never
come to an end.
5. Conclusion
In our time and day, and on the global level, and in all
these areas, like mission, worship, and worldview, the
witness of the Lutheran Reformation, which is tied to the
Holy Scriptures as the original proclamation of the gospel,
must be promulgated untiringly and without fear. That is
why with gratitude I realize that we share a multitude of
points of view amongst our partner churches through-
out the International Lutheran Council (ILC) concerning
the tasks that lie ahead for the confessional Lutheran
churches in postmodern and, in some parts of the world
(like Europe, as it seems to me), even post-Christian
times.
The ILC ought to be an appropriate counterbalance to
an increasingly non-confessional Lutheranism, and could
provide a well-founded, profiled corrective to theological
and church-political developments and objectives that
diminish, abandon, or by trend annihilate the theologi-
cal heritage and the confessional stance of the Lutheran
church as it is circumscribed and defined in the Lutheran
Confessions. Hopefully it could be a credible partner in
dialogue with other churches and confessions, or move-
ments and factions within major church bodies, that
equally adhere to what might be defined as historic faith.
One of the areas of highest importance, as far as I can
see, is the area of theological education. It might be said
that the formation of future pastors in many a part of the
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
globe is and will be the appropriate way of missionary
outreach in our time. And theology, Lutheran theology
in particular, is not meant to be an abstract, intellectual
exercise but is deeply spiritual in that it is grounded in
worship and accompanied by prayer and meditation with
the expectation that affliction (Luthers Anfechtung) will
beset those who engage deeply with the Word.87 Most
certainly, it is all still a matter of prayers and patience,
being convinced that the Lord will show us what he
has in store for us, the seminaries, and the confessional
Lutheran churches. There seems to be an urgent need for
coordinating the educational efforts in the seminaries all
over the world, but this is, and will be, hard work, too,
to find and develop opportunities in order to improve the
confessional Lutheran academic scenario.
There can be no doubt that, as long as we are churches
bound to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions and
intend to remain so, we will be aware that effectiveness is
not ours but the Holy Spirits, through God's word and the
sacraments. It is and will be him who creates, preserves,
and strengthens faith and brings people from all races,
cultures, social groups, societies, and nations to salvation.
For we are convinced of and dedicated to the fact that the
church which we believe in, and which we confess in our
Confessions, is not a sect with the Concordia as its club
statue, but the Una Sancta, in which we live.88
Thank you for your attention.
Oberursel, Germany, October 3, 2016
Rev. Dr. Werner Kln is professor of theology at Lutheran
Theological Seminary, Oberursel, Germany
87 Jeffrey Silcock, Martin LutherOne ConfessionMulticultural:
Australian Perspectives (lecture, Lutherische Theologische Hochschule,
symposium on LutherUni-confessionalMulticultural, Oberursel,
Germany, November 2015). Oswald Bayer has made a special
contribution to the understanding of the rule by arguing that the key
term in the formula is tentatio and that the oratio and meditatio have
to been seen within that context. This is because, he would say, our
praying as well as our meditating on Scripture can never be divorced
from spiritual attack (tentatio) where Satan causes us to doubt that
our prayers will be heard or that we can rely on the certainty of Gods
promise. For a full explanation of the rule, see Oswald Bayer, Theology
the Lutheran Way, ed. and trans. Jeffry G. Silcock and Mark C. Mattes,
Lutheran Quarterly Books (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), 3365.
See also John Kleinig, Oratio, Meditatio, Tentatio: What Makes a
Theologian? Concordia Theological Quarterly 66, no. 3 (2002): 25567.
88 Hermann Sasse, Geleitwort des Verfasser, in In Statu Confessionis,
ed. Friedrich Wilhelm Hopf (Berlin-Hamburg: Lutherisches
Verlagshaus, 1966), 1: 10.
11

Hermeneutics in the
International
Lutheran Council:
A Paper Presented to the Lutheran World Federation in April 2017
by Roland Ziegler
1. Introduction
E
very time biblical texts are preached, taught,
and used in pastoral care, there is the expectation
that this is not only a human act, but that God
himself is speaking. For Lutherans, this is rooted in their
conviction that the Scriptures are the word of God not
only in a causal sense, but also in a present sense; that
they are inspired.1 God speaks through these writings
today, convicting human beings of their sin, and creating
faith in the good news of free forgiveness for Christ
crucified. God guides his church through the Scriptures
in the controversies of the time and keeps her in the one,
true faith.
These are the expectations. The Scriptures, though,
seem not to be able to keep the church together; rather
they seem to be open to not only diverse but contradictory
understandings. Hence, Louis Bouyer could write that the
Scriptures need to be preserved from degeneration and
alteration by the presence of Christs mandatories, that
without them the Word of God preserved in Scripture is
just a lifeless text, defenseless before the wildest interpre-
tations.2 Is it because they themselves are an assembly of
1 The words of Reinhard Slenczka, Die Heilige Schrift, das Wort des
dreieinigen Gottes, Kerygma und Dogma 51 (2005): 18586, may serve
as a start for a discussion on inspiration, In the right sense, directed by
Scripture itself, it [sc. Inspiration] is about the Triune God being subject
in the Holy Scriptures and that his holy Spirit dwells in them and works
through them. It is the miraculous operation of the Holy Spirit, that the
Holy Scriptures came about, that they are distributed and preserved
in the entire world and that they are interpreted and understood to
this day. Miracles of the Spirit are every day occurrences, but mostly
inconspicuous. Im rechten, von der Schrift selbst geleiteten
Verstndnis geht es dabei jedoch darum, dass der dreieinige Subject in
den Heiligen Schriften ist und dass sein heiliger Geist darin wohn und
dadurch wirkt. Es ist das wunderbare Wirken des Heiligen Geistes, dass
die Heiligen Schriften entstanden sind, dass sie in aller Welt verbreitet
und bewahrt werden und dass sie auch heute ausgelegt und verstanden
werden. Wunder des Geistes sind alltglich, aber meist unscheinbar.
2 Louis Bouyer, The Word, Church and Sacraments in Protestantism and
12 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
The Lutheran Confessions do
not contain an explicit article
on hermeneutics, but model a
faithful reading that starts with
sola scriptura and trusts that the
Scriptures are true and will lead
to Christ.
contradictory statements, so that, in the words of Ernst
Ksemann, the canon of the New Testament is not the
foundation of the unity of the church, but the founda-
tion of the multitude of denominations?3 The unity of
Scripture, and thus the Scriptures ability to be the judge of
all doctrine, seems to vanish. But the contention that the
Scriptures do not only have different types of soteriology
and Christology, but contradictory and mutually exclusive
ones, leads to the problem that such a position implies the
experience of different gods and thus denies the unity of
the God of Scripture.4 Thus, the so-called Scripture prin-
ciple seems to be in a crisis.5 In the hermeneutical debates,
this becomes an issue of whether the Scripture should be
interpreted in such a way that its parts agree with each
other or whether statements of Scripture in one place can
be criticized as false from the central aspects of Scripture,
or, in shorthand, from the gospel. The unity of Scripture
thus becomes a hermeneutical issue.
Catholicism (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2004), 58. The book was first
published in 1960 and thus reflects the pre-conciliar view.
3 Ernst Ksemann, Begrndet der neutestamentliche Kanon die
Einheit der Kirche, in Das Neue Testament als Kanon, ed. Ernst
Ksemann (Gttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1970), 131: Der
nt.-liche Kanon begrndet als solcher nicht die Einheit der Kirche.
Er begrndet als solcher, d.h. in seiner dem Historiker zugnglichen
Vorfindlichkeit dagegen die Vielzahl der Konfessionen.
4 Jrg Baur, Scripturahistorisches Erbe und bleibender Auftrag, in
Sola Scriptura: Das reformatorische Schriftprinzip in der skularen Welt
(Gtersloh: Gtersloher Verlagshaus Gerd Mohn, 1991), 40. Baur does
not hold the position that there are no contradictions in Scripture, but
sees the unity in the whole of the presentation of the story of man as
creature to be reconciled.
5 See the overview of the discussion on the Scripture principle in
Germany in Friedemann Stengel, Sola Scriptura im Kontext. Behauptung
und Bestreitung des reformatorischen Schriftprinzips (Leipzig:
Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2016), 918, and Reinhard Slenczka, Die
Auflsung der Schriftgrundlage und was daraus folgt, in Neues und
Altes, vol. 3 (Neuendettelsau: Freimund, 2000), 25361.
 Lutherans have a common hermeneutical heritage. as the true and faithful exposition of the Word of God.7
That starts with sola scriptura, the emphasis on final There is therefore a double commitment: to the Scriptures
authority of the Scriptures against all later churchly tra- and to the Book of Concord; though the commitment to
dition. Church traditions can be helpful, but they also the Book of Concord is secondary, it is because (quia),
can be unhelpful. They have to be tested at the bar of the not insofar (quatenus), it is a true and faithful expo-
Scriptures, and thus the Scriptures are not only in the sition of the Word of God. Can the Confessions serve
church, but also above the church.6 They nevertheless as a guide to hermeneutics? Confessional subscription
do not operate with a nude Scripture, rather because assumes the correctness of the biblical interpretation in
Lutherans are a creedal church, they acknowledge certain the Confessions. If we do not want to assume that the
dogmatic decisions of the past as Confessions arrived at their inter-
theologically correct because they pretation with a faulty hermeneutics
agree with Scripture. Thus, the Book The authors of the Book by some felicitous inconsistency,
of Concord or parts thereof play a of Concord thus see the then the Confessions could serve
role in the churchs task of under- as an example of a good reading of
Scripture as the word of
standing Scripture, along with the Scripture in what they say and how
emphasis on the centrality of Christ
God that is source and they read it. The Book of Concord,
and/or the article of justification for judge of all doctrine and though, does not have an article on
the understanding of Scripture, and which clearly articulates hermeneutics and the interpreta-
an emphasis on the literal under- the articles of faith. tion of Scripture. Since the method
standing of the biblical texteven of understanding should be appro-
Christ and his salvific
though that did not rule out some priate to its object, some remarks
allegory in preaching, as long as
work are the central on the view of Scripture in the
it conformed to the analogy of content of Scripture. Confessions are appropriate.
faith (Rom 12:6). Lutherans share a. Scripture in the Book of Concord
also in a rather unique view of the There is no article on Scripture in the Book of Concord.8
canon, insofar as they acknowledge that in the received Unlike Trent and some Reformed confessions, Scripture
canon there is an edge, namely the antilegomena in the is presupposed, but not defined. Part of the reason could
New Testament. They emphasize Scripture as the word of be the character of the Confessions as occasional writ-
the present God, in which he speaks in law and gospel, ings. Thus, the Augsburg Confession does not deal with
convicting of sin and forgiving sin. Where Lutherans Scripture itself, since the authority of Scripture was not
differamong other thingsis first, on the question controversial, but rather with the relation of Scripture
of historical criticism and its use and limitations, and and tradition. What was controversial, too, was the
second, on the question of how Scripture speaks to cer- proper understanding of Scripture. If there is no explicit
tain contemporary issues. article on Scripture, there is implicitly a doctrine of
2. The Confessions and Hermeneutics Scripture. Word of God can be used interchangeably
with Scripture, though the semantic range of word of
The confessional basis of the ILC states that the churches
God goes beyond Scripture.9 Scripture is a divine book
of the ILC proclaim the Gospel of Christ on the basis
of an unconditional commitment to the Holy Scriptures
7 Constitution/Guiding Principles International Lutheran Council, no.
as the inspired and infallible Word of God and to the
II, Confessional Basis, International Lutheran Council, accessed May
Lutheran Confessions contained in the Book of Concord 26, 2017, http://ilc-online.org/files/2011/10/ILC-Constitution.pdf.
8The closest one gets to an article of Scripture is the introduction to the
Epitome and SD, the Binding Summary.
9 See Holsten Fagerberg, Die Theologie der luterischen
6 That goes against an Eastern Orthodox understanding as it is Bekenntnisschriften von 1529 bis 1537 (Gttingen: Vandenhoeck und
articulated by John Zizioulas, Being in Communion: Studies in Ruprecht, 1965), 1518; Ralph A. Bohlmann, Principles of Biblical
Personhood and the Church (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimirs Seminary Interpretation in the Lutheran Confessions, rev. ed. (St. Louis: Concordia
Press, 1985), 189: The apostolic kerygma of Christ needs to be Publishing House, 1983), 3435, lists the different meanings of word
constantly placed in the Spirit in order to be life and not just words. of God, e.g., Christ (AC III, 1); as instrument of the Holy Spirit (Ap
It cannot be an objectified norm in itself, something that judges the XXVIII, 10); as gospel in the narrow sense (SD II, 2). Word of God
community of the Church from above or from outside. and Scripture are used in a parallel way, (AC conclusion of part 1). The

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod 13

whose author is the Holy Spirit (Ap IV, 1078).10 It is,
as the word of God, the eternal truth (FC SD Binding
Summary, 12). Gods word cannot deceive or lie (LC IV,
57; V, 75). It is pure, infallible, and unchangeable (Preface
to the Book of Concord). Scripture is contrasted to all
human books. The distinction between human traditions
and the divine word is one of the main points of conten-
tion (Ep Binding Summary 2, 7; SD Binding Summary
9).11 The Lutherans claim that their doctrine is founded
solely on Scripture (Preface to AC, 8; AC Conclusion
of Part I, 2; SA II, 2, 15).12 If one preaches and teaches
human doctrine as Gods word, one breaks the Second
Commandment.13 Scripture is the pure, clear fountain
of Israel, that is, the source of doctrine and proclama-
tion (SD Binding Summary, 3). Scripture therefore has
a foundational function for the church of all times. The
Epitome takes up Romans 15:4 and states that everything
that is written is written for our instruction (Ep XI, 16).
The Scripture of the Old and New Testament is the one
true guiding principle, according to which all teachers
word of God can be read (SD II, 57). Scripture and word of God are
used synonymously (SD XI, 12). Fagerberg, Theologie der luterischen
Bekenntnisschriften, 18: Die Formel Gottes Wort steht immer in
irgendeiner Verbindung zur Bibel, entweder als ein anderer Ausdruck
fr die Bibel oder als Bezeichnung fr ein bestimmtes Bibelwort.
10 Unless otherwise indicated, references to the Book of Concord are
from Die Bekenntnisschriften der evangelisch-lutherischen Kirche, 10th
ed. (Gttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1986), hereafter referred to
as BSLK. Ap IV, 1078 (BSLK, 182), Profecto mirum est, adversarios
tot locis scripturae nihil moveri, quae aperte tribuunt iustificationem
fidei, et quidem detrahunt operibus. Num frustra existimant toties idem
repeti? Num arbitrantur excidisse spiritui sancto non animadvertenti
has voces? Melanchthon talks about the Scripture of the Holy Spirit
in the Preface to the Apology when he says that the opponents have
condemned certain articles contrary to the manifestam scripturam
spiritus sancti. Robert Kolb and Timothy J. Wengert, eds., The
Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
(Minneapolis: Fortress, 2000), 110, referred to subsequently as Kolb-
Wengert, translates it as the clear writing of the Spirit. The German
translation/paraphrase of Justus Jonas reads ffentlich helle Schrift und
klare Wort des heil. Geistes (Ap Preface, 9 [BSLK, 143]). Scripture is
called divine (Preface to the Book of Concord).
11 SD Binding Summary 9 (BSLK, 837, 1015), da alleine Gottes
Wort die einige Richtschnur und Regel aller Lehr sein und bleiben
solle, welchem keins Menschen Schriften gleichgeachtet, sondern
demselbigen alles unterworfen werden soll.
12 SA II, 2, 15 (BSLK, 421, 2325), Es heit, Gottes Wort soll Artikel
des Glaubens stellen und sonst niemand, auch kein Engel.
13 Melanchthon argues against masses for the dead that they nulla
habent testimonia, nullum mandatum ex scripturis. Neque vero est leve
peccatum, tales cultus sine mandato Dei, sine exemplo scripturae in
ecclesia instituere, et coenam Domini institutam ad recordationem et
praedicationem inter vivos transferre ad mortuos. Hoc est abuti nomine
Dei contra secundum praeceptum (Ap XXIV, 89 BSLK, 373, 3948).
Luther writes, Allermeist aber gehet der Mibrauch in geistlichen
Sachen, die das Gewissen belangen, wenn falsche Prediger aufstehen
und ihren Lgentand fur Gottes Wort dargeben (LC II, 53 BSLK, 573,
2529).
14 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
and teaching are to be judged and evaluated (SD Binding
Summary, 3).14 Scripture can be principle and judge in the
church because it is clear. The clarity of Scripture is not a
special topic in the Confessions, rather it is presupposed
and shows itself in the way the Scriptures are interpret-
ed.15 Thus, the Confessions quote clear passages for their
position.16 The Confessions state expressly in the con-
text of the discussion on the Lords Supper that this and
all other articles of faith are based on the clear word of
God.17 There is no reflection on clear and dark passages
in Scripture and their relationship in the Confessions. The
unity of Scripture is not specially discussed either, but
just like clarity, is one of the presuppositions of the exe-
gesis of the Confessions. All of Scripture is divided into
law and gospel (Ap IV, 5; XII, 53). The Old and the New
Testaments proclaim one way of salvation: faith in Christ
(Ap IV, 5759; XXIV, 55).18 The doctrine of justification
14 Kolb-Wengert, 527. The Scripture is called judge in Ep Binding
Summary, 769.
15 Bohlmann, Principles of Biblical Interpretation, 57, thinks that the
rein and limpidissimum of SD Binding Summary, 3, refers to the
clarity of Scripture. I think that goes too far. What is affirmed here is
that Scripture is not adulterated by falsity so that it can serve as a guide
and rule.
16 See the list in Bohlmann, Principles of Biblical Interpretation, 58:
Against the sacrifice of the mass for the dead (Ap XXIV, 94); for
communion under both kinds (AC XXII, 2); for marriage of priests
(AC XXIII, 39); against the necessity of human works for salvation
(AC XXVIII, 43); for the distinction between civil and spiritual
righteousness (Ap XVIII, 10); for justification by faith (Ap IV, 314); for
divine monergism in conversion (SD II, 87).
17 Nun ist ja kein so treuer noch gewisser Ausleger der Wort Jesu
Christi, denn eben der Herr Christus selbst, der seien Wort und sein
Herz und Meinung am besten verstehet und dieselben zu klren am
weisesten und verstndigsten ist, welcher allhie als in Stiftung seins
letzten Willens und Testaments und stets whrender Bndnus und
Vereinigung wie sonsten in allen Artikeln des Glaubens und aller
anderen Bund- und Gnadenzeichen oder Sakrament Einsetzung, als
der Beschneidung, der mancherlei Opfer im alten Testament, der
heiligen Taufe, nicht verblmte, sondern ganz eigentliche, einfltige,
unzweifelhaftige und klare Wort gebrauch, und damit ja kein
Miverstand einfallen knne, mit den Worten fr euch gegeben, fr
euch vergossen deutlicher erklret, lsset auch seine Jnger in dem
einfltigen, eigentlichen Verstand bleiben und befiehlt ihnen, da
sie ale Vlker also lehre sollen, alles das zu halten, was ihnen, den
Aposteln, befohlen hat (SD VII, 50, BSLK, 988, 1234). The clear
words of Christ are also transmitted clearly without change by the
apostles and evangelists. Derhalben auch alle drei Evangelisten ... und
S. Paulus, der nach der Himmelfahrt Christi daselbige empfangen,
1. Cor. 11, einhelliglich und mit einerlei Worten und Syllaben diese
helle, klare, feste und wahrhaftige Wort Christi: das ist mein Leib ganz
auf einerlei Weise von dem gesegneten und dargereichten Brot ohne
alle Deutungen und nderung wiederholen (SD VII, 51, BSLK, 988,
44989, 7).
18 To this pertains also the christological interpretation of the Old
Testament, see Dan 4:27: Ap IV, 262; Hosea 13:14: Ap XII, 140; Isa 53:
Ap XX, 5; XXIV, 23; SA II, 1, 2, 5; Num 28:48 is understood as a type
of Christ: Ap XXIV, 36; the omnipresence of Christs human nature is
prophesied in the Old Testament (Ps 8:6; 93,1; Zech 9:10): SD VIII, 27.
as the chief article unites all of Scripture (Ap IV, 2; SA II,
1).19 Does the doctrine of justification have a hermeneu-
tical function in the Confessions? Fagerberg denies it to
avoid a reductionistic understanding of law and gospel.20
The German translation of Apology IV, though, states:
But since there is such a dispute on the highest, most
prominent article of the entire Christian doctrine, as very
much depends on this article, which also serves preem-
inently the clear and correct understanding of the entire
holy Scripture (Ap IV, 2).21 Since the message of justifi-
cation articulates the central meaning of Scripture, one
can speak of a hermeneutical guiding function.22 But
justification cannot be used as an axiomatic principle or
a criterion of elimination.23 The doctrine of justification is
the explication of Christology into soteriology. Therefore,
to speak of justification as central for Scripture means to
speak of Christ as the center of Scripture.24
b. Hermeneutics in the Book of Concord
The authors of the Book of Concord thus see Scripture as
the word of God that is source and judge of all doctrine
and which clearly articulates the articles of faith. Christ
and his salvific work are the central content of Scripture.
The debates in the time of the Reformation are at their
center debates on the right interpretation of Scripture,
and thus one can see in the Book of Concord a way of
interpretation that distinguishes itself from the Roman
Catholic and Zwinglian/Reformed.
19 Ap IV, 2 (BSLK, 159, 1), Pracipuus locus doctrinae christianae.
20 Fagerberg, Theologie der luterischen Bekenntnisschriften, 3839.
21BSLK, 159, 38, Dieweil aber solcher Zank ist ber dem hchsten
frnehmsten Artikel der ganzen christlichen Lehre, also da an diesem
Artikel ganz viel gelegen ist, welcher auch zu klarem richtigem
Verstande der ganzen heiligen Schrift frnehmlich dienet.
22 Gunter Wenz, Theologie der Bekenntnisschriften der evangelisch-
lutherischen Kirche (Berlin, New York: de Gruyter, 1966), 1: 180.
23 With Wenz, Theologie der Bekenntnisschriften, 180. Hartmut Gnther,
Das Schriftverstndnis in der Konkordienformel, in Bekenntnis zur
Wahrheit: Aufstze ber die Konkordienformel, ed. Jobst Schne
(Erlangen: Martin Luther-Verlag, 1978), 32, rejects the thesis that in
the FC the article of justification is canon in the canon. Wenz uses
canon in the canon positively, but this does not describe how, for
example, Melanchthon interprets James. He does not argue that James
indeed does contradict Paul, but that this does not need to disturb a
Christian, because what James says is not binding because of the canon
in the canon. Rather, he refutes the claims of the opposing side with a
detailed exegesis (Ap IV, 24453). Luther uses the chief article in SA II
to criticize not Scripture but ceremonies that have no basis in Scripture.
Thus, he criticizes for example the invocation of saints because it
contradicts the chief article and because there is neither command nor
example in Scripture (SA II, 2, 25).
24Bohlmann, Principles of Biblical Interpretation, 73: One can speak of
the centrality of the doctrine of justification by grace in the Scriptures,
or one can speak simply of their Christocentricity, for the person and
work of Jesus Christ is the sine qua non of justification.
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
What Lutheran exegesis looks like can be seen e neg-
ativo from the criticism of the Roman Catholic exegesis
in the Apology.25 Melanchthon accuses the authors of
the Confutation of only considering some parts of the
Scripture (Ap IV, 183); distorting Scripture, since they
practice eisegesis instead of deriving the meaning from
the text (Ap IV, 224); careless exegesis because they
add or omit words (Ap IV, 264, Ap IV, 357);26 distorting
quotations or not considering the context (Ap IV, 286;
XXIV, 15); neglecting or despising grammar (Ap IV, 283;
XII, 106, 163); not following the common usage when
investigating the meaning of a word (Ap IV, 357); and
arguing contrary to logic and sophistically (Ap IV, 222,
335, 360), for example, when they make the consequence
into a cause (Ap XX, 13), so that Melanchthon can ask
in frustration: Who taught these jackasses such logic?
(Ap XII, 123).27
This means positively the entire Scripture must be
considered, that no passages may be ignored that pertain
to the issue. Any interpretation must be derived from
the texttexts are to be understood in their context.
The rules of grammar and logic apply, the meaning of
words is defined by common usage; in other words, the
common rules of language also apply to the biblical texts.
In principle, one should assume the literal sense of a text.
This is especially emphasized in the controversy with the
Reformed and their view of the words of institution as
metaphorical.
Because of all of these things, we are bound to inter-
pret and construe these words of the eternal, reliable, and
almighty Son of God, our Lord, creator, and redeemer,
Jesus Christ, not as embellished, figurative, exotic expres-
sions as would appear in line with our reason. Instead,
we should accept the words as they stand, in their proper,
clear sense, with simple faith and appropriate obedience
and not permit ourselves to be drawn away from this
position by any objection or human counterargument
spun out of human reason, no matter how attractive it
may appear to our reason (SD VII, 45).28
Of course, the authors of the Book of Concord know
that there is figurative speech in the Bible. But there is no
25 The following according to Bohlmann, Principles of Biblical
Interpretation, 78.
26 Ap IV, 264, against Jeromes interpretation.
27Quis docuit istos asinos hanc dialecticam? Sed haec neque dialectica
neque sophistica est, sed est sycophantica (Ap XII, 123, BSLK, 278,
25).
28 Kolb-Wengert, 600601.
15
detailed discussion on the question of when one should
deviate from the literal sense.29 The example of Abraham
who does follow the word that commands him to sacrifice
his son, even though it seemed to contradict reason and
an article of faith, is positively used for the humility that
honors God by believing him (SD VII, 46).
This emphasis on the Scripture as a present authority
does not mean that everything in Scripture pertains to the
present reader in the same manner. The law of the Old
Testament is not simply the law that is preached to the
church. The Decalogue is binding on the Christian, while
the civil and ceremonial laws of the Torah are not (Ap IV,
6). The ceremonial law was binding for a certain time, but
not for Christians, as the apostolic preaching shows (Ap
XV, 32). Even the Decalogue is not simply the eternal will
of God. The Third Commandment is, when it establishes
the seventh day as a day of rest, part of the ceremonial
law (LC I, 82). Holy Scripture itself decides what in the
Old Testament was given only to the believers of the Old
Testament and what continues to be preached.30 In regard
to the commands by the apostolic church, Melanchthon
understands the decree of the so-called apostolic coun-
cil in Acts 15:2329 not as a binding of the church of all
ages, since it was given only for a limited time to avoid
offense. Rejected is any understanding that this decree
can be used against the righteousness of faith. For in
this ordinance one must pay attention to the chief part of
Christian doctrine which is not abolished by this decree
(AC XXVIII, 6566).31
29 Reason is not acceptable as a criterion (SD II, 8; VII, 102).
30 For Holy Scripture did away with the Sabbath, and it teaches that
after the revelation of the gospel all ceremonies of the old law may
be given up (Kolb-Wengert, 100). Dann die heilig Schrift hat den
Sabbat abgetan und lehret, da alle Ceremonien des alten Gesetz nach
Eroffnung des Evangeliums mogen nachgelassen werden (AC XXVIII,
59, BSLK, 130, 1215).
31 Kolb-Wengert, 100. Luther discusses in his Ein Bericht an einen
guten Freund von beider Gestalt des Sakraments of 1528 if the church
has authority to change the ordinance of God and the Holy Spirit and
to impose a new commandment, as the apostles have done then in
Martin Luther, Luthers Werke, Weimarer Ausgabe (hereafter referred
to as WA) 26, 569, 2931. Luther interprets the passage starting with
Peters speech (Acts 15:1011). Peter rejects here the binding nature
of the Mosaic law for the Gentile Christians and teaches salvation by
faith without the law. This position was accepted by the assembly. The
four commands of the apostolic council are given for the sake of love,
not for the sake of conscience, i.e., their purpose is to facilitate the life
together of Jewish and Gentile Christians. As such, they are temporary
rules which fell into disuse already in the time of the New Testament, as
1 Corinthians 8 and 10 show (WA 26, 573, 8ff). Luther does realize that
the last point of the decree is of a different nature. Fornication is still
forbidden, because chastity is a fruit of the Spirit and is commanded
also in other passages of the New Testament (WA 26, 573, 1415,
3234). Thus, Melanchthon and Luther agree that the church has no
16 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
3. Formal Statements on Hermeneutics
The ILC does not have a common statement on herme-
neutics. Individual churches have documents that are
specifically dedicated to hermeneutics or touch on herme-
neutics. Thus, the Independent Evangelical Lutheran
Church (SELK) has adopted a statement on hermeneutics
by its general pastoral conference in 2009 and its con-
vention in 2011. The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
(LCMS) does not have a statement dedicated solely to
hermeneutics; A Statement of Scriptural and Confessional
Principles, adopted by the synod in convention in 1973,
is the closest to an official statement on hermeneutics of
the LCMS. There are also documents by the Commission
on Theology and Church Relations dealing with herme-
neutical issues, but these, since they were not officially
adopted, do not have the same status as A Statement of
Scriptural and Confessional Principles. An article by
Edward Kettner posted on the homepage of The Lutheran
ChurchCanada does touch upon hermeneutical ques-
tions.32 The Lutheran Church of Australia, an associate
member of the ILC and the LWF, dealt with hermeneu-
tical issues in their Theses of Agreement and subsequent
documents.33 For times sake, I will give only a summary
of Biblische Hermeneutik and A Statement of Scriptural
and Confessional Principles.34
a. Biblische Hermeneutik
The document consists of a Preamble, Theological
Foundation, Epistemological Considerations, Methodology,
and Special Questions. The Preamble describes the Holy
Scripture of the Old and New Testaments as the infallible
authority to change Gods law, but the authority to create ordinances for
a certain time for the sake of love, not to bind consciences.
32 Edward Kettner, Lutheran Divergences: How Lutherans Are Drifting
Apart, Word and Deed 4, no. 1 (Spring 1998): 311, accessed May 26,
2017, http://www.lutheranchurch-canada.ca/ctcr/Other%20Documents/
Lutheran%20Divergences.pdf. This is based on a presentation to the joint
meeting of the Council of Presidents of Lutheran ChurchCanada
(LCC) and the Council of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in Canada, January 1998, as stated at http://www.concordiasem.ab.ca/
academics/edward_kettner.php. This article has not been adopted as an
official document. Nevertheless, as a resource offered by the LCC, it can
serve at least as an example of hermeneutics in this synod.
33 See Lutheran Church of Australia, Commission on Theology and
Inter-Church Relations, Volume 1, Part A, Theses of Agreement; Part B,
The Scriptures, particularly A Consensus Statement on Holy Scripture,
and two attachments, Towards a Common Understanding of the
Authority of Holy Scripture and The Extent and Certainty of the
Canon, accessed May 26, 2017, http://www.lca.org.au/departments/
commissions/cticr/.
34 Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK), Biblische
Hermeneutik (2011), accessed May 26, 2017, http://selk.de/download/
Biblische-Hermeneutik-2011.pdf.
word of the triune God, through which he speaks in his-
tory and the present to men, works saving faith and thus
builds the church. Lutheran Christians interpret Holy
Scripture in faith in Jesus Christ and pray for the help of
the Holy Spirit. Biblical hermeneutics instructs such a
reading that is appropriate to the Christian faith and the
ecclesiastical proclamation. Especially, it directs read-
ing in such a way that Christ is known as the Lord and
King of Scripture; to interpret Scripture in the certainty,
that what it says and effects, is truth and reality and does
not deceive; that Scripture is to be interpreted in the con-
text of the faith of Christendomdivine service, prayer,
doctrine, piety; to interpret Scripture so that Gods action
in law and gospel is perceived; to interpret Scripture in
the personal situation of oratio, mediatio, tentatio; that
the interpreter is aware that he himself is interpreted
by Scripture; to interpret Scripture in the framework
of Scripture and the Confessions, in other words, the
Scripture is foundation and rule of the church, the
Confessions are a summary of Scripture and dependent
as a norm on Scripture. The Confessions at the same time
structure the churchs reading of Scripture in such a way
that it is directed toward Christ. Such an interpretation
is theologically and methodologically appropriate. Any
interpretation must be accountableits results must be
checkable and accountable.
In the Theological Foundation, first, God speak-
ing and acting by his word, his deeds done by the word
in creation and history, the record of these deeds in the
Spirit-wrought words of the Old Testament and New
Testament, and finally the proclamation through which
God effects faith where and when it pleases him to, have
to be distinguished and kept together. The canon of
Scripture is given to the church as a presupposition and as
a norm, and thus the word of God in the form of the canon
is the final authority for the church. Scripture authorizes
the church, not vice versa. The sufficiency of Scripture for
doctrine and life is affirmed. Hermeneutically, this also
implies that Scripture interprets Scripture, and that there
is no authority outside of Scripture concerning interpre-
tation that is superior to Scripture.
Regarding the canon, even though there are edges
to it, the canon as generally accepted is also received by
the Lutheran church. The understanding of Scripture that
leads the believer to Christ is received in faith and is not
a product of human reason. Taking the canon seriously
means to see Christ as the center of Scripture and reject
an understanding that results in disparate theologies in
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
Scripture.
The Confessions direct the understanding of Scripture
in the way Christ and the apostles understood it, espe-
cially in the distinction between law and gospel, the
self-verification of the words of God and the proper rela-
tion between the Old and New Testaments in promise
and fulfillment, type and antitype, the double effect of
the word of God in faith and unbelief, understanding and
hardening of hearts, and the insight that the Scriptures
aim at the proclamation of faith and love, justification,
and sanctification, thus affirming that the intended aim
of Gods word is the justification of the sinner for Christs
sake. The gospel is seen at the same time in the history of
Gods dealing with Israel and the Gentiles, the life of Jesus,
the sending of the Spirit and the eschatological future,
manifesting the faithfulness of Gods promise. Such an
approach takes up impulses of the canonical approach to
interpretation.
In regard to Epistemological Considerations, the
document affirms that Holy Scripture bears the marks
of its historical origin and that understanding and inter-
pretation are also in the framework of history. Thus, the
situation of the reader influences his understanding to a
different degree. The task is thus to maintain the identity
of the given word of God in its present reception. Thus,
different interpretations are to be evaluated by the bib-
lical word of God. Since understanding is not without
preconceptions, any preconceived notions have to be
evaluated by Scripture. A proper pre-understanding in
the Lutheran church is that the reader expects from the
totality of Scripture that it leads to Christ and reads it in
the context of the creeds, prayer, and divine service of
Christendom. A reading of Scripture as a document of
the history of religion or under the guidance of ideas for-
eign to Scripture is inappropriate. The truth of Scripture
is bound to the person of Christ. Truth is, in this context,
that which opens truth to us, that which puts us into the
light of truth and what involves us in the effect of divine
truth. Truth thus is about the relation of us to the one
who is the truth. This truth reveals itself in interpretation
and preaching whose goal is faith and love. Such inter-
pretation is done trusting in the reliability and clarity of
Scripture. Such understanding of faith is not individu-
alistic, but in the framework of the church of all times.
Thus, such a hermeneutical approach is contextual, in the
context of church, with the aim to articulate the faith of
the one holy, Christian, and apostolic church. This her-
meneutical process is effected by the Spirit, with a use of
17
human logic. The human intellect has a ministerial func-
tion and acknowledges humbly that nothing is impossible
with God. Thus, a hermeneutic that operates as if there
were no God is excluded. The instrumental use of reason
serves the accountability/plausibleness of faith. As such
the limitations and the possibilities of all hermeneutical
methods are to be tested.
This means that philological and historical meth-
ods are legitimate and necessary in the interpretation of
Scripture, as the Methodology chapter explains. The
acknowledgment of the canon means also that human
reason is not above Scripture. Since methods have to be
appropriate to the texts, this means for the interpreta-
tion of Scripture that its texts have to be understood in
the context of the canon ordered toward the goal of the
proclamation of Christ. The way of interpretation has to
be accountable and transparent to general understanding.
Hypotheses have their place in the effort to solve prob-
lems concerning the text and content, though they have
to be minimized. Clear passages are to be used to inter-
pret darker passages. Diachronic methods should serve
the understanding of the present text in its canonical con-
text. The history of interpretation is to be used critically.
Different methods can be helpful and appropriate, such
as textual criticism, form criticism, linguistic methods,
social and historical research, redaction criticism, history
of interpretation, and word studies.
In the chapter Special Questions, the first issue is
the edge of the canon, i.e., the issue of the Septuagint, of
textual variants, and the antilegomena. Christian doc-
trine has to be taught from the homologoumena. Christ
as the center of the canon does not establish a canon in
the canon, but rather enables the integration of the bib-
lical texts, its richness, and its different weight. This
allows a fuzzy edge, since everything can contribute to
the whole. In regard to the historical reference of the
biblical texts, God interacts with men and thus makes
history, as the Old Testament in the history of Israel and
the New Testament in the person of Jesus shows. Extra-
biblical documents are used in the effort to shed light on
the background and the reality of biblical texts. Historical
methodology is appropriate for an understanding of the
texts, since Gods word came to men in mens word with
the historical situatedness of human existence. However,
the truth and reliability of Gods word is not questioned
when historical research judges differently, for example,
when a reconstruction of a certain event is no longer
possible. Historical research can neither confirm nor
18 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
refute the truth of biblical proclamation. The account of
historical events in Scripture is in the context of an inter-
pretation of the promise of God and its eschatological
fulfillment, in which also history will find its completion.
Concerning the Christian life, the distinction between
law and gospel has to be maintained. The third use of
the law, as in the Ten Commandments, the prophetic
admonitions, the commandments of Jesus (for example,
the Sermon on the Mount), and the paraenesis of the
apostles, has a place under the rule of the gospel for the
baptized, believing, and justified Christian. The imperfect
works of the Christian are not works of the law, but fruits
of the Spirit, though they conform to the divine com-
mands given in Scripture. Thus, the law in this context
means the immutable will of God (FC VI, 17). The will
of God is expressed in the Bible in a multitude of textual
genres. Biblical directions are, just as the historical narra-
tives or doctrinal passages, binding for the church. They
are to be interpreted and applied in the present follow-
ing the premises in this paper, especially the distinction
between the Old and New Testament and between law
and gospel. According to the New Testament, the laws
concerning the cult and the political and social law of
the Old Testament have ended in Christ and are thus not
simply binding in the church. On the other hand, the
Decalogue and individual regulations from the holiness
code and the primeval orders are applied to the life of the
church. Regarding the time-bound character of instruc-
tions in the New Testament, the context of the passage,
its terminology, and its specific linguistic form have to
be taken into account. Thus, there are mandates like the
means of grace and the office of the keys, binding for the
church of all times.
In Paul, there are mandates that he transmits as com-
mandments of the Lord, but also personal opinions or
churchly customs, which still can be examples to later
times. The ethos of following Christ and of the Haustafel
both complement each other and the commandment to
love ones neighbor is made concrete in the individual
Commandments, as in the Decalogue. Commandments
are not to be seen as restrictive, but as describing the
space opened by baptism in which the Christian life is
lived under the blessing of Christ and under the guid-
ance of the Spirit. Interpretation and application of the
Commandments is proper when it leads to the return to
baptism and to life conforming to this reality.
There is a legitimate aspect to reader-response crit-
icism since God's word aims at reception and since
the promise given in Scripture correlates to faith as the
intended response. Nevertheless, the primacy of God's
self-communication has to be maintained. The response
does not constitute God's self-communication, but reader
response as a description of human processes of com-
munication can help to understand how communication
happens and can lead to an appreciation of the activity of
reading and hearing.
Concerning the multiple meanings of the word of
God, there is already in the Bible the phenomenon that
texts are interpreted beyond their historical meaning.
The history of interpretation shows how different texts
are differently understood. There is a certain openness
of texts to different interpretations. There is, therefore, a
certain polyvalence of the text. Criteria for appropriate
responses are canon, rule of faith, and church, and thus
limit interpretations.
What about non-literal or typological and allegorical
interpretation? There are such interpretations already in
Scripture. To avoid arbitrariness, the analogy of faith has
to be maintained. Typological and allegorical interpre-
tations can illustrate and promote, but not establish, the
faith of the church.
Contextual interpretation can make readers sensitive
to the polyvalence of a text. It has to be criticized when it
assumes that the context established the text. Contextual
interpretation is structurally similar to homiletical inter-
pretation and its expectation that the text has a specific
message in this situation. Needed is a reflection on why
certain implications of a text are perceived differently at
different times.
b. A Statement of Scriptural and Confessional Principles
As stated in the introduction, the closest the LCMS gets
to a formal statement on hermeneutics is A Statement of
Scriptural and Confessional Principles, one of the few theo-
logical documents adopted by the synod in convention.
The historical context of this document is the dispute in
the LCMS in the 1960s and 1970s on the use of histori-
cal-critical exegesis. Scriptural and Confessional Principles
was adopted in 1973 to counteract certain theological
positions in the LCMS. It is therefore not a complete
statement on hermeneutics, nor does it engage some of
the hermeneutical questions of a later date that Biblische
Hermeneutik addresses. The synod in convention stated
that it is Scriptural and in accord with the Lutheran
Confessions, and therefore a formulation which derives its
authority from the Word of God and which expresses the
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
Synods position on current doctrinal issues.35 As such,
it is on the same level as the Confessions, but members
of the LCMS are asked to honor and uphold its doctri-
nal statements, which means not merely to examine and
study them, but to support, act and teach in accordance
with them until they have been shown to be contrary to
Gods Word.36 Thus, there is a provision for the eventual
rejection of such a statement that is not in place regarding
the Book of Concord.
In regard to hermeneutics, Scriptural and Confessional
Principles affirms that law and gospel must be constantly
and diligently proclaimed in the church of God until the
end of the world, but with due distinction.37 The usus
elenchticus legis and the tertius usus are named, rejected
is that either the gospel is the norm or standard for the
Christian life or that the Christian does no longer need
the instruction of the law. Rejected also is that what
Gods law declares to be sinful (for example, adultery or
theft) need not be regarded as sinful in all times and sit-
uations.38 Article IV on Holy Scripture affirms in its first
part, The Inspiration of Scripture, that all Scripture
is given by the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, that
therefore God is the true Author of every word of
Scripture. Rejected is a view that sees no qualitative dif-
ference between biblical inspiration and the inspiration
of all Christians, a view of inspiration as mere guidance
of the human authors, inspiration limited to that which
directly pertains to Jesus Christ and mans salvation
and that portions of the New Testament witness to Jesus
Christ contain imaginative additions which had their
origin in the early Christian community and do not pres-
ent actual facts.39
The second part on The Purpose of Scripture states
that the Scriptures, since their primary purpose is to
make men wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus
35 The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod, Resolution 301 of 1973,
quoted in Guiding Principles for the Use of a Statement of Scriptural
and Confessional Principles with Special Reference to the Expression of
Dissent: A Report of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations
(November 1973), 5, accessed May 26, 2017, www.lcms.org/Document.
fdoc?src=lcm&id=2296.
36 LCMS, Guiding Principles, 6, the formulation from Resolution 221
of the LCMS convention in 1971.
37 The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod, A Statement of Scriptural
and Confessional Principles, accessed May 26, 2017, https://www.lcms.
org/doctrine/scripturalprinciples.
38 The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod, A Statement of Scriptural
and Confessional Principles, Study Edition (St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1972), 12.
39 LCMS, Scriptural and Confessional Principles, 18.
19
Christ, are only rightly used when they are read from the
perspective of justification by faith and the proper distinc-
tion between Law and Gospel. But since the saving work
of Christ was achieved in history, we acknowledge that
the recognition of the soteriological purpose of Scripture
in no sense permits us to call into question or deny the
historicity or factuality of matters recorded in the Bible.
Therefore, an understanding of what Scripture says with-
out relating it to Christ and his work is not an adequate
understanding of Scripture. Since Christ is at the center
of Scripture, the Old Testament read on its own terms,
bears witness to Christ. Rejected is the view that the his-
toricity of events or the occurrence of miracles can be
denied, as long as law and gospel are distinguished prop-
erly and that as long as the primary purpose of Scripture
is maintained, questions of fact, such as if Christ was truly
born of a virgin, are irrelevant.40
In the third section on The Gospel and Holy
Scripture, the gospel of the gracious justification of the
sinner through faith in Jesus Christ is affirmed not only
as the chief doctrine of Holy Scripture and a basic pre-
supposition for the interpretation of Scripture, but as
the heart and center of our Christian faith and theol-
ogy, as material principle. The Scriptures are the formal
principle. The gospel is that to which the Scriptures bear
witness; the Scriptures direct the Christian to the gospel.
A false description of the relation between gospel and
Scripture is when the acceptance of the Scripture, not the
gospel, is made the heart of the Christian faith; when the
gospel, not the Scriptures, are made the norm for judg-
ing doctrine; when it is deemed acceptable to question the
historicity or facticity of certain events, as long as the
gospel is not distorted; or that Christians need not accept
matters taught in the Scriptures that are not a part of the
gospel.41
The authority of Scripture is described as twofold: a
causative authority, that is, the power to create faith, and
the normative authority, to serve as the churchs sole
standard of doctrine and life. The authority of Scripture is
accepted by faith. Thus, the authority of Scriptures is not
only in what they do, but in what they are as the inspired
and inerrant word of God. Rejected is the view that the
Christian community in every age is directly inspired
by the Holy Spirit and is therefore free to go beyond the
doctrine of the prophets and apostles in determining the
40 LCMS, Scriptural and Confessional Principles, 20.
41 LCMS, Scriptural and Confessional Principles, 23.
20 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
content of certain aspects of its faith and witness.42
In the section on The Canonical Text of Scripture,
the present canonical text, not any precanonical forms,
is affirmed as the authoritative text for the church today.
This implies that degrees of authority in the canonical
Scriptures based on what is deemed historically authen-
tic is rejected, just as it limits the use of extra-canonical
sources in interpretation and their authority.43
The infallibility of Scripture is described as inerrancy.
We therefore believe, teach, and confess, that since the
Holy Scriptures are the Word of God, they contain no
errors or contradiction, but that they are in all their parts
and words the infallible truth. Ruled out by this under-
standing of infallibility is any accommodation to error in
the Scriptures and error in what the Scriptures affirm to
be the case.44
The unity of Scripture means that in the variety of
Scripture there is a unity in the same doctrine of the
Gospel, in all its articles. Rejected is the position that in
the Bible there are conflicting or contradictory teachings
and theologies.45
Regarding Old Testament prophecy, the Old Testament
contains Messianic prophecies which are predictive and
are correctly interpreted in the New Testament.46
The section on Historical Methods of Biblical
Interpretation is the longest in the document. It affirms
that God reveals himself in history and that the biblical
writings are historical documents written in specific set-
tings. Thus, the Scriptures invite historical investigation
and are to be taken seriously as historical documents. But
the interpreter of Scripture
cannot adopt uncritically the presuppositions and
canons of the secular historian, but will be guid-
ed in his use of historical techniques by the pre-
supposition of his faith in the Lord of history, who
reveals Himself in Holy Scripture as the one who
42 LCMS, Scriptural and Confessional Principles, 26.
43 Therefore, it is wrong to rank material that is viewed as authentic,
i.e., the authentic words of Jesus, as having greater authority than
non-authentic statements. It is rejected that certain pericopes
or passages in the canonical text of Scripture may be regarded as
imaginative additions of the Biblical authors or of the early Christian
community and therefore need to be accepted as fully authoritative;
that extracanonical sources may be used in such a way as to call into
question the clear meaning of the canonical text (LCMS, Scriptural and
Confessional Principles, 29).
44 LCMS, Scriptural and Confessional Principles, 3132.
45 LCMS, Scriptural and Confessional Principles, 34.
46 LCMS, Scriptural and Confessional Principles, 36. See Ap IV, 5; FC SD
V, 23.
 creates, sustains, and even enters our history in or-
der to lead it to His end.
A secularist and naturalistic view of history is rejected,
as is the view that if the use of historical methods leads
to conclusions at variance with the evident meaning of the
Biblical text, then such conclusions can be held without
violating the Lutheran view of Scripture or our commit-
ment to the Lutheran Confessions.47
4. Hermeneutics as Church Dividing:The Example
of North America
The issue of historical criticism remained a problem
between the LCMS and other Lutheran churches in the
United States. The problem of historical criticism of
scripture dogged the deliberations of the council [sc.
Lutheran Council in the USA (LCUSA)] through its
life.48
In the discussions in LCUSA, there was agreement
that Scripture is the word of God and that it testifies to
Christ; that every exegetical method is historically con-
ditioned and thus changeable; that there is no exegetical
method that will prevent human error; that every method
reflects the philosophical and theological presupposition
of its practitioner; that any method can be abused, but is
therefore not by itself illegitimate; that all human efforts
are subservient/ministerial to the God who encounters
us in scripture through the Holy Spirit. The disagree-
ments between the LCMS and the ALC/LCA participants
were on questions of if the Scriptures, since God is their
primary author, are without error in what it says and
that historical criticism therefore contradicts the Spirits
connection with the Bibles origin, the very definition
of historical criticism; the distinction between magiste-
rial and ministerial use of reason, and the Scriptures as
not only causative authority, that through them the Holy
Spirit works faith in human hearts, but also the normative
authority, that the scriptural texts provide a God-given
infallible norm for the proclamation of the Gospel;
and that historical criticism undermines the normative
authority and ultimately also the causative authority.49
47 LCMS, Scriptural and Confessional Principles, 39.
48 Maria Erling, The Americanization of American Lutheranism:
Democratization of Authority and the Ordination of Women, Part I,
Journal of Lutheran Ethics 11, no. 6 (October 2011), accessed May 26,
2017, http://www.elca.org/JLE/Articles/186.
49Naomi Frost, Golden Visions, Broken Dreams: A Short History of the
Lutheran Council in the USA (New York: Lutheran Council in the USA,
1987), 2021.
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
The theological differences that led to the end of
church fellowship between the LCMS and ALC in 1981
were the authority and interpretation of Holy Scripture,
the meaning of confessional subscription and its impli-
cations for the interpretation of Scripture and limits of
theological diversity the Confessions set, and the nature
and basis of church fellowship.50 At the convention in
1981, fellowship was terminated because of doctrinal dif-
ferences, among them the
inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of Holy Scrip-
tures; the meaning and implications of confessional
subscription; the nature and basis of fellowship; the
ordination of women to the pastoral office; mem-
bership in ecumenical organizations such as the
World Council of Churches; and varying practices
regarding anti-Christian organizations.51
5. The Hermeneutical Question Pertaining to
Womens Ordination
In 1963, a group of Lutheran pastors in Germany sent out
a manifesto against womens ordination. Bishop Lilje of
Hannover wrote in his answer to them, He who believes
that this use of Scripture is possible, has left the ground of
the interpretation of Scripture according to the reforma-
tion.52 Here the dissent on womens ordination is clearly
described as a hermeneutical one. The same observation
was made in the discussions in the United States. When
the churches of the Lutheran Council in the United States
discussed women's ordination around 1970,
the Lutheran churches in their study of the bibli-
cal passages concerning women stumbled into sig-
nificant disagreement over the biblical passages in
Paul's letter to the Corinthians, and in the letter to
the Ephesians, that told women to be silent, to obey,
to refrain from any teaching role. But in conduct-
ing the study, and in commending the matter to the
churches, Reumann and his committee determined
that differences among Lutherans were hermeneu-
50 The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod, The American Lutheran
Church and The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod: A Statement
of Doctrinal Differences, Forward in Remembrance: 54th Regular
Convention St. Louis, August 310, 1981, Convention Workbook,
397402.
51 LCMS, Forward in Remembrance, Resolution 301; 15355. Anti-
Christian organizations refers to lodges like the freemasons.
52 Wer diese Verwendung Heiliger Schrift fr mglich hlt, hat den
Boden reformatorischer Schriftauslegung verlassen, quoted in Dietrich
Kuessner, Die Braunschweiger Landeskirche in the 70er Jahren und ihr
Landesbischof Gerhard Heintze (Wendeburg: Verlag Uwe Krebs, 2014), 42.
21
 tical and not exegetical.53
But what were these hermeneutical issues? John
Reumann summarizes them thus:
If one argues by proof texts, certain individual vers-
es seem to exclude women from ordinationand
from engaging in many functions in which they
commonly participate in our churches nowadays.
If a rigorous criticism is applied, some of these texts
most frequently cited against ordaining women
can be excluded (as glosses) or demoted in value
(as deutero-Pauline). If the entire mass of bibli-
cal evidence is considered, it is possible that there
are seemingly conflicting views, even in the verses
claiming to be from the same writer, Paul.54
Besides these biblical issues, Reumann also wants the
history of the church to be taken into consideration and
today one finds oneself compelled to take into consider-
ation also a host of other factors besides the biblical and
historical factors. What the other factors are, Reumann
does not specify. Is that where sociological questions
enter the hermeneutical endeavor? Reumann mentions
a last point pertaining to hermeneutics: Does a central
gospel or do individual textsand if so, which ones and
how interpretedprevail in reaching a decision? For
Reumann, the hermeneutical questions are therefore:
- Is it legitimate to argue from proof text or individ-
ual passages?
- Is it legitimate to exclude certain parts of the canoni-
cal Scriptures as glosses?
- Is it legitimate to entertain the possibility of contra-
dictions in Scripture and even in one author?
- Can the central gospel have the last word against an
individual passage?
An essay by Krister Stendahl, who played an important
role in the discussions on womens ordination in Sweden
and in North America, published originally in Swedish,
was translated as The Bible and the Role of Women with
a new subtitle, A Case Study in Hermeneutics.55 For
him, the exegetical result is, that in the New Testament,
when speaking about the role of women in the church,
we have found that when a reason is given, it is always
53 Erling, Americanization of American Lutheranism.
54John Reumann, Ministries Examined: Laity, Clergy, Women, and
Bishops in a Time of Change (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1987), 9899.
55Krister Stendahl, The Bible and the Role of Women: A Case Study in
Hermeneutics (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1974).
22 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
by reference to the subordinate position of women in the
order of creation.56 This subordinate position concerns
not only the church, it is not even church specific, but is
a structure in church and society. Thus, the emancipation
of women is just as against the New Testament as womens
ordination. For Stendahl, there is a straight path for the
church:
[O]ne can maintain that every form of emancipa-
tion is foreign to the biblical view. Then the ques-
tion of ordination of women would not arise. Such
a view is consistent and honest. The question is
whether it is truly biblical or whether it is merely an
attempt to play First-Century Bible Land.57
Here his criticism of the Scandinavian exegesis of his
time, which he calls realistic exegesis, comes in. When
the religionsgeschichtliche Schule helped us to accept the
primitive, the Semitic, the collective, the cultic, the escha-
tological in the New Testament, realistic biblical study
was seen to strengthen the respect for a vigorous and
colorful orthodoxy or neo-orthodoxy. But the problem
of such a school of interpretation that is strictly descrip-
tive may lead to a new Biblicism, if the hermeneutical
question is not raised. As a hermeneutical principle it
may lead to a denial of history as Gods history. For it is
highly doubtful that God wants us to play First-Century
Semites.58 This critique of realistic exegesis frames his
rejection of the option to simply follow or imitate the
New Testament. Since repristination is not an option,
one should accept emancipation of women with enthu-
siasm. It could be argued that such an attitude is quite in
accordance with our obedience to the Bible, provided that
those elements in its witness which point beyond what
was actualized in the first century are permitted their full
and creative force.59 Taken with the remark before, this
probably means that womens emancipation is Gods his-
tory. Thus, the hermeneutical issue is:
- In what way is the worldview of the New Testament
binding on the present church?
- In what way is a rejection of modern developments a
rejection of Gods history?
- In what way should the church develop elements of
the biblical tradition that are in harmony with pres-
ent societal development and reject those that are
56 Stendahl, Role of Women, 38.
57 Stendahl, Role of Women, 40.
58 Stendahl, Role of Women, 17.
59 Stendahl, Role of Women, 41.
 not in harmony with society?
Jrgen Roloff in his commentary on 1 Timothy states,
The admission of women to the office is founded finally
on a fundamental hermeneutical decision, which therefore
cannot be shared by representatives of a strict Biblicism.60
Roloff can endorse womens ordination because the argu-
mentation in 1 Timothy 2 following Jewish exegesis of
Genesis 2 and 3 is artificial and problematic. But the
decisive point is that Sachkritik has to be exercised, not
least because of the reception history of the text in cen-
turies of Christians history that led to the discrimination
and marginalization of women in the church. But this
Sachkritik is not motivated by social issues, it is founded
on the total witness of the New Testament and how it talks
about the dignity of women and the position of women in
the church. Since this text wants to be an interpretation
of the gospel, it has to be evaluated by the gospel and has
to be judged as lacking and also as a wrong interpretation
of Genesis 2 and 3.61 The hermeneutical issues raised by
Roloff are thus:
- Is the interpretation of the Old Testament by the
New Testament authoritative on the church?
- Should the New Testament writings be evaluated
by the gospel and the overall witness of the New
Testament?
Some of these hermeneutical questions are addressed
in statements by churches of the ILC.
In regard to the question of if it is legitimate to enter-
tain the possibility of contradictions in Scripture and
even in one author, Scriptural and Confessional Principles
denies this.
We reject the view that Holy Scripture, both within
and between its various books and authors, pres-
ents us with conflicting or contradictory teachings
and theologies. We regard this view not only as vi-
olating the Scriptures own understanding of itself
but also as making it impossible for the church to
have and confess a unified theological position that
is truly Biblical and evangelical.62
Biblische Hermeneutik does not address the question
directly. But its emphasis on the canon and the positive
60Jrgen Roloff, Der erste Brief an Timotheus Evangelisch-katholischer
Kommentar zum Neuen Testament 15 (Zrich: Benziger, Neukirchen-
Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 1988), 146.
61 Roloff, Brief an Timotheus, 147.
62 LCMS, Scriptural and Confessional Principles, IV, G, 34.
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
view of the canonical approach in exegesis leads at least
in a direction that would make it difficult to talk about
contradictions in Scripture.63 Since Christ is the center of
Scripturenot the canon in the canon, the entire bib-
lical text in its different textual genres, its richness and in
its different weight can be integrated.64
Is it legitimate to exclude certain parts of the canonical
Scriptures as glosses? Both Scriptural and Confessional
Principles and Biblische Hermeneutik emphasize the
authoritative nature of the canonical text of Scripture.65
Biblische Hermeneutik has a discussion on textual ques-
tions and the canon. Just as the canon has an edge
(for example, the Old Testament apocrypha, the New
Testament antilegomena), so also in regard to textual
questions there is an edge, so that there can be a dis-
cussion on textual variants. This does not need to be
problematic, as long as they are integrated through the
center of Scripture, that is, Christ. This seems to imply
that strictly speaking, a canonical passage of Scripture
cannot be excluded as a gloss, though there can be more
than one option concerning a textual variant that is
acceptable.
In what way is the worldview of the New Testament
binding on the present church? Scriptural and
Confessional Principles rejects the opinion
that the Biblical authors accommodated themselves
to using and repeating as true the erroneous no-
tions of their day (for example, the claim that Pauls
statements on the role of women are not binding
today because they are the culturally conditioned
result of the apostles sharing the views of contem-
porary Judaism as a child of his time).66
This does not speak generally to the question of worl-
dview, but it strongly suggests that the worldview of the
New Testament is indeed binding on the present church.
Scriptural and Confessional Principles rejects also the view
that the position of Paul on women in the church is not
binding on the church today because his views reflect the
opinions of contemporary Judaism.67
The document Women in the Church: Scriptural
Principles and Ecclesial Practice by the LCMS places the
63 SELK, Biblische Hermeneutik, 2.2; 2.4.
64 SELK, Biblische Hermeneutik, 5.1.
65LCMS, Scriptural and Confessional Principles, IV, E, 29; SELK,
Biblische Hermeneutik, 2.2; 2.4; 5.1.
66 LCMS, Scriptural and Confessional Principles, IV, F, 31.
67 LCMS, Scriptural and Confessional Principles, IV, F, 31.
23
discussion on womens role in the church in the framework
of the order of creation and the order of redemption.68
The order of creation means that God has given to that
which has been created a certain definite order which,
because it has been created by Him, is the expression of
His immutable will. These relationships belong to the
very structure of created existence. The order of redemp-
tion refers to the relationship of the redeemed to God
and to each other in the new creation established by
Him in Jesus Christ.69 The order of redemption does not
abolish the order of creation. Hence, Paul can argue with
creation and the law in 1 Corinthians 11:79; 14:34, and
1 Timothy 2:1314. Spiritual equality does not preclude
subordination (hypotage). Galatians 3:28 speaks about
baptism. However, the oneness of male and female in
Christ does not obviate the distinction given in creation.
Galatians 3:28 does not mean that the identity of man or
woman can be exchanged any more than that Greeks can
become Jews or vice versa.70 This document implicitly
addresses thus the question of proof texting and arguing
from individual passages. It does refer to individual pas-
sages, but sees them in a larger biblical context.
In what way should the church develop elements of the
biblical tradition that are in harmony with present socie-
tal development and reject those that are not in harmony
with society? Biblische Hermeneutik addresses the tension
between the time-limited nature of biblical commands
and continued obligation, but gives only inner-biblical
criteria (Old Testament-New Testament, context) and the
overall purpose of Scripture. Interpretation of commands
and paraenetic passages is appropriate when it leads to a
return to baptism and a life that conforms to baptismal
reality.71
Is the interpretation of the Old Testament by the
New Testament authoritative for the church? Scriptural
and Confessional Principles discusses this question in
the context of the understanding of prophecy in the Old
Testament and answers the question affirmatively when
it rejects the view [t]hat the New Testament statements
about Old Testament texts and events do not establish
68 The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod, Women in the Church:
Scriptural Principles and Ecclesial Practice, A Report of the Commission
on Theology and Church Relations of The Lutheran ChurchMissouri
Synod (September 1985), accessed May 26, 2017, http://www.lcms.org/
Document.fdoc?src=lcm&id=316.
69 LCMS, Women in the Church, 21.
70 LCMS, Women in the Church, 2627.
71 SELK, Biblische Hermeneutik, 5.3.3.
24 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
their meaning.72
Should the New Testament writings be evaluated by
the gospel and the overall witness of the New Testament?
If this means that there are statements contradictory to
the gospel in the New Testament and that therefore the
gospel is used as canon in the canon to eliminate sub-gos-
pel passages, then this would not be in harmony with
either Scriptural and Confessional Principles or Biblische
Hermeneutik. Scriptural and Confessional Principles
explicitly rejects the position that the question of wom-
ens ordination should not be decided by Scripture as
a whole.73 When it rejects the opinion that the gospel
should be the basis of ordaining women and puts gospel
in quotes, it indicates that a gospel that is used in such a
way is in some way a distorted form of the gospel. Implied
in such a statement is the rejection to use the gospel as a
principle from which articles of faith are to be deduced.
6. Conclusion
This paper could only discuss some aspects of biblical
hermeneutics in the ILC. Using formal documents, a pic-
ture of hermeneutics in the ILC is less than complete. For
a fuller picture of hermeneutics in the ILC churches, an
investigation into how Scripture is interpreted in sermons,
pastoral care, and in the liturgical rites used is necessary.
Then the hermeneutics of the ILC churches of the global
south that do not have formal statements on hermeneu-
tics could be part of the discussion on hermeneutics.
Rev. Dr. Roland Zeigler is the Robert D. Preus associate
professor of systematic theology and confessional Lutheran
studies at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne,
Ind.
72 LCMS, Scriptural and Confessional Principles, IV, H, 36.
73 LCMS, Scriptural and Confessional Principles, 23: That the Gospel,
rather than Scripture, is the norm for appraising and judging all
doctrines and teachers (as, for example, when a decision on the
permissibility of ordaining women into the pastoral office is made on
the basis of the Gospel rather than on the teaching of Scripture as
such).

The Impact of the Lutheran
Reformation on Worship
by Andrew Pfeiffer, PhD, Australian Lutheran College
Introduction
T
he first invitation I received as a seminary
lecturer to present at a district pastors conference
was an invitation to lead three sessions on
worship. The second such invitation was to lead four
sessions on the pastoral ministry. Those conferences
remain etched in my memory as times of great challenge
and great joy. Challenge because they touched on
controverted issues causing conflict in the church. Joy
because they stand at the core of Lutheran church life.
Thank you for the invitation to present this paperit also
has offered me great challenge and great joy. After a few
brief introductory comments we will turn in the main
section to five Lutheran liturgical themes and reflect on
the current liturgical practice in our churches.
Justification in Liturgical Context
The article on justification in the Augsburg Confession
is said to be the article on which the church stands or
falls. The article does not stand in isolation, however. It
is preceded by a Trinitarian confession and then the sin-
Christ, law-gospel, bad news-good news articles. Then,
having stressed that justification is by grace through
faith, the confessors follow this with the confession that
in order to obtain such faith God instituted the office of
the ministry, the ministry of the means of grace. They
immediately define the church in liturgical terms as the
assembly of those gathered to receive the faithful preach-
ing of the gospel and the life giving sacraments. While
justification by grace through faith stands at the heart
of Lutheran teaching and ecumenical engagement, the
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
The Lutheran Reformation
refocused worship by using
the words of Scripture so that
we trust in justification in
Christ alone.
Lutheran understanding of church and ministry is a gift
that Lutherans need to continue to give to one another,
and then also offer to others in the ecumenical discussion.
Since the church is defined liturgically in Augsburg
Confession VII, one of its tasks in each generation is to
receive and pass on the Christian liturgical tradition. The
liturgy is not Lutheran, it is ecumenical.1 The liturgy is not
German, it is universal. The liturgy did not have its roots
in the sixteenth century Reformation; indeed we see the
shape or order of Christian worship already in the word
and meal pattern of Christs revelation in Luke 24 and in
the fourfold order in Acts 2:42.2
Liturgical Renovators
The Lutheran Confessions follow Luther in seeing
Lutherans as renovators, not innovators, when it comes
to the liturgical life of the church.3 That is, the task
1 When this paper uses the word liturgy, it refers in the first place to
the common Liturgy of Word and Sacrament, for example, Lutheran
Hymnal with Supplement, 6, 58. When Matins or other prayer orders are
meant, they will be noted specifically.
2See Arthur A. Just, Heaven on Earth: The Gifts of Christ in the Divine
Service (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2008), 18, 8183.
3 Martin Luther, An Order of Mass and Communion for the Church
at Wittenberg, in Luthers Works, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut T.
Lehmann (Philadelphia: Fortress and St. Louis: Concordia, 19551986),
53: 2026 (hereafter cited as LW). The problem for Luther was seeing
the liturgy turned into a work, but to use that objection to deconstruct
the liturgy is not following Luther. Luther says, It is not now nor
ever has been our intention to abolish the liturgical service of God
completely, but rather to purify the one that is now in use, (20). The
basic order that he outlines on pages 2730 is still obviously reflected
for example in all the Lutheran Church of Australia orders of Holy
Communion, Lutheran Hymnal with Supplement, 6, 58. Note also
the essay by John Stephenson, Luthers Reform of the Mass and its
25
of the church is to receive, test, and reform the litur- is hardly surprising. If justification by grace through faith
gical tradition, not to try and invent it or introduce is at the core of Lutheran teaching and if that theological
radical innovations. We see this perhaps most clearly confession is enacted primarily in the liturgical assem-
in the Augsburg Confession and the Apology of the bly, then we can expect the liturgical life of the church to
Augsburg Confession: come under significant scrutiny, and, from time to time,
Our churches are falsely accused of abolishing the to be a focus of conflict. At the same time, every gener-
Mass. In fact, the Mass is retained among us and is ation has the joy of receiving, understanding, enriching,
celebrated with the greatest reverence. Almost all the and passing on our liturgical inheritance.
customary ceremonies are retained. (AC XXIV, 1)4 Trinitarian Worship
Confession has not been abolished in our churches. The Lutheran confessions are Trinitarian confessions.
(AC XXV, 1) When accused of being sectarian, the confessors repeat-
edly reference the ecumenical creedsthe Apostles
We do not abolish the Mass but religiously retain Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.6
and defend it. Among us the The first article of the Augsburg
Mass is celebrated every Lords Confession, the Apology of the
day and on other festivals, when Augsburg Confession, and the
the Sacrament is made available To be clear, the gap Smalcald Articles are confessions
to those who wish to partake of between heaven and of the triune God. It is significant
it, after they have been examined earth is bridged by God, that the first confession in the Book
and absolved. We also keep tra- of Concord is not the Augsburg
ditional liturgical forms, such as
not us. Worship is not so
Confession, but the Apostles
the order of readings, vestments much about our ascent Creed, followed by the two other
and other similar things. (Ap to God as it is about his ecumenical creeds, the Nicene and
XXIV, 1) descent to us to serve us the Athanasian. Lutherans did not

Throughout the history of the with gifts of forgiveness, see themselves as theological inno-
life, and salvation. vators but as confessors of the faith
Lutheran church it seems that litur-
of all ages.
gical reception on the one hand and
This Trinitarian confessional
liturgical renewal on the other have
starting point for Lutherans is also
not sat well together and more than once the Lutheran
significant liturgically. Christian worship, and therefore
church has had what we from within the so-called west-
Lutheran worship, is Trinitarian. On the one hand this
ern Lutheran church sometimes call worship wars.5 This
is obvious. We gather in the triune name, with the help
of the Spirit we confess our sins to our heavenly Father
Application to Liturgical Change Today, in Congress on the Lutheran and ask for forgiveness for our sins for the sake of Christ
Confessions: Worship 2000, ed. John A. and Jennifer H. Maxfield (St.
Louis: The Luther Academy, 2010), 2023. and his death, we sing glory to the triune God, we hear
4 Unless otherwise indicated, quotations from the Book of Concord are the word of the triune God, we confess faith using the
from Robert Kolb and Timothy J. Wengert, eds., The Book of Concord: Trinitarian creeds, we pray numerous times in the liturgy
The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (Minneapolis:
Fortress, 2000). and give thanks by the power of the Holy Spirit to the
5 Joseph Herl has demonstrated that liturgical conflicts were not Father through the Son, we go out to our lives of Christian
confined to the 1970s western Lutheran liturgical tradition, but existed
vocation with the Trinitarian blessing over us.
from the beginning of Lutheran liturgical life. Joseph Herl, Worship
Wars in Early Lutheranism: Choir, Congregation, and Three Centuries of Why then are some of these things either missing in
Conflict (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004). John Kleinig notes our liturgical life or enacted poorly? Perhaps we need
that the significant liturgical contribution of Theodor Kliefoth was
forged in the context of finding himself superintendent of Schwerin and reminding of the Trinitarian foundation of Christian
working for the spiritual renewal of the province at a time of theological
and liturgical confusion in The Liturgical Heritage of Theodor
Kliefoth, in Lord Jesus Christ, Will You Not Stay, ed. J. Bart Day (St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2002), 10910. See also Naomichi Sweden: The Vitality of the Lords Supper as Confessed in He Alone is
Masaki, The Confessional Liturgical Revival of Theodor Kliefoth and Worthy (PhD diss,. Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, 2005), 28.
the Works of Liturgical Revision of the Preface in Nineteenth-century 6 See AC III, Ap III, SA I, FC Ep III, FC SD, 37.

26 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

liturgy and of its meaning when enacting the liturgy. our ascent to God as it is about his descent to us to serve
James B. Torrance explains the significance of being us with gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. Peace of
Trinitarian in worship in this way: conscience and joy of heart have their foundation in the
In worship we participate through the Spirit in the divine service, not in the human response, even though
Sons communion with the Father. We participate such a response is Spirit led, faith based, and rightly ori-
in what the Son is continuing to do for us in the ented to giving glory to the triune God.
presence of the Father and in his mission from the Another way of speaking about this distinction is
Father to the world. There is only one true priest to speak about the sacramental and sacrificial aspects
through whom and with whom we draw near to of worship. Commenting on Kliefoths contribution to
God our Father. There is only one mediator be- Lutheran liturgical distinctions, Kleinig first draws atten-
tween God and humanity. Is not the bread we break tion to Melanchthons description of this way of thinking
our sharing in the body of Christ and the cup we in the Apology XXIV, 6977, and then explains:
bless our communion in the blood of Christ? And In the sacramental side of the divine service the
because we share in the Son we share in his com- Triune God acted on the congregation and gave
munion with his Father, and we out his gifts to those assembled
do so by the power of the Holy in his presence; in the sacrificial
Spirit. side of the divine service the
The Augsburg congregation responded to Gods
It is true. We are baptised in the Confession links the giving of himself and his gifts by
name of the Father, Son and
Holy Spirit into the communi-
reception of the Holy presenting its offerings to him. It

ty which confesses faith in one
God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
and which worships the Father
through the Son in the Holy
Spirit.7
A paper written by our own
faculty builds on this thought and
notes there are two aspects of this
Trinitarian approach to worship:
Spirit to the word of God brought its Spirit-produced, God
pleasing sacrifices to God the Fa-
in Articles V and XVIII. ther in prayer and praise, confes-
It is through the word and sion and thanksgiving, the giving
the sacraments that the of gifts and the self-giving love
Holy Spirit is given. for the people of God. The sides
belong together. They co-exist in
the liturgy. Yet the sacrificial re-
action depends on the sacramen-
tal action and is empowered by it.9

Christian public worship takes place in the pres-
ence of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spir-
it; we are present in the heavenly sanctuary of the
Triune God. The Heavenly Father offers the riches
of his grace in Jesus Christ through the working of
the Holy Spirit. By the power of the Spirit we ap-
proach the Father through and with the Son. The
Spirit leads and empowers us in our response to
Gods presence and activity.8
To be clear, the gap between heaven and earth is
bridged by God, not us. Worship is not so much about
7 James B. Torrance, Worship, Community and the Triune God of Grace
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 89.
8 Faculty at Luther Campus, Worship at Luther Campus: A Declaration
and Appeal, 1995, accessed June 7, 2016, https://lca.box.net/shared/
static/kpdgbmoj6nnsc97l32md.pdf.
This sacramental/sacrificial understanding is helpful
for Lutherans as they assess their liturgical life today and
look to the future. This paper now uses that framework to
reflect on particular contributions Lutherans have made
but also the particular challenges Lutherans face in wor-
ship today, beginning with the sacramental, and then the
sacrificial. A brief section on catechesis connects the two.
9 Kleinig, Theodor Kliefoth, 11617. For an exploration of the role of
the Holy Spirit in the sacramental/sacrificial understanding of worship,
see John W. Kleinig, The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Divine
Service, Lutheran Theological Journal 44, no. 1 (2010): 20. He notes in
that article biblical insights of the sacramental/sacrificial understanding
from a study of Heb 12:2225, the confessional background to the
discussion in Ap XXIV, 7175, and the work of Torrance referenced
above, especially pages 157. He also adds the helpful pastoral note
that while these two sides can be formally distinguished, they cannot
be separated or reduced to a chronological sequence of a divine
action followed by a human response. They can at times coincide and
combine, as Melanchthon notes, in a single enactment with a twofold
effect (Ap XXIV, 75), 20.

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod 27

Lutheran Liturgical Themes for Reflection
WorshipDivine Service as the Enactment of Theology
For Lutherans, worship is the enactment of theology.
For example, we confess the catechetical understanding of
baptism in Luthers catechisms, but the call to sacramen-
tal faithfulness is not finished with that clear confession.
People are actually prepared for baptism, baptised, and
taught to live daily in their baptism. Likewise, it is neces-
sary to have a clear understanding of absolution grounded
in John 20:2123 and taught in the Confessions (AC
XXV, 1), but it is equally necessary to teach people the
difference between real guilt and human anxiety, how to
respond to a guilty conscience with confession of sin, and,
from the pastors point of view, how to actually absolve
the penitent. The liturgical response to the penitent is not
the Australian mantra, Shell be right mate, but, I for-
give you all your sins.
Luther taught people the reality of enacted theology
by distinguishing between forgiveness won and forgive-
ness given:
So that our readers may the better perceive our
teaching I shall clearly and broadly describe it. We
treat of the forgiveness of sins in two ways. First,
how it is achieved and won. Second, how it is dis-
tributed and given to us. Christ has achieved it
on the cross, it is true. But he has not distributed
or given it on the cross. He has not won it in the
supper or sacrament. There he has distributed and
given it through the Word, as also in the gospel,
where it is preached. He has won it once for all on
the cross. But the distribution takes place continu-
ously, before and after, from the beginning to the
end of the world.10
Again, our own faculty highlight the necessity of
seeing worship primarily as divine service:
The heart of worship is Gods own service to Gods
people. Worship is always divine service, because
in worship God serves us. Divine service is God at
work, giving to us as he forgives, renews, sanctifies,
blesses, empowers, and equips us for service. What
God requires of us before all else is a listening ear,
receiving hands, and a believing heart. In worship
we hungry beggars come to be filled.11
Arthur A. Just reminds us that the liturgy is the
10 Against the Heavenly Prophets, LW 40: 21314.
11 Faculty at Luther Campus, Worship at Luther Campus.
28 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
context in which God acts to save his people and in which
Gods people respond.12 Paul Grime notes the connec-
tion between right worship and true faith when he writes,
The Divine Service is first and foremost about God. He is
the author of our salvation: hence, any worship that does
not begin and end with God runs the risk of being false.13
We might ask then, what else could the divine service be
about?
Joseph Herl has noted that the influence of rational-
ism in the eighteenth century led to calls for new liturgies
or even total abandonment of the inherited liturgy. It
is revealing to read what some of the objections were.
Herl says that Johann Rau, for example, noted the most
important abuses as
The too frequent use of the Lords Prayer, the mak-
ing of the sign of the cross, the Aaronic benedic-
tion, chanting by the pastor, the use of candles on
the altar, private confession, the use of the appointed
lectionary texts for sermons.14
He also notes that Peter Burdorf, writing in 1795,
argued this way:
repetition in the liturgy weakened the attention of
the listener the sermon would be more tol-
erable if hymn verses were interspersed during it
return to the communion observance as Jesus
celebrated it, without ceremony, consecration, or
singing of the Words of Institution some liturgy
was necessary for public services to be held, but it
should be as simple as possible in order to meet the
needs of contemporary Christians.15
Is it any wonder that the liturgies that emerged were
said to reflect sentimentality and moralism?16
Different theological and cultural emphases do
influence churches and their leaders and there is some-
times pressure for the sacrificial aspect of worship to take
12 Just, Heaven on Earth, 23.
13Paul J. Grime, The Theology and Structure of the Divine Service, in
Christs Gifts in Liturgy: The Theology and Music of the Divine Service,
ed. Daniel Zager (Fort Wayne: Concordia Theological Seminary Press,
2002), 1213.
14 Herl, Worship Wars, 128.
15 Herl, Worship Wars, 128.
16Herl, Worship Wars, 128, noting the opinion of Luther Reed. It is also
possible to try and reorient the focus of the liturgy around the collective
emotional state of the people gathered. This is not just a case of the
sacrificial element of worship overtaking the sacramental. It divorces
the sacrificial from the sacramental because the sacrificial aspect is no
longer a response to the sacramental, but possibly even a contrived
response.
precedence in the liturgy. The place we in Australia most
experience this in practice is probably at a funeral, where
there seems to be little time constraint on the obituary and
other tributes to the departed, and yet the Bible readings
may be reduced and the preacher is under considerable
pressure to keep the sermon short. Yet the divine action
comes primarily in that liturgy through the reminder of
baptism, the readings, the sermon, and the word-based
prayers.
The use of the church year goes a long way to ensuring
that the liturgy is the context for Gods action. The lection-
ary insists on focusing on Christ and his death for the sin
of the world, and then on the life of Christ in the church.
The worlds issues find their place in cries for mercy,
focused law-gospel sermons, prayers, and offerings.
Some pastors, especially in the United States and
Australia, are under cultural, and sometimes even eccle-
sial, pressure to be entertainers. The daily news service,
late night talk shows, and the contemporary arts tend in
the direction of entertainment rather than serious engage-
ment with content. Good liturgical leadership grows as
pastors and pastoral candidates grow in confidence in
what God wants to do in worship and how he wants to do
it. Such leadership doesnt need to lack emotional heart or
bore people to sleep, but it will start with a conviction that
the prime leadership task is to ensure the service is first
and foremost divine service.
Table Discussion
Gods action and the response of the faithful both need
attention in our liturgical practice. Think of your own
churchs liturgical practice. How would you evaluate in
these areas: following the church year, preaching lec-
tionary readings, singing Psalms, praying the Kyrie,
responding to the cultural pressure to entertain?
The Empowering Word
One of Luthers main concerns in the early days of the
Reformation was to re-invigorate evangelical preach-
ing. When he names the problems that have crept into
the liturgy, he says the worst is that Gods word has been
silenced. The second problem follows closelyother
topics or un-Christian fables becomes the focus of
sermons.17 The Lutheran Confessions contrast the pas-
toral approach of Lutheran preachers with what is being
preached from other pulpits:
17 Concerning the Order of Public Worship, LW 53: 11.
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
Among the opponents there are many regions
where no sermons are delivered during the entire
year except during Lent. And yet the chief wor-
ship of God is to preach the Gospel. And when
the opponents do preach, they talk about human
traditions, about devotion to the saints and simi-
lar trifles On the contrary, in our churches all
the sermons deal with topics like these: repentance,
fear of God, faith in Christ, the righteousness of
faith, consolation of consciences through faith, the
exercise of faith, prayer the cross, respect for the
magistrates and civil order, the distinction between
the kingdom of Christ and political affairs, mar-
riage, the education and instruction of children,
chastity and all the works of love. (Ap XV, 4244)
There already we Lutherans hear a challenge for today.
Can we be as confident today about what people will
hear from the pulpit as Melanchthon was in 1531? The
Lutheran Confessions teach that the true adornment of
the church is godly, useful and clear doctrine, the devout
use of the sacraments, ardent prayer, and the like . . . the
centre of worship [is] the proclamation of the gospel,
faith, and its struggles (Ap XXIV, 51). The gospel, faith,
and its strugglesnote the pastoral concern. The gospel
is to be preached in such a way that it addresses peoples
struggles as they seek to live as children of God in their
daily lives.
It is just at this point that we face at least two chal-
lenges in contemporary preaching. The first is to teach
preachers to choose a text from the lectionary, invest time
to find out what it means, and then under the Spirits guid-
ance, meditate on the way in which that text speaks into
the faith and life issues of the people gathered. Preaching
begins with the word and not the world, but evangelical
preachers always have the world in mind, because the
world is both the location of much temptation and trial,
and also the daily exercise of faith.
The second challenge is that sermons sometimes go
astray precisely when it comes to preaching both law and
gospel. Sermons that try and diminish the preaching of
the law, or preach it so softly it is hardly heard, do not
serve people well because they do not help people see
their need for salvation and Christ. The law is a mirror
held up to the society, to the church, to individuals, in
order to reveal reality. Left to our own devices of spiritual
understanding and love and faith, we are lost. There is no
need for a gospel of salvation if no one is lost.
29
 On the other hand some sermons diagnose sin sick-
ness well but then fail to preach the gospel of grace. One
reason we sometimes resonate with a whole variety of
preachers from different denominational backgrounds
is because they too have diagnosed sin-sickness quite
accurately. But then comes the question, What now?
When the reality of how we stand before God as sinners
has been diagnosed and named, now what? Too often the
response is one or another form of obedience preaching.
Try harder in the faith, pray more fervently, give more
generously, follow Christ more perfectly. Who is doing
the work here?
Faithful living, love and generosity are fruits of the
work of God, so God needs to go to work in the sermon.
And God goes to work through the clear proclamation of
the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. What the guilty
need to hear is not pull your spiritual socks up, but God
forgives, God restores, God welcomes, God hears prayer,
God blesses the poor in spirit, God gives gifts to the spir-
itually needy, God is true to the promises he makes in his
word to the baptised and those who look to him in faith.
The challenge is to find that promise and action of God in
each text, and if it is not there in the specific reading, then
it is there in the context.
The sermon is not the only place the word of God is
used in Lutheran worship, however. In the basic common
order of the Lutheran Church of Australia, the whole lit-
urgy is basically the word of God enacted. For example,
the confession of sins uses Hebrews 10:22, Psalm 124:8,
and Psalm 32:5 to give penitents the words they need.
Various Scriptural passages are recognisable in our litur-
gical Glorias (Luke 2:14; 1 Tim 1:17; Rom 11:3336; 16:27; Rev
5:1213). The Kyrie echoes common biblical cries for
mercy (Matt 9:27; 17:15; 20:3031; Mark 10:4748). The pref-
ace and thanksgiving prayers are prayed Scripture (for
example Ps 25:1; 86:114; Isa 6:19; Rev 4:8). The Sanctus
(Rev 4:8), the Agnus Dei (Rev 5:11), and the Blessing (Num
6:2426) are examples of Scripture used liturgically to
enact theology.18
This is a significant issue in times when people have
a genuine concern to see the Holy Spirit at work in the
18 See also Just, Heaven on Earth, 23840. Just concludes that the
ordinaries of the liturgythe Kyrie, Gloria in Excelsis, Hymn of
the Day, Creed, Sanctus, and Angus Deiare biblical and reflect a
community shaped and formed by Christ through Scripture. Gnther
Stiller also praises the liturgical functioning of the Bach cantatas
because of their grounding in Scripture in Johann Sebastian Bach and
the Liturgical Life in Leipzig (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House,
1970), 157.
30 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
life of the church. The Augsburg Confession links the
reception of the Holy Spirit to the word of God in Articles
V and XVIII. It is through the word and the sacraments
that the Holy Spirit is given. Kleinig draws the liturgical
conclusion:
How then can we be sure that the Spirit is at work
in our worship? We can be certain of the Spirits in-
spiration and operation when Gods word is faith-
fully used as the means of the Spirit. This may be
why all the classical ecumenical orders of service
consist almost entirely of scriptural material. We
absolve and bless with the word; we preach and
meditate with the word; we baptise and perform
the Eucharist with the word; we pray and praise
with the word; we offer ourselves and our gifts with
the word. Through the right enactment of Gods
word we participate in the descending and ascend-
ing operation of the triune God in the assembly, the
work by which the Spirit not only brings God the
Father to us through his Son but also brings us to
God the Father together with his Son. Whatever is
done with the word and by faith in the word is done
with the Spirit.19
Through the use and reception of the word of God in
the liturgy, we can have confidence in the reception and
work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The centrality of the
word in a Lutheran view of worship is not only a formal
theological pillar, it has an inherently pastoral goal.
Through the word and the presence of the Holy Spirit,
people are forgiven, healed, restored, and empowered for
the service that lies ahead of them.
Lutheran churches are sometimes called to respond
to Pentecostal challenges that members need to be filled
with the Holy Spirit. When the word of God is at work
in the liturgy, in the readings, in the sermon, as the basis
for prayer, and as actual texts for canticles and blessings,
then the whole service is designed so that people weekly
receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit through the word of
God. The first main focus in the liturgy is to bring forgive-
ness and peace and healing in order to give people good
and cleansed consciences. Another emphasis is to enact
the teaching that the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens,
and sanctifies the church through the means of grace, the
means of the Holy Spirit. These are theological and pasto-
ral reasons for the extravagant use of the word of God in
the divine service.
19 Kleinig, Holy Spirit, 24.
 The challenge for us today is twofold. How are we
using the word liturgically? Is our preaching a clear proc-
lamation of law and gospel with God as the chief actor for
salvation and life?
The Lords SupperFor You
It is striking to return to the Augsburg Confession and see
how short the article on the Lords Supper is. What is more
striking is to see how short the article is in the Apology.
After noting that the Roman Confutation approved the
Tenth Article, there are just two paragraphs which mainly
focus on how the Lutheran understanding is affirmed by
the Roman church and also the Greek church (Ap X). The
opening to the Smalcald Articles on the Lords Supper
is almost the same as the Augsburg Confession. Luther
does address communion in both kinds and what he calls
the sophistry of transubstantiation, but the article is still
modest in length. Luther shows us his own approach in
the catechisms that bear his name. He says, We must
speak about the second sacrament . . . under three head-
ings, stating what it is, what its benefits are, and who is to
receive it (LC V, 1).
Why do I note this? One of the main impacts of our
sacramental theology on our liturgical life is that since we
are convinced
that our confession with respect to the Lords Supper
is biblical,
that we administer the Lords Supper faithfully, and
that Gods gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation are
freely given.
We need to do all we humanly can to ensure that
people receive those gifts for their blessing.
Joseph Herls studies of various sources come to the
conclusion that one of the main issues in Luthers day with
respect to the Lords Supper was limited participation on
the part of the laity. Many of the faithful only communed
at Easter or four times a year at high festivals. This wasnt
necessarily because they lacked faith, but because the
priest offered the mass on behalf of the church, therefore
communion by all present was not necessary.20 The lack
of regular attendance had a theological cause.
Likewise, increased regular attendance at the Lords
table also has a theological causerecognition of our
own need and trust in the divine gifts offered. Lutheran
teaching on the Lords Supper is essentially pastoral. The
main focus is that troubled consciences are forgiven and
20 Herl, Worship Wars, 26.
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
healed. Luthers emphasis when considering who the sac-
rament is for starts with simple trust in the word of God
and the promises of God. The best preparation is a
soul troubled by sins, death, and temptation and hun-
gering and thirsting for healing and strength.21 Or, as
we know it from the Small Catechism, a person who has
faith in these words, given for you and shed for you for
the forgiveness of sins, is really worthy and well prepared
(SC VI, 910). And, we can conclude, such a person is to
come and regularly receive the gifts God offers.
Recognition of spiritual need comes through trial,
temptation, and listening to the word, and so the liturgy
of the Lords Supper does not stand on its own but fol-
lows the liturgy of the word.22 Sometimes it is not a lack
of intellectual understanding about the sacrament that
prevents people from attending regularly, but a lack of
understanding about their own spiritual need. It is a first
commandment issue.
We learn at least two things from Luther at this point.
As far as the liturgy is concerned he proposes walking
between imposing universal laws and customs on the
one hand, and ordaining and establishing nothing on
the other hand, which can result in as many factions as
there are opinions.23 In Luthers opinion, the word and the
Supper had suffered in the hands of the Enthusiasts and
the Romanists.24 A conservatively renovated evangelical
liturgy, which bore a strong resemblance to the one he
had received, ensured the word and sacrament were faith-
fully given to the faithful, and were not at the whim of any
one priest or pastor who for one reason or another did
not understand the deep connection between theology
and pastoral practice.
The second thing we learn is the need for patient cat-
echesis. The starting point for Luther when he observed
the poor spiritual state of the church was not liturgical
imposition, but biblical, theological, and liturgical cat-
echesis (SC Preface, 724). This happened among other
things by ensuring as much as possible that the liturgy
enacted the gospel and so served to catechise people every
time they attended. This was accompanied by teaching
people a deeper understanding of the liturgy and the sac-
rament, which led to a deeper hunger for more regular
participation.
21 Order of Mass and Communion, LW 53: 34.
22 Just, Heaven on Earth, 211.
23
A Christian Exhortation to the Livonians Concerning Public
Worship and Concord, LW 53: 46.
24 A Christian Exhortation, LW 53: 1920.
31
 It should not surprise us though that Luthers patience
did have its limits. While he suggests careful instruction
in moving people from communion in one kind to recep-
tion of both kinds, he says at one point that two years is
enough. If after two years they are not eager to receive in
both kinds, they probably never will be. There is pastoral
common sense here for us. Be careful of radical inno-
vation even when it is a return to a better liturgical or
pastoral practice. Teach, teach, teach. But at some point
the liturgical change may need to be made for the sake of
the best delivery and reception of Gods gifts for hungry
souls.
Catechesis
I have a firm conviction that Luthers Small Catechism
is an excellent resource to teach the Christian faith into
any cross-cultural context.25 The Small Catechism is pri-
marily Scripture and scriptural teaching ordered in such
a way that
we are faced with our own need for salvation (Ten
Commandments),
we hear who God is and what God has done for us
(Creed),
we learn how to ask God for all kinds of gifts (Lords
Prayer),
we see how God gives us the Holy Spirit and all
manner of good gifts (Holy Baptism, Absolution,
Lords Supper), and
we discover what daily Christian living looks like
(daily prayers and the walks of life where we practice
faith in love).
The Small Catechism is also an excellent resource to
teach the liturgy. Just as the link between Scripture and
the catechism is integral in teaching the faith, so it is pos-
sible to integrate a teaching of the liturgy in any teaching
of the catechism. Even a cursory look at the list above
reveals the opportunities that arise to teach the invoca-
tion, confession and absolution, the liturgy of the word,
offerings and prayers, the liturgy of the Lords Supper, and
blessings for daily living.26
As Luther demonstrated, it is impossible to talk about
the basic content of the faith without drawing out the
liturgical implication that
25 Andrew Pfeiffer, Faith into Context, (lecture, Luther 500
Conference, Melbourne, Vic, June 2016).
26 See also John T. Pless, Ceremonies for Seekers: Catechesis as a
Fundamental Criterion for Worship in the Lutheran Confessions, in
Congress on the Lutheran Confessions: Worship 2000, ed. John A. and
Jennifer H. Maxfield (St. Louis: The Luther Academy, 2010), 2943.
32 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
People no longer want to receive the sacrament and
they treat it with contempt. This too needs to be
stressed, while keeping in mind that we should not
compel anyone to believe or to receive the sacra-
ment instead we should preach in such a way
that the people make themselves come without our
law and just plain compel us pastors to administer
the sacrament to them those who do not hold
the sacrament in high esteem indicate that they
have no sin, no flesh, no devil, no world, no death,
no dangers, no hell. That is, they believe they have
none of these things although they are up to their
neck in them On the other hand, they indicate
that they need no grace, no life, no paradise, no
heaven, no Christ, no God, nor any good thing
Emphasize clearly the benefit and the harm, the
need and the blessing, the danger and the salvation
in this sacrament. Then they will doubtless come
on their own without any compulsion. (SC Preface,
35051)
Lutherans face two challenges here as we look to the
future. The first is to keep or regain confidence in the
word of God to do the work of God. The second is to
introduce people to the Christian faith in such a way that
theology and its enactment in the liturgy are seamlessly
integrated.
We now turn to the impact of Lutheranism on two of
the sacrificial aspects of the liturgyprayer and congre-
gational song.
Prayer, Christ, and the Word of God
Lutheran teaching impacted congregational prayer for
much the same reason that it impacted a range of liturgical
practices in the church. Attendance at mass, participating
in private confession, and remembering saints days were
not taught so much as works of the faithful, but as gifts of
God, each in their own way, nurturing and encouraging
faith and faithful living. Likewise with prayer.
The first Lutherans took great pains to distinguish
prayer as a God-pleasing work of a justified per-
son from prayer as a good work that earned Gods
approval. They emphasized three things. First,
Christian prayer depends on Gods commands and
promises rather than the performance of the per-
son, for by his Word God gives access to His grace.
The power of prayer therefore comes from Gods
Spirit-filled Word. Second, prayer is an act of faith
 by which a believer receives a good conscience be-
fore God and all His promised gifts. Third, Christ
encourages and helps His disciples to pray by giv-
ing them the Lords Prayer.27
When the invocation of saints is discussed in the
Apology, the key themes are the merits of Christ as the
basis on which Christians come to their heavenly Father,
and the commands and promises of the word of God
(Ap XXI, 17). The word of God reveals a merciful God
in Christ, and that this same Jesus Christ leads us in our
prayers and even gives the church the words to speak as
he gives his own prayer (John 16:23; 17:2026; Luke 11:14).
The word commands the church to pray but also to be
confident in prayer, knowing that prayers are heard on
account of Christ and answered by a gracious God (Matt
11:28; Luke 11:513).28
The Reformations renewed confidence in the all suf-
ficiency of the word of God meant that prayer too was to
arise from the word of God. This was especially signifi-
cant for Luthers understanding of the Lords Prayer, and
prayer in general, as Wengert notes:
The God who commanded Luther to pray, prom-
ised to answer, and gave him the words to pray,
is the very God who redeemed him with his holy
and precious blood The only weapon the Chris-
tian has to wield against Satan is prayer alone, a
sola worth adding to Reformation stain glass win-
dowsbut understood now not as mere howling or
magic but as arising out of Gods Word and human
need and thus in line with the little word (Wortle-
in) of A Mighty Fortress.29
In the Large Catechism, Luther teaches that God does
not respond to prayer because of the merits or status of
the person praying, but because people take God at his
word and trust in his promises (LC III, 16). This is not
innovative. Jesus teaching about the Pharisee and the tax
collector makes the same point (Luke 18:914). The tax col-
lectors prayer grows out of spiritual reality. I am a sinner
27 John W. Kleinig, Lutheran Spirituality: Life as Gods Child (St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 2010), 71.
28 Here again, we see the close connection between the word and the
gift of the Holy Spirit. Kleinig concludes, As the church hears Gods
word and receives Christs body and blood, it prays for the Spirit and
receives the Spirit, just as Christ promised in Luke 11:13. Kleinig,
Holy Spirit, 20.
29Timothy J. Wengert, ed., The Pastoral Luther: Essays on Martin
Luthers Practical Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009), 197.
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
and God is a God of mercy, so the prayer prayed in accord
with that reality is, God have mercy on me, a sinner.
The cry for mercy in the liturgy, the Kyrie, as we call it,
which echoes the cry of blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:4652),
is a significant aspect of the sacrificial part of the liturgy.
Luther retains the Kyrie in his revised liturgy.30 It is the
churchs call to God for mercy upon itself, and also upon
the world. The church stands with Christ before the heav-
enly Father and prays for the troubled world. If anything,
in our troubled times, the Kyrie ought to be expanded in
contemporary liturgies, not omitted as it sometimes is.
The Kyrie enacts the theology of the cross in prayer, as we
stand before a merciful God living by faith alone and not
by sight.
The Collects are obvious examples of prayer being
shaped by the word of God for the day, and the struc-
ture of the collect can also serve as a basis for personal
spirituality:
address to God
biblical basis of the prayer
actual request
future intention
Trinitarian conclusion
What is less obvious is the way in which most gen-
eral prayers are constructed. The General Prayer in
the Lutheran Church of Australia common order is an
example of praying the Scriptures and scriptural echoes
abound.31 The church prays for the mission of the church
and for mercy on those who oppose it (Matt 24:914;
28:1820; Luke 10:2; Luke 8:58; 2 Tim 4:2), for justice and
wisdom for political leaders (1 Tim 2:12; Matt 22:21), for
protection, blessing and comfort (Matt 11:2830; Heb
13:2021; 2 Cor 1:34), for those who gather at the Lords
table (1 Cor 10:1617), and for true faith and a godly life
as we prepare for the world to come (Luke 17:5; 18:8; 23:43;
Eph 2:10). While this is not a specifically Lutheran impact
on worship, because of the centrality of Christ and his
word in Lutheran theology, the Lutheran church needs to
ensure its liturgical life is a good example of this depth
and breadth in congregational prayer, especially at a time
when it is tempting to become limited in vision and even
self-obsessed in prayer.
We need to make brief mention of Luthers pastoral
advice to his barber, Master Peter, who asked Luther to
30 Order of Mass and Communion, LW 53: 23.
31Lutheran Church of Australia, Lutheran Hymnal with Supplement
(Adelaide: Lutheran Publishing House, 1989), 1314.
33
teach him how to pray.32 Nearly a third of the catechism
is direct quotation of Scripture, and where it is explana-
tion of teaching, as in the section on Holy Baptism and
the Lords Supper, the question is always asked, what word
of God is the sedes doctrinae, the source of the teaching.
Master Peter is directed to meditation on the word with
the help of the Holy Spirit. When you pray, Luther says,
first take one commandment and ask what it teaches.
Only then does he move to actual prayerfor what can I
give thanks, what do I need to confess, and what request
will I make of God.33 This so-called four garland pas-
toral advice not only remains an excellent illustration of,
and model for, Lutheran spirituality, but it also explains
why Luther can say he can never exhaust the catechism.
Congregational Song
It is no accident that this paper has not addressed the
issue of music in depth. It is a topic that demands a paper
all of its own.34 Robin Leaver draws attention to a draft
outline Luther developed as the basis for a future trea-
tise on the subject of music. For now it is enough to note
Luthers main points:
Music is a gift of God
Music creates joyful hearts
Music drives away the devil
Music creates innocent delight
Music reigns in times of peace
Leaver offers a helpful commentary on each one.35
Luthers pastoral advice in his letters of spiritual counsel
sometimes direct people to music for spiritual consola-
tion in times of depression and anxiety.36
Luthers liturgical concern in the early days of the
Reformation was to involve the people of God more in
singing liturgy and hymnody. According to Herl, the
issue for Luther was giving song back to the congregation
because the choir had taken the primary responsibility for
singing in the liturgy.37 Leaver highlights how Luther used
32 A Simple Way to Pray, LW 43: 193211.
33 A Simple Way to Pray, LW 43: 200.
34Readers are directed to the work of Robin Leaver in this connection,
especially Luthers Liturgical Music: Principles and Implications (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007).
35 Leaver, Luthers Liturgical Music, 8697.
36 Martin Luther, Luthers Letters of Spiritual Counsel, ed. Theodore
Tappert (Vancouver, BC: Regent College, 2003). See for example,
Letter to Joachim of Anhalt, 1534, 94, and Letter to Matthias Weller,
1534, 97.
37 Herl, Worship Wars, 34.
34 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
music as part of his catechetical pedagogy.38 Even though
the Italian renaissance style of more individualistic per-
formance made its way to Germany, Stillers judgement is
that German Lutheranism did not know of the distinction
between church style and theatrical style.39
The issue today is usually slightly different, in our
context, anyway. There is still often a need to teach a
congregation to sing, but it is more because the western
entertainment culture has taught people to be observers
rather than participants. Another issue is sometimes the
need to give the song back to the congregation because
the music group or worship leaders have assumed it as
their responsibility. In fact, the two things are linked in
the Australian context. In some instances the band may
lead well and encourage congregational song, but the
congregation is so used to being observers in the broader
culture that, without catechesis and encouragement, they
will assume that stance in worship too.
In time, music was thought of by Luther and in
later Lutheranism as the viva voce evangelii, the living
voice of the gospel.40 It is a question for us whether that
understanding still remains. How many churches for
example would still insist that school principals must
know how to sing and candidates for ordination must
have studied music.41
A final point of interest, which is significant when we
think of liturgical growth in the mission field, is to dis-
tinguish the words of the liturgy from the musical setting
of the liturgy. The Lutheran Confessions teach us to iden-
tify the status controversiae when discussing conflicted
issues. Many worship discussions and so-called worship
wars fail to progress very much because they dont distin-
guish text and music in liturgical discussion. Three new
contemporary musical settings of the liturgy were gener-
ated in our own church when musicians were asked to use
the wording of two common Holy Communion orders as
closely as possible and write a new musical setting. Many
complete settings were submitted and three complete
settings were chosen.42 In recent years a new setting has
also been released by the Commission of Worship titled
Five Songs of Faith. I dont mention this to necessarily
38 Leaver, Luthers Liturgical Music, 10761.
39 Stiller, Johann Sebastian Bach, 14243.
40 Stiller, Johann Sebastian Bach, 267.
41 See Leaver, Luthers Liturgical Music, 277, quoting Tischreden, 292.
42These were released under the title Sing the Feast and are available in
musical score and CD. http://www.lca.org.au/departments/commissions/
commission-worship/order-resources.
suggest any other Lutheran church use them, although
you are welcome to, but to illustrate possible outcomes
when the text of the liturgy and the music of the liturgy
are distinguished. These contemporary settings illustrate
that all musicians grapple with the integration of words
and appropriate musical setting, but they are an attempt
to practice Luthers encouragement for congregations
to be participants, not observers, in the liturgical life
of the church.

Summary
The impact of Lutheranism on worship is an interesting
topic. We recognise that worship in general, and the lit-
urgy of the Lords Supper specifically, is not a Lutheran
invention. There is an ecumenical perspective in all litur-
gical studies and conversations that needs to be kept
firmly in view. Where confessional integrity leads us or
perhaps even constrains us, it does so by urging us to be
what I have called renovators, not innovators. Liturgy in
Lutheran churches ought to be recognised as at least a
cousin, if not a sibling, of liturgy in Catholic, Orthodox,
and Anglican churches.
So what is the impact of Lutheranism? In the examples
I have given both from the sacramental and the sacrificial
aspects of worship, the impact relates to two main things.
Justification by grace through faith in Christ means
that standing in and with Christ gives us confidence
in worship, both in terms of divine service, and in the
response of faith. Secondly, when Lutheran liturgical life
is grounded in the actual commands and promises of the
word of God, and even uses the actual words of Scripture
for absolution, prayer, and praise, those who gather gain
confidence that the forgiveness won on the cross is offered
and received by faith in the liturgical assembly.

Rev. Dr. Andrew Pfeiffer is head of the school of Pastoral

Theology at Austrailian Lutheran College.

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod 35


Response to Andrew Pfeiffer:
The Impact of the Lutheran
Reformation on Worship
the German Perspective
by Armin Wenz
I
n his lecture on Genesis, Luther says that all
reformation is in vain unless doctrine is purified first.
Only if the church has certainty concerning the true
God-given doctrine will she be ready for the reformation
of her order and her liturgical life according to Gods
word.1 This is how the reformer comments on the passage
in Genesis 35 where God commands Jacob to go to
Bethel in order to build an altar for him. Jacob responds
by admonishing the members of his household to throw
away their idols, to purify themselves, and to put on new
clothes. Thus, it is the divine command and institution of
the true worship that causes Jacob, in Luthers words, to
reform doctrine first and then the liturgy or church order.
The reformation of doctrine consists in the unaltered
passing on of the divine command. The reformation
of the liturgy consists in repentance from idolatry and
the concrete implementation of the divine command in
1 Alle Reformation oder Besserung, so vorgenommen werden mag,
ist vergeblich, wo nicht erst die Lehre gereinigt wird. Denn siehe an
die Thorheit des Pabstes und aller nachfolgenden Concilien, welche
zu allererst etliche uerliche Ceremonien verordnen, als, da sie den
Priestern gebieten, lange Kleider zu tragen, ihre sieben Zeiten und
Messe fleiig zu lesen, verbieten ihnen, zu spielen und Hurerei zu
treiben. Dasselbe heien sie eine Reformation der Kirche. . . . Denn
die Bischfe und Cardinle sind grobe ungeschickte Leute, die keine
Gedanken haben auf das Wort und auf die Lehre, verstehen es auch
nicht und fragen gar nichts darnach. Derhalben soll man sich
vor allen Dingen befleiigen, da wir die rechte und gewisse Lehre
von Gott haben mgen. Da mag man dann eine rechte Reformation
und Kirchenordnung anrichten, (Johann Georg Walch, Luthers
Works, Volume 2, II, 910). See also 91415: Das ist nun eine schne
Reformation, da man erstlich die Lehre reformirt und reinigt; darnach
werden auch die Snden ausgefegt Zuletzt geschieht auch eine
Ermahnung, da sich das Volk und die Priester im Tempel fein ehrlich
kleiden sollen.; Also: Die aber die ueren Zeremonien verachten, Altar Gottes: Festschrift fr Propst em. Hans-Heinrich Salzmann, ed.
zeigen damit an, da sie nichts glauben und da sie Gott und seine
Kirche verachten.
36 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
The catechisms are useful tools
to teach that doctrinal and
liturgical formulations are
intertwined; the Scriptures
effect what they promise in
the confession of the Church
gathered in worship.
liturgical practice and prayer.2
This brings us to a specific understanding of the rela-
tionship between the lex credendi and the lex orandi. In
the preface of the Selbstndige Evangelisch-Lutherischen
Kirche (SELK) agenda, we read: According to an early
church principle, the order of prayer determines the
order of doctrine (lex supplicandi statuat legem credendi)
and vice versa. Everything in this agenda claims to be
in accordance with the churchs confession. Therefore, it
is mandatory for the divine service of the Independent
Evangelical-Lutheran Church.3
2 See Armin Wenz, Die Begrndung des Kirchenrechts (lex orandi und
lex credendi), Lutherische Beitrge 13 (2008): 176, So kommentiert
D. Martin Luther in seiner Genesisvorlesung eine Stelle, in der davon
berichtet wird, wie Gott dem Erzvater Jakob befiehlt, nach Bethel zu
ziehen, um dort einen Altar fr ihn zu bauen (Gen 35). Jakob antwortet
auf diesen Befehl, indem er die Seinen dazu aufruft, die fremden
Gtter abzulegen, sich zu reinigen und die Kleider zu wechseln. Es ist
also die gttliche Einsetzung des Gottesdienstes, die Jakob, in Luthers
Worten, dazu bewegt, zuerst die Lehre und dann auch die Ordnung zu
reformieren. Die Reformation der Lehre besteht aus der unverkrzten
Weitergabe des gttlichen Befehls. Die Reformation des Gottesdienstes
besteht aus der Umkehr von Abgtterei und aus der Umsetzung des
gttlichen Befehls ins Tun und Beten. Beides vollzieht Jakob vorbildlich
als bischflicher Visitator der ihm anvertrauten Seelen.
3 Nach altkirchlichem Grundsatz bestimmt die Ordnung des Betens
auch die Ordnung der Lehre: lex supplicandi statuat legem credendi
und das gilt umgekehrt genauso. Alles in dieser Agende will dem
Bekenntnis der Kirche gem sein. Darum ist sie auch verbindlich fr
den Gottesdienst der Selbstndigen Evangelisch-Lutherischen Kirche.
See Hermann Sasse, Liturgie und Bekenntnis, Lutherische Bltter
11, no. 62 (1959): 93, Die Liturgie bestimmt die Lehre nur, wenn die
Lehre die Liturgie bestimmt. For an English translation of this essay see
Hermann Sasse, The Lonely Way: Selected Essays and LettersVolume
II (1941-1976) trans. Matthew C. Harrison, et al. (St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 2001), 301.
See Leif Norrgrd, Liturgische Theologie, in Ich will hintreten zum
Johannes Junker and Michael Salzmann (Neuendettelsau: Freimund,
2003), 13954.
 Andrew Pfeiffer has shown how this principle is Doctrinal and liturgical formation are thus inseparably
applied in the Lutheran Reformation when the whole intertwined. This is the reason why the reformers not only
liturgical and catechetical life of the church, that is, both scrutinize their opponents doctrine of justification, but
doctrine and worship, is bound to and founded upon also include the liturgical practice and church order into
Christs institutions. These institutions comprise both their criticism. Justification is applied as a critical norm
commandments and promises and thus they aim at of all doctrine and practice of the church only in con-
both the churchs obedience in relation to Christ as her nection with and as biblical exposition of the Trinitarian
head and the believers trust in Christ as their Savior and and christological dogma of the church catholic, and at
Shepherd. Thus the Lutheran Reformation presupposes the same time in connection with the very implementa-
not a dichotomy, but an indissoluble unity of doctrine and tion of the divine institutions in the liturgy of the church.
worship, theology and liturgy, as indispensable aspects Thus when Heinrich Bornkamm says that the Augsburg
of the very essence of the church. The fundamental Confession does not establish a church that is teaching
dichotomy in reformation theology is not the modern according to the Scriptures, but that the Confession tes-
distinction between theory and practice, but the biblical tifies to the very existence of such a church,7 this includes
distinction between true and false doctrine, true and the aspect that the Confession does not constitute a
false worship. new way of celebrating the liturgy,
This is also in accordance with but testifies to the existence of a
the Augsburg Confession, which church that is living her liturgical
expounds the doctrine of justifi- The fundamental life according to the Scriptures.
cation as not only including the dichotomy in reformation The way the Confessions discuss
Trinitarian, anthropological, and theology is not the liturgical aspects, therefore, is
christological foundation of this modern distinction more descriptive than prescriptive.
chief article of faith, but also as Thus the partners and opponents
including the liturgical execution or
between theory and in dialogue are enabled to com-
distribution of justification which, practice, but the biblical pare the way they worship with the
according to AC V, takes place in distinction between true worship life in the parishes of the
the proclamation of the gospel and false doctrine, true Reformation.
and in the administration of the and false worship. Problems and conflicts nec-
sacraments through the divinely essarily arise whenever doctrine
ordained office of the ministry. The or worship is detached from the
churchs confession of justification divine institutions found in the
thus takes the form of such a concept of faith and wor- Holy Scriptures and from the criteriological event of jus-
ship that is inseparably connected to specific liturgical tification. This happens whenever doctrine or worship
forms.4 Gerhard Scheidhauer, with his groundbreaking is designed in order to meet human purposes that are
work on the ius liturgicum, has shown that the Lutheran foreign to the Scriptures and go beyond the question of
Confessions put forth not only doctrinal principles5 how the holy God and the sinful human being can have
(dogmatische Lehrprinzipien), but also complementary fellowship with each other. The approach taken by the
liturgical principles and orders (liturgische Gestalt-und Lutheran Confessions in these conflicts relates to human
Ordnungsprinzipien) that echo the doctrinal principles. traditions or inventions not inimically, but critically. The
For the office of the ministry is the divinely ordained criteria for discerning between good and false tradition
form without which justification cannot be realized and is the question of whether a theological notion or litur-
experienced.6 gical practice serves the divine institutions or whether it

4 Gerhard Scheidhauer, Das Recht der Liturgie: Zum Liturgie- und

Rechtsbegriff des evangelischen ius liturgicum, THEOS 49 (Hamburg:
Francke-Verlag, 2001), 93, in der Form eines liturgie- und damit
gestaltgebundenen Glaubens- und Gottesdienstbegriffs.
5 See Scheidhauer, Recht, 9294.
6 Scheidhauer, Recht, 81, Denn das Predigtamt ist die von Gott
eingesetzte Vermittlungsform, ohne die Rechtfertigung nicht mitgeteilt
werden kann.
7See Heinrich Bornkamm, Das Jahrhundert der Reformation. Gestalten
und Krfte, 2 (Gttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht 1966), 220, Die
Confessio Augustana konstituiert nicht eine schriftgem lehrende
Kirche, sondern bezeugt ihr Vorhandensein.

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod 37

darkens, harms, or even destroys the divine institutions we also find prefigured there baptism, absolution, and
and thus takes away the very certainty of salvation. the Lords Supper. And when Sunday after Sunday the
I agree with Dr. Pfeiffer and want to stress the point that preachers portray Christ (Gal 3:1) and his gifts before the
Luthers catechisms are to be considered as an excellent eyes of their hearers, they do so by filling in the outlines
paradigm for the unity of worship and doctrine. This with the colors and images of the whole biblical narrative.
unity has two aspects and implications: It is established At the same time, if it is true that the Christians and
by focusing on what is divinely instituted over against all the churchs deeds of mercy grow and flow forth from
human additions, substitutes, and distortions, while at the the reception of the forgiveness of sins, and especially
same time expounding the totality of the churchs worship from the Lord, who himself serves us in a holy feast at
life, including the divine worship in which God serves his table, there is no reason not to celebrate the Lords
and keeps his church, and the daily worship in which God Supper every Sunday. Gert Kelter, in a wonderful essay
serves and sustains the world. Luther, in his catechisms, on the Lutheran understanding of divine worship that
does not only display the fundamental elements of the was first presented in the context of the ecumenical talks
divine liturgy in the respective words of institution, but that took place between representatives of SELK and the
also the fundamental elements of the divine orders of the Roman Catholic Church in Germany (20082013), points
three estates or the two kingdoms. out that the divine service in all its
With the focus on the remission of elements, including the reading of
sins, the doctrine of justification the Scriptures, baptism, the proc-
is the center of the catechism and, It is the risen Christ lamation of absolution, the Lords
thus, of both doctrine and liturgy. Supper, and the pastoral office, is
Thus, the remission of sins, which
who rules his church about the presence of Christ in the
takes place for the sake of Christ through the proclamation midst of his people.8 If this is true, if
and his atoning sacrifice, and which of the Scriptures and the divine service is nothing but the
is distributed through the means of who gives the churchs advent and coming of the Shepherd
grace and received by faith, is what hermeneutic and to his flock, the Groom to his bride,
distinguishes the church from any the Head to his body, there is no
other institution on earth, while at
preaching a specific reason whatsoever not to give, enjoy,
the same time establishing a specific structure and administer Christs presence
connection to these institutions or in the instituted and commanded
vocations. It is the sins committed fullness of his gifts, including his
in this life and world that are very body and blood. I refer here
forgiven in the church. to Kenneth Wietings excellent book, The Blessings of
Undoubtedly one very important impact of worship Weekly Communion.9 Thus I want to underscore Andrew
life shaped by the Lutheran Reformation is the liberation Pfeiffers comment on the question of how long one
from any moralistic, pedagogic, or idealistic utopias. This should wait to adjust the liturgical lives of our parishes to
pertains even to the hermeneutics of the Holy Scriptures. biblical and confessional principles. Be careful of radical
The Scriptures do not display a theoretical mindset that is innovation even when it is a return to a better liturgi-
to be turned into real life by their interpreters. Rather, in cal or pastoral practice. Teach, teach, teach. But at some
the very setting of the divine worship they prove them- point the liturgical change may need to be made for the
selves to be effective and self-interpreting. It is the risen sake of the best delivery and reception of Gods gifts for
Christ who rules his church through the proclamation of hungry souls.10 This is true not only for the question of
the Scriptures and who gives the churchs hermeneutic weekly communion, but also for the topic of regaining an
and preaching a specific structure not only by fulfilling
the law and the promises in his proclamation and work 8 Gert Kelter, Christs Presence in Worship According to the
of salvation, but also by focusing the whole biblical narra- Understanding of the Confessional Lutheran Church, Lutheran
Theological Review 25 (2013): 2237.
tive on the institutions he commands to create faith and, 9
Kenneth Wieting, The Blessing of Weekly Communion (St. Louis:
thereby, his church. Thus, we do not only find Christ in Concordia Publishing House, 2006).
the promises, figures, and shadows of the Old Testament; 10 Pfeiffer, The Impact of the Lutheran Reformation on Worship.

38 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

appropriate practice of confession and absolution, which the preacher, like a psychotherapist, here tries to enable
takes seriously the specific gift of an individual distribu- the hearer to be reconciled with his own weaknesses and
tion of the forgiveness of sins that at the same time must strengths and thus uses the gospel as a source of empow-
not be liturgically questioned by making forgiveness erment for ones personal self-fulfillment. This is nothing
conditional. I here refer to the important research and but another version of the enthusiastic and pelagian drive
practical conclusions elaborated by Gottfried Martens on for self-perfection.
the controversies concerning confession and absolution According to the Lutheran Reformation, the task of
during the Reformation.11 the sermon and the liturgy is to prepare the way of the
Our churches, congregations, and the mindsets of Lord who comes to his lost and redeemed disciples. At the
many parishioners and pastors very often are not only same time, the task of the liturgy and of the churchs wor-
shaped by the principles of the Reformation but also by ship life is to prepare the communion of saints to meet
later changes that have crept into the Lutheran church their risen Lord and Savior and to receive his divine gifts
not only from rationalism but also, and probably even in baptism, in the sermon, in the words of absolution,
more so, from Pietism. The critical work of Valentin Ernst and in the sacrament of the altar. These gifts alone have
Lscher can serve as a paradigm here. Lscher laid open the power to create and shape our faith, love, and hope
that the semi-pelagian tendencies in Pietism. Its striving according to Gods biblical word. These gifts alone have
for perfectionism and its distaste for forensic justifica- the power to justify, to sanctify, and finally to consum-
tion go hand in hand with the downgrading, and often mate the believers and the church catholic. These gifts
even contempt, both of the office of the ministry and of alone, taken as gifts that are to be received by faith, are the
the sacraments.12 This, of course, necessarily brings about key to a sound interpretation of the Bible and the source
decisive aberrations from the Lutheran Reformation in of certainty concerning our salvation in Gods eternal
the fields of biblical hermeneutics, ecclesiology, escha- judgment.
tology, and also in the methods and means applied in
pastoral care and in preaching.
Pietistic notions often are effective in the way many
Rev. Dr. Armin Wenz, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church,
in Lutheran churches deal with so-called contemporary
Oberursel, Germany
worship elements or modern hymns. The problem with
modern hymns and worship elements, at least in my
observation, is not so much that they are modern, but
that many of them have rhythms and tunes which might
be singable for bands and choirs, but not for a cross-gen-
erational and cross-cultural congregation, and more
importantly, many of them have their origin in theologies
and mindsets that very often are not only not Lutheran
but, even worse, are pelagian and enthusiastic in nature. In
this context, then, it is also no surprise that some observ-
ers in Germany recently have deplored the spreading of
a preaching style that is not determined to confront the
hearer with the divine law and the divine gospel. Instead

11 Gottfried Martens, Ein uberaus grosser unterschiedt: Der Kampf

des Andreas Osiander gegen die Praxis der allgemeinen Absolution
in Nrnberg, in Festhalten am Bekenntnis der Hoffnung: Festgabe fr
Professor Dr. Reinhard Slenczka zum 70. Geburtstag, ed. Christian
Herrmann and Eberhard Hahn (Erlangen: Martin-Luther-Verlag,
2001), 14564.
12 See Paul T. McCain, A Pious Response to Pietism: Valentin Lscher
and the Timotheus Verinus, in Mysteria Dei: Essays in Honor of Kurt
Marquart, ed. Paul T. McCain and John R. Stephenson (Fort Wayne:
Concordia Theological Seminary Press, 2000), 16990.

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod 39


The Lutheran Impact on
Mission
by Berhanu Ofgaa
L
utherans are accused of not being mission
minded.1 Some scholars question whether
Lutherans even have a vision for mission, arguing
that even Martin Luther, the founder of Lutheranism, was
not mission minded.2 In reality, this argument doesnt
hold water. In this presentation, I would like to argue
against this distorted view of Lutheranism, enumerating
the impact of Lutherans on mission by bringing up
evidence from history and current practices. This
presentation begins with a brief definition of the term
mission, just for clarity, since it has been given varied
meanings and connotations. Subsequent to this, I would
like to examine the significance of Lutherans on mission,
drawing facts from history and the present mission of the
Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) as
a living testimony.
I. Luthers View of Mission
A. What Do We Mean by the Term
Mission?
The term mission has been given different meanings
among scholars. David Bosch, in his book Transforming
Mission, identifies the following traditional interpretations
1 Gustav Adolf Warneck, Outline of a History of Protestant Missions
from the Reformation to the Present Time, ed. George Robson
(Edinburgh and London: Oliphant Anderson & Ferrier, 1901), 8,
notes, Notwithstanding the era of discovery in which the origin of the
Protestant church fell, there was no missionary action on her part in the
age of the Reformation.
2 Warneck, Protestant Missions, 14, says, Luther understands the
missionary mandate only in the sense that by world-wide preaching
the Gospel will be offered to all nations. In this sense, however, it is
regarded by him as accomplished. Here again there is no reference to
any systematic missionary enterprise. Luther thinks, at most, of an
occasional or incidental preaching among non-Christians, especially by
faithful laymen or preachers who have been driven for their home.
40 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
The Ethiopian Evangelical Church
Mekane Yesus (EECMY) has built
on the foundation of European
missions to grow into a large
church body. The mission work of
the EECMY has historically been
and continues to be largely lay
driven, while seeking to hold to the
truths of Lutheran doctrine.
of the term mission: the sending of missionaries to dis-
tant areas, the geographical area where missionaries were
active, the agency that dispatches the missionaries, and
the non-Christian world or mission field.3
From its terminological definition, the word mis-
sion was derived from the Latin term mitto, which is
the translation of the Greek term apostello, meaning to
send. It was much later that the English term mission
was put to use to signify the church focused on the Great
Commission4 that our Lord Jesus Christ has given to his
followers.5 It is possible to draw the relationship of mis-
sion and evangelism from this definition. Evangelism
also deals with the same concern of advancing the Great
Commission through the proclamation of the good news
to unreached people.
In J. Andrew Kirks book What is Mission? he states,
There is no consensus yet among people from dif-
ferent Christian traditions about the relationship of
evangelism to mission.6 Kirk goes on to say that some
scholars believe that mission is the total activity of the
church and evangelism is considered one part of it, while
others believe that the churchs fundamental mission is
3David Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in the Theology of
Mission (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1991), 1.
4 The origins of the term Great Commission cannot be precisely
identified. Evidence suggests the term emerged in the seventeenth or
eighteenth century in connection with Matt 28:1620. It turns out that
this passage may have got its summary label from a Dutch missionary
Justinian von Welz (16211688), but it was Hudson Taylor, nearly 200
years later, who popularized the use of The Great Commission. Robbie
Castleman, The Last Word: The Great Commission: Ecclesiology,
Themelios 32, no. 3 (November 2007): 68.
5A. Scott Moreau, Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions (Grand
Rapids: Baker Books, 2000), 636.
6 J. Andrew Kirk, What is Mission? (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2000), 56.
evangelism whereas other diaconal ministries are its sub- It was the concern for the authority of the Scripture
ordinates.7 In this presentation, I would like to stick to the
that drove Martin Luther to study them in depth and
view that the churchs fundamental mission is evangelism immerse himself in the teachings of the Scripture and
and define mission in this context, as the communication the early church. This search of the Bible convinced him
of the gospel to unchurched people whether domestic, that the church had lost sight of several central truths, the
international, or cross-cultural. most important of which was the doctrine that brought
Scott Moreau points out that there is confusion in the him peace with God. This brought him to the conviction
understanding of evangelism among scholars. Some claim that salvation is a gift of Gods grace, received by faith
that evangelism implies only the declaration of the gospel, and trust in Gods promise to forgive sins for the sake of
while others associate it with the establishment of a caringChrists death on the cross. This very fact was a point of
presence in society to secure justice.8 However, keep- great missiological significance.
ing in line with its terminological definition, evangelism The 95 Theses Luther nailed at the door of the
has to mean announcing the good news,9 ranging from the Wittenberg church in defense of the truth of the Scripture
witnessing of the gospel to the baptism of new converts. had a great missionary significance, as he called the
church back to the Scripture, which is the foundation of
B. Martin Luthers View of Mission Christian mission. The initiative Luther took in making
Scholars like Gustav Warneck, available the Scripture in peoples
the Father of Missiology as a vernacular, through his translation
Theological Discipline, argued that This doctrine is based on of the Bible in the commonly-spo-
Luther lacked missionary direction
the call to royal priesthood ken dialect of the German people,
and accused the Reformer of not also had missionary significance.
being mission minded.10 However, stated in 1 Peter 2:9. This
According to James Scherer, Luthers
Warnecks criticism of Luther does means a call to declare conviction of mission is centered on
not prove right. Other scholars the goodness of he who his understanding of the word and
view Martin Luther as a creative calls from darkness to his baptized believers. These two are
and original missionary thinker and
marvelous light. It is a call crucial forces of mission.13 Luthers
a great missiologist. The starting
to witness about Christ. redefinition of the role of the bap-
point of his theology was not what tized, which led him to exploration
people could or should do for the of the priesthood of all the baptized,
salvation of the world, but what God has already done in was another benchmark of mission. Luthers catechisms,
Christ.11 which were designed for equipping the laity with the basic
It is also worthwhile to quote Luthers metaphor to knowledge of the Scripture, have made a great contribu-
signify that the proclamation of the gospel moves to the tion to the missionary task. They empowered the laity for
end of the world. He described it symbolically as a stone witnessing the gospel, both to their families and to their
thrown into the waterit produces a series of circular neighbors.
waves which moves out from the center until they reach
the furthest shore.12 By this Luther implied that there is C. Lutherans in Mission
no stopping point for the witness of the gospel. It keeps There was a difference of perspectives of mission among
on, continuing to the end of the earth. This shows that Lutheran Orthodoxy and Lutheran Pietism. On the one
mission was not a new phenomenon for Luther. Mission hand, theologians of Lutheran Orthodoxy like Philip
was the main claim of the Lutheran Reformation. Nicolai believed that the Great Commission had been
fulfilled during the apostles lifetimes and was no longer
7 Kirk, What is Mission? 56. binding on the church,14 while on the other hand there
8 Moreau, Evangelical Dictionary, 332.
9David Watson, I Believe in Evangelism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
13 James A. Scherer, That the Gospel May be Sincerely Preached
1977), 26.
Throughout the World: A Lutheran Perspective on Mission and
10 Bosch, Transforming Mission, 244. Evangelism in the 20th Century (Stuttgart: Lutheran World Federation,
11 Bosch, Transforming Mission, 244. 1982), 7.
12 Bosch, Transforming Mission, 244. 14 Bosch, Transforming Mission, 249.

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod 41

were Lutheran missionaries who made a great impact on Ethiopian Orthodox church to develop an evangelical view.
mission. In this regard, it is worthwhile mentioning how Heyling died a martyrs death in 1652, when, upon leaving
Lutheran Pietism leaders like Philip Jacob Spener made Ethiopia, he was captured by the Turks. He was given the
people more aware of the mission task. choice of converting to Islam or facing the sword. Heyling
In support of this view, Stephen Neill enumer- accepted death rather than deny Christ.23 His endeavor
ates the history of two young Lutheran missionaries, laid the foundation for the later missionaries from Sweden,
Bartholomew Ziegenbalg and Henry Plutshau. They were Germany, Norway, Denmark, and America who were
sent to India in the beginning of the eighteenth century by behind the formation of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church
the King of Denmark and arrived Mekane Yesus (EECMY).24
in Tranquebar, India, on August 9, Every member of the The history of the German-
1706.15 These two young Lutheran Lutheran missionaries Bruno
congregations of the
men, who were the first non-Cath- Gutmann and Christian Keysser,
olic missionaries16 in India, made
church participates in who played a great missionary role in
a significant impact in cross-cul- witnessing to people in East Africa and Papua, New Guinea,
tural mission17 among the Danish their neighborhoods. is another proof of the Lutheran
diaspora and native Indians in It is likened to the impact on mission. Gutmann
spreading the gospel. Bosch states worked among the Chagga people
system of operation of
that these missionaries brought a in Tanzania, while Keysser worked
great turnaround on the Lutheran
the parts of a living body among the Kate people in Papua,
mission perspective. Ziegenbalg
18 (1 C or 12:1325 ) where New Guinea. These two Lutheran
wrestled with local Danish officials every part is engaged and missionaries predated McGavran in
who claimed that the church had actively participates. identifying the sociological principle
already been planted everywhere of the homogeneous unit. Keysser
and that the office of apostle had vanished. Neill also and Gutmann worked out the missiological implications
19

recounts the history of the Leipzig Lutheran missionaries of social ties in tribal societies in 1903, many years before
who arrived in south India in 184020 as another example the rise of the Church Growth Movement, and some
of the Lutheran effect on mission. scholars believe that they were more perceptive than
Much can be said about European Lutheran mission- Pickett and McGavran. Pickett did not see as clearly as
aries who were front liners and pioneers in Ethiopian did Keysser that the caste (the organism) was becoming
mission, such as Peter Heyling (16071652),21 a Lutheran Christian while remaining in the caste.25
missionary who arrived in Ethiopia in 1634, right after the
Protestant Reformation in Europe. Heyling did ground- Scriptural study would engender deeper spiritual life, began to translate
breaking work by translating the gospel into the Amharic Holy Scripture into Amarinya for the benefit of the common people,
language22 and significantly influencing the clergy of the who did not know Geez, the liturgical language. When Gorgorios
visited Gondor in 1647, St. Johns Gospel had been published and was in
great demand.
15 Stephen Neill, History of Christian Missions (London: Penguin Books, 23 Arn, Evangelical Pioneers, 22, notes, Gorgorios emphasized that

1990), 194. Heyling left Ethiopia in 1652 with due permission from the emperor to
take a vacation in Egypt and that Fasil dismissed him with great honour
16 Moreau, Evangelical Dictionary, 444. by presenting him with rich gifts of gold. However, when Heyling
17 Bosch, Transforming Mission, 25357. passed through Suakin, the Turkish pasha conceived a craving for his
18 Bosch, Transforming Mission, 249. riches and clapped him into prison on charges of espionage. Faced with
a demand to choose either Islam or the sword Heyling accepted death
19 Bosch, Transforming Mission, 253 rather than deny Christ. The pasha drew his sword and beheaded him.
20 Neill, History of Christian Missions, 236. 24 Arn, Evangelical Pioneers, 22, says, There is apparently a direct line
21 Gustav Arn, Evangelical Pioneers in Ethiopia: Origins of the from Peter Heyling to the founders of the Evangelical Church Mekane
Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (Addis Ababa: The Evangelical Yesus. Peter Heylings work of translating the Scriptures and the Small
Church Mekane Yesus, 1978), 20, says, Accompanying the new Abune Catechism between 16341652 left a remnant of people who were
Marqos on his journey to Ethiopia was Peter Heyling, a young Lutheran instrumental in forming the EECMY in the early twentieth century.
from Lbeck, who had been sent as a missionary to Ethiopia by Duke 25 Christian Keysser, A People Reborn, trans. Alfred Allin and John
Ernest of Saxe-Gotha in Germany the impact of his mission was Kuder (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1980), x-xi. The concept
greater than has hitherto been presumed and some of his followers of group conversion (a people movement for Christ) had also been
assisted in laying the foundation of Evangelical Christianity in Wollaga. envisioned by Lutheran missionaries Christian Keysser and Bruno
22 Arn, Evangelical Pioneers, 21, says, Heyling, who was confident that Gutmann many years before Donald McGavran and Waskom Pickett.

42 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

II. The Impact of the EECMY on Mission
As it has been stated above, the EECMY from her
origin was the product of Lutheran missions. This
church had been founded as the result of a centu-
ry-old labor of the following five western Evangelical
Lutheran missions: Swedish Evangelical Mission (SEM),
German Hermannsburg Mission (now known as ELM
Hermannsburg), Norwegian Lutheran Mission (NLM),
Danish Evangelical Mission (DEM), and American
Lutheran Mission (ALM).
The EECMY has been a church actively engaged
in mission work since the days of her inception. This is
the major reason for her extraordinary growth. As the
statistical reports show, today the EECMY is one of the
fastest growing Lutheran churches on the global level.
The EECMY was founded sixty years ago in January 1959
with 20,000 baptized members, a few congregations, and
a few pastors. In sixty years, the EECMY has multiplied
to more than 7.8 million members, organized into 8,500
congregations and 4,000-plus preaching places (mission
stations). This incredible growth, from 20,000 to 7.8 mil-
lion members, taking place in so short a time span is a
clear demonstration of the Lutheran impact on mission.
A. Laity Movement as One of the
Major Propelling Factors of the
EECMY Mission
Among the many major propelling factors identified for
the EECMY mission, I would like to focus on the role
of the laity in mission because of time constraint. The
laity are the backbone of the EECMY mission. Johannes
Launhardt, in his analysis of the essence and formation
of the EECMY, stated, The Evangelical Church Mekane
Yesus is a church with strong laity involvement. This
holds true not only for tasks on the congregational level,
but also for the church as a whole.26 Launhardt goes on
to assert, There is no question that the lay people were
and are the treasure of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church
Mekane Yesus. The rapid growth of the church is, among
others, the result of their active involvement and their
readiness to serve voluntarily.27
The EECMY has been a lay mission-driven church
from her origin. This means that this church is the
Christian Keysser discovered this fact in 1903.
26 Johannes Launhardt, Evangelicals in Addis Ababa (19191991): With
Special Reference to the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus and
the Addis Ababa Synod (Mnster: LIT Verlag, 2004), 297.
27 Launhardt, Evangelicals in Addis Ababa, 299.
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
product of a lay-missionary movement. I realize that
the topic of the role of laity and clergy can be a sensitive
one, and is a debate among some International Lutheran
Council (ILC) churches. What I will try to do is describe
what has happened within the EECMY and not prescribe
how things ought to be done. Also, despite the heavy
involvement of the laity in evangelism, the EECMY fol-
lows traditional Lutheran doctrine and practice regarding
the role of the pastor. For instance, only pastors adminis-
ter the sacrament of the altar in the EECMY. The EECMY
does not have laypeople presiding at the altar nor do
laypeople consecrate the sacrament. The founders of the
EECMY were laymen and women driven for mission as a
result of spiritual revival. Most of these missions were the
products of lay missionary movement and were not from
high-church tradition. Thus, the laity mission movement of
the EECMY has to do with realities from her background.
B. The Influence of Her Early
National Leaders
Following the footsteps of the founding mission, most of
the notable national individuals who played a very signif-
icant role in advancing the strategic goals of the mission
were mission-driven lay leaders. This reality has a great
influence on the lay missionary motive of this church and
has been reflected in the writing of the second president of
the church, Emmanuel Abraham, who has led the church
for over twenty years. In response to why non-clerical per-
sons were elected to be leaders of the church Abraham says:
It should be understood, in the first place, that the
Church is a communion of people who believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ. All Christians are there-
fore equal before the Lord God, and they enjoy
equal rights and responsibilities. It is abundant-
ly clear from the Bible that there is no difference
whatever on that score. There is neither Jew nor
Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are
all one in Christ. (Gal. 3:28) Moreover, as Martin
Luther, more than 450 years ago, had forceful-
ly reminded the whole Church, all believers are
Gods priesthood.28
He went on and expounded his argument: It is the
belief of Evangelical Christians that any believer can serve
as a leader of the church even if he is not a called pastor,
bishop or archbishop.29
28 Emmanuel Abraham, Reminiscences of My Life (Oslo, Norway:
Lundeforlag, 1995), 249.
29 Abraham, Reminiscences of My Life, 250.
43
 The third major factor that influenced the lay mission
movement in the EECMY mission was awareness of the
priestly call. This implies that every member of the church
is aware of his/her royal priesthood from the moment
of his/her baptism. This doctrine is based on the call to
royal priesthood stated in 1 Peter 2:9. This means a call
to declare the goodness of he who calls from darkness to
his marvelous light. It is a call to witness about Christ.
The laity of the EECMY are aware of this very mandate
of their priestly call. As a result, they all participate in
mission movement.
This doctrine of the priesthood of the baptized is
central in the Lutheran doctrine. The Lutheran tradition
promotes the universal priesthood of believers, joined
through baptism. As Carl Braaten states, Whoever comes
out of the water of baptism can boast that he is already
a consecrated priest, bishop, and pope.30 In a similar
way, George Wollenburg states, With the exception of
the biblical doctrine of justification, perhaps, no biblical
teaching is more dear to the hearts of the Lutherans than
the priesthood of all believers.31 Wollenburg also affirms
that the priesthood of all believers includes believers par-
ticipation in spiritual service.32
In the EECMY context, the movement of the laity
is the backbone of mission. The laity are active mission
agents. They actively witness for Christ. They pray for
mission. They support mission work financially. Most of
the leaders of the congregations of the church are laypeo-
ple. They actively participate in mission. Every member of
the church is encouraged to share the experience of his/
her conversion. Everybody has something to share from
the story of his/her conversion.
Donald McGavran, the founder and proponent of
the modern Church Growth Movement, in support of
the laity in mission states, If a church is serious about
the Great Commission, the involvement of the laity is
of most importance.33 He goes on to say, Laymen have
many more gifts than are needed to maintain the exist-
ing body. Recognize and use gifts for outreach. This is an
30 Carl E. Braaten, Principles of Lutheran Theology (Philadelphia:
Fortress, 1983), 44.
31 George Wollenburg, The Priesthood of Believers and the Divine
Service, LCMS Worship Library, 1996, https://www.lcms.org/Document.
fdoc?src=lcm&id=879.
32 Wollenburg, The Priesthood of Believers.
33 Donald A. McGavran and Winfield C. Arn, Ten Steps for Church
Growth (New York: Harper & Row, 1977), 108.
44 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
essential ingredient to a healthy, growing church.34 In a
similar way, the role of the laity has been an incredible
contribution in the mission of the EECMY. Below we will
specifically deal with this issue.
This initiative of lay movement in the EECMY mission
was largely led by the young people and operates mightily
among them. In the EECMY context, congregational ser-
vices are crowded with young people. The youth are active
in the life of their congregations, as Launhardt enumer-
ates: Sunday school teaching for children, leading a Bible
study or youth group, arranging prayer groups, singing in
the choir, taking part in outreach programs, visiting sick
members, counseling bereaved ones, keeping order during
worship services, cleaning the church, preparing bazaars,
handling funds, and many other tasks.35 They also actively
participate in witnessing for Christ. As Launhardt writes,
It was the young sector of the society which joined the
Christian church more than any other age group during
the Communist Government of Ethiopia.36
C. Commitment to the Great
Commission
The fifth major motivating factor of the laity in the mission
of the EECMY is commitment to the Great Commission.
EECMY members seriously consider that mission is the
main purpose of the call of the church. They are seri-
ous about the concern for the lost. As the Son of Man
came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10), therefore,
the church considers mission as the main purpose of her
existence. Mission in this context is understood not as
an option but a command given to the church by Christ
(Matt 28:1920).
D. The Conviction That Humanity
Outside Christ Is Lost
Every member of the EECMY is aware of the fact that
humanity outside of Christ is lost. This conviction is based
on the following scriptural verses: People without Christ
are lost (1 Cor 1:18; 2 Cor 2:15). People whose sins are not
forgiven will go to hell. They are relegated to judgment
and eternal damnation (John 3:16; Rom 2:8). Therefore,
mission is critical and urgent. Mission is viewed as res-
cuing souls from eternal damnation through offering the
forgiveness of sins, as God is pleased with the salvation of
souls (1 Tim 2:2). EECMY members take this seriously.
34 McGavran and Arn, Ten Steps for Church Growth, 108.
35 Launhardt, Evangelicals in Addis Ababa, 299.
36 Launhardt, Evangelicals in Addis Ababa, 297.
 Many congregations of the church actively participate
in bringing the good news to those who are in darkness.
Such mission participation is demonstrated in many
dimensions. This approach is classified into three parts.
The first is mission within their boundary. Every congre-
gation of the church is aware of bringing the gospel to
people in their congregational boundary. Every member
of the congregations of the church participates in witness-
ing to people in their neighborhoods. In such a context,
congregational ministry is not like a public bus system
where few people are engaged in activities, possibly only
the driver and the cash collector. It is likened to the system
of operation of the parts of a living body (1 Cor 12:1325)
where every part is engaged and actively participates.
Secondly, there are congregations who do mission
through sending ministers to unreached places outside
their congregational boundaries within their respective
synods. These congregations are winning converts, equip-
ping leaders, and providing places of worship to plant
new churches and hand them over to the nearest struc-
ture of their synod. They continue supporting the newly
planted congregations until they are self-sufficient.
Thirdly, there are congregations who are actively
involved in mission, crossing the boundary of their
respective synods. In such an approach, they respond to
Macedonian calls from new areas, sending ministers or
raising financial support. Some of these congregations
make special arrangements with their own synods and
the synods in which the programs are implemented or
located, and embark on the mission work. Many fruitful
results have been achieved through these three mission
approaches and numerous preaching places and congre-
gations have been planted.
Individual members of the EECMY are actively
involved in mission. Every member believes that mission
is part and parcel of his/her calling and that mission is an
integral part of his/her salvation. This awareness is built
during the process of discipleship training.
There is a lay mission movement conducted by lay
professionals or business people. Such people actively
participate in mission in two ways: First, they directly
participate in witnessing for Christ on an individual level
in their leisure time and weekends. Secondly, they finance
the lay ministers who are involved in full-time mission.
This group wins converts and organizes them into con-
gregations, trains leaders, builds churches, and hands
over the neighboring structure of the church.
There is a new initiative of emerging mission
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
movements conducted by retired people. It includes
both retired ministers and members of the church. These
groups apply similar mission strategies to those stated
above and raise funds for their activities.
Conclusion
Much has been said in this presentation about the
Lutheran impact on mission by examining the historical
facts and by looking at the practical experiences of the
EECMY. However, we are at a critical moment when this
mission practice is severely challenged. We are at a his-
torical moment when many mainline Lutheran churches
have turned away from the Holy Scriptures, and with the
abandonment of the Scriptures, the basic biblical call and
mandate to proclaim the gospel to the entire world is lost.
We are at a critical moment when the central bib-
lical truths have been challenged and put at risk among
Lutherans. We are at a crossroads where our theological
tradition and teaching of the Christian faith are being
placed in jeopardy.37 These deep and serious challenges
call upon us to review our action and consider mission
as a priority. To be evangelical, being true to the Gospel
of Jesus Christ requires us to be true according to the
Scriptures, both the Old and the New Testaments. The
heart of an evangelical church beats with a passionate
commitment to the preaching of Christ to all who do not
yet believe.38
Mission is a task assigned to all confessing believers. It
is a special task the triune God does through his people. It
is Gods action done through the church. We are all called
to share the gospel with our family and our neighbors. It
is also part and parcel of ones salvation (Rom 10:9). There
is no excuse for not doing it. Let us always be ready to
give answer to everyone who asks you the reason for the
hope that is in you (1 Pet 3:15).
Dr. Berhanu Ofgaa, General Secretary of the
Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY)
37 Braaten, Principles of Lutheran Theology, 31.
38Carl E. Braaten, Seeking New Directions for Lutheranism, Biblical,
Theological and Churchly Perspectives: Lutheranism at Crossroads (New
York: ALPB Books, 2010), 30.
45

Shaping Confessional
Lutheranism in the
21st Century: The Impact of
the Lutheran Reformation on Mission,
Worship, and Worldview
by Makito Masaki
Foreword
I
serve as the president of Kobe Lutheran
Theological Seminary in Japan, an institution
that does not yet belong to the ILC. I also serve
as the pastor of Itami Evangelical Lutheran Church, a
congregation that belongs to West Japan Evangelical
Lutheran Church. We are very thankful for this invitation
to be extended to a small seminary like ours. However,
to tell the truth, I was a little uncomfortable with the
invitation because there is a good Lutheran church body
that runs a seminary in Tokyo and has been a member of
the ILC since its beginning. I visited Rev. Shin Shimizu,
the president of Japan Lutheran Church, Nihon Ruteru
Kyodan, in Totsuka church and sat under his feet to ask
for his advice. He kindly gave me his fatherly blessing.
Therefore, I am also thankful to Japan Lutheran Church
for allowing and supporting me to speak this morning.
Actually, I feel at home here. It may be not only
because I am in the town of the Reformer's home ground,
but also because I have many good friends in the ILC. I
received my STM from Concordia Theological Seminary
in Ft. Wayne in 1992, and I was one of the first set of
candidates for the D.Miss, now Ph.D., in mission stud-
ies there. I earned my Ph.D. at Concordia Seminary, St.
Louis. My wife and two children are still members of St.
Paul's Lutheran Church in the suburbs of St. Louis. My
father was colloquized to be an LCMS pastor, and was
given an honourable doctorate from Ft. Wayne seminary.
46 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
Catechetical instruction is key
to teaching the content of the
status confessionis, as well as
how to implement our actus
confessionis.
My younger brother Naomichi Masaki teaches at the
Ft. Wayne seminary.
Moreover, I am thankful to be with people who have
the same heart for the Lutheran Confessions. Many of
the faculty in my Kobe seminary history, both mission-
aries and Japanese, were educated either at St. Louis or
Ft. Wayne. All the presidents of the seminary who are
Japanese were educated at St. Louis for their theological
doctorate degree. Our seminary is devoted to training
next generation pastors to be confessional, constructive,
and cooperative pastors: confessional, who subscribe
unconditionally to and confess the Book of Concord, con-
structive, who know well their vocation as pastors, and
cooperative, who are willing to work with people. I am
honoured to be invited to play a role in this conference.
Worldview
So, what does worldview mean, and what is the confes-
sional Lutheran worldview?
The literal meaning of worldview may be the inte-
grated understanding of God, man, and nature and their
relationships to one another. We have the law, the Ten
Commandments, that shows Gods order he set among
his creatures and reveals the sinfulness of man. Lutherans
confess with other Christians the Ecumenical Creeds that
are confessions of God [the Father], the Creator, God the
Son, the Redeemer, and God the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier
and Comforter. In the creeds, we clearly confess that God
created everything; God began, leads, and will end the area of knowledge may be Christianized and the truly
world. We also confess the eternal life. Christian culture in every area of human knowing and
If you ask teenagers in Japan if they know the term living may prosper. Kuyper used the term worldview to
worldview, to our surprise, they would answer that they promote his understanding of God, man, and nature, and
always use it. For them the word means the settings of their past, present, and future status.
time, space, characters, and scenario that the Anime, Herman Dooyeweerd and D.H.Th. Vollenhoven are
Manga, and video game authors construct as the neces- good examples of the successful fruits of education at the
sary background of their masterpieces. For example, for Free University of Amsterdam. Dooyeweerd categorizes
the famous series Attack on Titan, the author Hajime the creaturely world into segments and acknowledges
Isayama created the worldview as something like the God the Creator as the only true unifying pole for the
following. Humanity has been hiding from gigantic, proper worldview. He says that when human beings, who
cannibalistic monsters called Titans ever since the popu- have turned away from the Creator, want to grasp the
lation was decimated 100 years earlier. No explanation is world in unity, they cannot help but make one of the cat-
given as to where these Titans originate. The people live egorical elements work as the unifying pole to establish
in a multi-walled, socially-stratified city while they train a worldview. Materialism makes material play the role of
an elite Survey Corps of fighters to protect them if the the unifying pole to explain the world. Humanism is the
need should arise again. One peace- idea that makes human beings the
ful day, Titans suddenly attacked unifying pole. They both may be
the wall and broke in. When ten- Underlying a culture, characterized as idol worship.
year-old Eren Jaeger sees his own worldview provides people The Dutch theologians argu-
mother eaten by a Titan, he vows a coherent way of looking ments against the rationalistic and
revenge against the Titans and humanistic worldview of the day
joins the Corps. When his training
at the world. sought to present a biblical frame-
is complete, he joins humanitys work of thought, that is, creation,
fight against the Titans without andmuch to his sur- fall, and redemption as the foundation of a Christian
prisefrom within. The story of solving problems starts, worldview. It shows clear contrast with the worldview
proceeds, and ends in the environment and relationships of dispensationalists, which tends to throw every prob-
among the characters that are decided by the author. lem that the world needs to face to Christ who comes
Japanese Christians associate the word worldview back to us in the foreseeable near future. The Reformed
as a word associated with Reformed, or more precisely, theologians were determined to face the reality that is
Dutch Reformed theologians, such as Abraham Kuyper, full of chronic and impending problems. An American
Herman Bavinck, Herman Dooyeweerd, D.H.Th. theologian Rousas John Rushdoony brought the founda-
Vollenhoven, and others who worked in the late nine- tionalism a step further to Christian reconstructionist. He
teenth and early twentieth centuries. emphasized the command of God, the law of Gods reign.
Abraham Kuyper, a journalist, statesman, and Neo- He applied Old Testament laws to the area of modern pol-
Calvinist theologian, founder of a new church, the itics and economy in his book, The Institutes of the Biblical
Gereformeerde Kerken, a newspaper, the Free University Law (1973). He also started a Christian home-schooling
of Amsterdam, and the Anti-Revolutionary Party, served movement so that the children were protected from the
as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands between 1901 secular world that brainwashes with the unbiblical, ratio-
and 1905. He taught that since everything in the universe nalistic, and humanistic value systems, or worldview.
should be taken only as Gods creatures, we should sub- Rushdoony provided a vision of how the divinely reigned
ordinate human understanding of everything to Gods kingdom of God extends and develops in the world. He
understanding. With this thoroughgoing theistic theol- showed the duty of Christians to actively participate in
ogy, so called presuppositionalism, Kuyper suggested that reconstructing the world by applying and following the
all areas of human activity, including politics, economy, law of God.
research, education, and others, need to be signified by Some Christians in Japan are very enthusias-
the word of God and obey the divine authority. He estab- tic about the new theological direction known as the
lished the Free University of Amsterdam so that every New Perspective on Paul. One of the representatives

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod 47

of the trend, Anglican Bishop N.T. Wright, takes a dif- commonly shared by the people. Soon they found that
ferent approach from that of the Neo-Calvinists of the there are cultural patterns behind how people think and
Netherlands. Instead of following their philosophical decide, and what people say and do. They examined prob-
argumentations, Wright tries to articulate historically the lems such as how cultural patterns emerge and spread
Apostolic Gospel and the structure of its worldview as the from one regions to other and why some die out soon
original Christian worldview before it was polluted by and others last for millennia. The historians used the
ancient Greek philosophy and by modern rationalism and term Weltanschauung, the worldview, to refer to the deep,
humanism. enduring cultural patterns of a people.
American Evangelicals detected that the de-Christian- The other root that Hiebert introduces in his book is
ization process is seriously damaging their young people. found in anthropology. Anthropologists studied peoples
They were frustrated because they had overlooked the around the world and found deep but radically differing
progress and the impact, and failed to cope with the prob- worldviews underlying their cultures. They found that
lem that Christians think and act as worldviews profoundly shape the
though they are ignorant of what ways people see the world and live
the Bible says about God, man, Luther wanted people their lives, that worldviews some-
and nature. As a result, they follow to live out their life as times spread from one group of
rationalistic and humanistic worl- people to another, and that worl-
confessors of faith in
dviews. The Evangelicals started dviews are often inherited by the
to develop Christian worldview
their daily situation, that following generations.
classes at their universities to fight is, people learn to live The growing attention to the
this trend. by actus confessionis who concept of worldview led to deeper
One of their text books is Paul G. apply the status confessionis investigations of culture and the use
Hieberts Transforming Worldviews: of the words such as ethos, zeit-
in their everyday life.
an Anthropological Understanding geist, cosmology, cosmos within,
of How People Change. According world metaphor, world order,
to Hiebert, the word worldview has several roots. In his world hypotheses, outlook on life, collective uncon-
book, he explains the two of the most influential ones.1 scious, spirituality and so on.
One is in Western philosophy, where the German What are the functions of worldviews, then?2 Firstly,
word Weltanschauung was introduced by Immanuel Kant they answer our ultimate questions such as: Where are
and used by writers such as Kierkegaard, Engels, and we (what is the nature of the world)? Who are we (what
Dilthey as they reflected on Western culture. does it mean to be human)? What is wrong (how do we
In the nineteenth century, German historians turned account for evil and the brokenness of life)? What is the
from tracing the victories of those who came to rule the remedy (what is the path from brokenness and insecurity
world successively to the study of ordinary people. This to a life that is whole and secure)?
turn was made mainly by the influence of the Annales Secondly, worldviews give us emotional security.
school, started by two Strasbourg historians, Lucien Paul People in uncertainty turn to the deepest cultural beliefs
Victor Febvre and Marc Lopold Benjamin Bloch. Bloch to recognize and renew order in life and nature.
became known as the founder of an approach in histori- Thirdly, worldviews validate our deepest cultural
cal research called Social History, which intends to give a norms with which we evaluate our experiences and
holistic view of history by focusing on the then neglected choose courses of action.
area of the ordinary lives of common people. This view Fourthly, worldviews help to integrate the culture.
is influenced by Hegel and Marx. They researched topics Compartmentalized perceptions and experiences are
such as festivals, etiquette, folk beliefs, and many more. unified to give a sense that we live in a world that makes
These historians examined in detail the everyday lives of sense.
individuals, local events, and letters, to find value systems Fifthly, worldviews monitor the cultural change and
help us to select or reject new ideas and to reinterpret
1Paul G. Hiebert, Transforming Worldviews: An Anthropological
Understanding of How People Change (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic,
2008), 13. 2 Hiebert, Transforming Worldviews, 28.

48 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

those we adopt to fit our worldview.
Sixthly and finally, worldviews provide psychological
reassurance that the world is truly as we see it and a sense
of peace and being at home. Worldview crisis hits people
when there is a gap between their worldview and their
experience of reality.
Underlying a culture, worldview provides people
a coherent way of looking at the world. Clifford Geertz
pointed out that worldviews are both models of reality
and models for action. The models of reality describe and
explain the nature of things, and define how we under-
stand the world, while the models for action provide us
with the mental blueprints that guide our behaviour and
define how we take action.3
Lutheran Worldview
What is the worldview that the Lutheran Reformation
brought about? If we take the worldview as meaning both
the models of reality and the models of action, Japanese
Luther scholar, Yoshikazu Tokuzen's contribution cannot
be overlooked to articulate the worldview that Luther pre-
sented and lived.4
Tokuzen sees Luther as a man of concentration and
expansion, that is, Luther summarized his faith and the-
ology to the minimum confession, and his life and work
was the lively application of what he confessed. We need
to recognize the two aspects of the confession of faith,
Bekenntniss, and distinguish them while not separating
them. The two aspects are status confessionis and actus
confessionis. The Church and individuals live out their
confession in variety of concrete situations in the tension
between the status confessionis and actus confessionis.
We need to discuss how Luther reformed the mean-
ing of confessio before going into the two aspects of them
according to Tokuzen. The Greek word homologein, orig-
inally meaning to testify at a court, is used in the New
Testament to mean comprehensively to praise God, to
confess sins, to confess the faith. Augustine used the word
confession comprehensively as the New Testament does.
Through the Middle Ages, the word confession lost its
comprehensive meaning and became a small part in the
Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. Confession
was disregarded and formalized to be a mere element
3 Clifford Geertz, The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays by
Clifford Geertz (New York: Basic Books, 1973), 169, quoted in Hiebert,
Transforming Worldviews, 28.
4Yoshikazu Tokuzen, To Confess the faith: In the Case of Luther and
Bonhoeffer (Only in Japanese).
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
in a process. Luther wanted to clarify the meaning of
repentance in the light of the forgiveness of sin in his 95
Theses. When Luther was studying the Psalms he was
learning from Augustine and Jerome. When he came to
the sixty-sixth chapter in his First Lecture on Psalms,
he quoted Jerome, The confession of sins is the praise
to God, and commented that to confess our sins before
God is to acknowledge God as God, God as righteous
and to give glory to God.5 Luther regained the meaning
of confession from a static, formalized one to dynamic
wholehearted one.
By the time Luther lectured on the Letter to the
Romans, Luther's acknowledgement of God, who works
all in all, and man, who is a sinner, led him to justify God
who condemned man for his sin, and justify man by this
God through faith in the Saviour he sent. In a lecture on
the Letter to the Hebrews, he says all that we do is confes-
sio , they praise you, confess you, adore you and bless
you and all that they do is actually your work in them.6
So, for Luther, confession is what man does with his
whole personhood and whole life, and that we confess is
solely the work of God in us.
What is status confessionis according to Luther? Luther
summarized the confession of God as the confession of
Christ alone, and further concentrated confession to
the confession of Christ in His redemptive work alone.
Christs work of redemption and faith in Christ is the
status confessionis, the basic confession of what Christians
believe.
For example, in the Smalcald Articles of 1537, Luther
starts out the first part summarizing the Ecumenical
Creeds and then he further summarizes down to Christ's
office and work, which is our redemption. This is the the-
ology of the cross. The first and chief article of the second
part is the foundation of the rest of the articles. Luther
confesses that only the redemptive work of Christ justi-
fies us. Quoting from Romans 4:2425, John 1:29, Isaiah
53:6, and Romans 3:2325, Luther says, This is necessary
to believe. This cannot be otherwise acquired or grasped
by any work, law, or merit. Therefore it is clear and cer-
tain that this faith alone justifies us. He then quotes
from Romans 3:28 and 26. He goes on to say, Nothing
of this article can be yielded or surrendered, even though
heaven and earth and everything else falls. Following
quotes from Acts 4:12 and Isaiah 53:5, he says, Upon this
5 WA 3:378.
6 WA 57:137
49
article everything that we teach and practice depends, in
opposition to the pope, the devil, and the whole world.
Therefore, we must be certain and not doubt this doc-
trine. Otherwise, all is lost, and the pope, the devil, and all
adversaries win the victory and the right over us.7 This is
the article of justification. This is the worldview of Luther
and his Reformation in a nutshell. Justification is the
article by which the church stands and falls. justificatio
est articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae.
What then is actus confessionis according to Luther?
Tokuzen says that the Reformation is the formation and
confirmation of the status confessionis in the form of actus
confessionis. What Luther wrote, talked, preached, argued,
and how he lived is basically his expression of actus con-
fessionis. When we see concrete actions arise out of the
necessity of the concrete situations, the worldview as a
model of reality serves as the worldview as a model of
action, that is, status confessionis gives birth to the actus
confessionis.
Luthers lectures on the Psalms and New Testament
letters helped Luther to discover the Gospel. Out of his
status confessionis emerged his 95 Theses as an actus
confessionis, asking a series of questions concerning the
practice of the church that do not fit the status confessionis.
Responding to Erasmus, who in the libero arbitrio
accused and reproached Luther of being too stubborn by
holding on to his own assertio, Luther said that if a person
gives up sticking to his assertio he is no longer a Christian
because assertio means to stick on, to affirm, to confess,
to apologize, and to hold it not to be broken. Since they
are bestowed by the Holy Spirit from heaven the spirit
glorifies God and confesses Christ until their death. To
die for the confession and assertion of faith is what asser-
tio of faith means.
Confessing the faith means that the confessor does
not compromise and sacrifice status confessionis. When
Luther had to cope with Carlstadt, Muenster, the Peasants
War, and conflict over the Lord's Supper with Zwingli,
Luther showed the same determination and stubbornness
to his status confessionis. He could not see the difference
of status confessionis as a minor conflict. He could not
compromise nor sacrifice any article of faith in order to
be united with people just because they share the same
purpose.
Luther already started to preach and write on the
7Quotations from the Book of Concord from, Paul T. McCain et al.,
ed., Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, 2nd ed. (St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 2005). SA II, 1, The Chief Article.
50 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer
in 1516. The Small Catechism and the Large Catechism
are also his actus confessionis. In the Small Catechism, he
instructs the heads of the family to answer the questions
that their household ask in a very simple but powerful
way. Parents are to teach their children by confessing their
faith so that the children may grow up as confessors of
faith who share with their parents the same worldview of
both status confessionis and actus confessionis.
Tokuzen describes the confessional documents that
Luther and other confessors wrote as practical applica-
tions of what they confessed. They confessed their faith
in the form of clear testimony to prepare for discussions
with the opponents in a friendly manner and in this
way dissensions may be put away without offensive con-
flict and they may be brought back to agreement and
concord.8 Luther went on to confess in the third part of
Concerning the Lord's Supper, Confession (1528), and
he confessed with Justus Jonas and Melanchthon The
Articles of Schwabach (1529). His argument against
Zwingli was summarized in The Marburg Articles
(1529). All of these led Melanchthon to confess The
Augsburg Confession (1530). Specific historical situation
led Luther to write The Smalcald Articles (1537). They
are all actus confessionis in the concrete situation that the
Reformers faced out of the same status confessionis.
Shaping Confessional Lutheranism in the
Twenty-first Century
How may we be able to produce confessional Lutherans
in the twenty-first century? One of the ways that Luther
used was educational reform. The purpose of education
was twofold for Luther, one was to evangelize, that is, to
grow people into confessors of faith, and the other was to
grow mature citizens. Luther believed that people need to
know and to confess that we are justified for the sake of
Christ alone and by faith alone. This is status confessionis.
He then wanted people to live out their life as confessors
of faith in their daily situation, that is, people learn to live
by actus confessionis who apply the status confessionis in
their everyday life. This is why he designed education to
train good citizens.
Luther used the threefold method to educate people.
He formed Christian schools. He replaced schools in
monasteries and cathedrals with Christian schools run by
the nobilities. He made use of the church for education.
8 AC Preface 9.
He also made the family a unit for education. next section, the Creed. The Creed shows what we are to
He wrote The Explanation of the Ten expect and to receive from God. Here is the clear order
Commandments, Creed, Lord's Prayer (1520) and and distinction of Law and Gospel. In the answer part of
Betbuechelein (A Small Booklet on Prayer, 1522) based the Second Article, Luther summarizes the redemption
on his catechetical preaching. He lamented that many and the life of the redeemed as follows.
people are not able to answer even a simple question of He (Christ) has redeemed me, a lost and con-
what salvation is after listening to sermons for three or demned creature, purchased and won me from all
four years. There are books that teach about salvation sins, from death, and fro the power of the devil. He
but they are not written in the heart of the people. Luther did this not with gold or silver, but with His holy,
worked hard to prepare the material for preachers and for precious blood and with His innocent suffering and
the head of the house. He himself preached four times a death, so that I may be His own, live under Him in
year a series of ten catechism sermons in two weeks using His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righ-
Matins on Sunday mornings and two o'clock meetings on teousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is
weekday afternoons. In 1529, he wrote two Catechisms, risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.11
the Large in April and the Small in May. He created post-
ers of teachings, so that people may be able to see on the This is a concise and clear summary of how a
wall of their dining rooms and the head of the family read Christian grasp status confessionis and live it out as actus
aloud everyday at the morning and evening prayer. He confessionis.
added the preface and the Haustafel In The German Mass (1526),
to print with the Small Catechism. Luther shows his sense of need for a
From the third edition, the Small We pray with hope good and simple catechism. He also
Catechism was also known as the in Christ alone. As wrote a prayer in a special way that
Enchiridion. we pray, our hope is the words of the Lord's Prayer are to
He used these to impact the be prayed with deeper understand-
made conviction and
society by suggesting that the pas- ing and appreciation. The catechism
tors would read each morning,
encouragement. As we was a prayer book that guides the
noon, and evening only a page or pray our status confessionis learners to prayer in the everyday
two in the catechism, the prayer becomes more deeply life.
book, the New Testament, or some- understood, and our actus Luther teaches about the three
thing else in the Bible. They should parts above, everything that we
confessionis more actively
pray the Lord's Prayer for them- have in the Scriptures is included
selves and their parishioners. He
9
incarnated in us. in short, plain, and simple terms.
also makes clear that it is the duty He continues and says, when three
of every father of a family to question and examine his parts are understood, a person must also know what to
children and servants at least once a week and see what say about our Sacraments, which Christ Himself insti-
they know or are learning from the catechism and if they tuted: Baptism and the holy body and blood of Christ.12
do not know the catechism, he should keep them learning Then Luther makes a suggestion how to teach and
it faithfully. 10 make people good confessors of faith.
Luther starts his catechism with the Ten We would have all together five whole parts of
Commandments. This is what we need to respect and Christian doctrine. These should be taught con-
honour as the highest treasure because we know what stantly and be required leaning for children. You
God desires us to be and to do. It is not that we are to should recite them word for word. For you must
live as Jews who received the Ten Commandments not rely on the idea that the young people will learn
through Moses. We read it as the universal command- and retain these things from the sermon alone.
ments that apply to everyone. Luther takes students to the When these parts have been well learned, you may

9 LC Preface, 3. 11 SC Creed, The Second Article.

10 LC Short preface, 4. 12 LC III, 1520.

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod 51

 supplement and strengthen them by also setting
before them some psalms or hymns, which have
been composed on these parts of the catechism.
Lead the young into the Scriptures this way and
make progress in them daily.13
He goes on to explain the method of teaching the
Catechism so that the Catechism enters the mind and
becomes fixed in the memory.
Luther confessed the faith and kept confessing in
words and deeds. His way of impacting people to have a
Reformation worldview and live accordingly starts and
continues with catechetical education, and never ends.
Luther says:
For myself I say this. I am also a doctor and preach-
er, yes, as learned and experienced as all the people
who have such assumptions and contentment. Yet
I act as a child who is being taught the catechism.
every morning, and whenever I have time, I read
and say, word for word, the Ten Commandments,
the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Psalms and such.
I must still read and study them daily. Yet I cannot
master the catechism as I wish. But I must remain
a child and pupil of the catechism, and am glad to
remain so.14
He says this because he knows the benefit of always
learning the catechism, that is,
[F]or even if they know and understand the cate-
chism perfectly, which, however, is impossible in
this life, there are still many benefits and fruits to be
gained, if it is daily read and practiced in thought
and speech. For example, the Holy Spirit is present
in such reading, repetition, and meditation, He be-
stows ever new and more light and devoutness. In
this way the catechism is daily loved and appreciat-
ed better, as Christ promised in Matthew 18:20 For
where two or three are gathered in My name, there
am I among them.15
If we seek the way to shape Confessional Lutheranism
in the twenty-first century, we need not to look for any-
where else but stay in the daily education of the catechism
while others may look for more fancy way or short-cut
13 LC, Short preface, 24.
14 LC, preface, 8.
15 LC, preface, 9.
52 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
way of reaching the goal. Catechetical education is the
most certain way of making both the teachers and the
learners understand what we confess, and of training
them to apply status confessionis into practice in the
everyday life.
It may be good to teach people how to pray as Luther
emphasized in the German mass cited above. Prayer links
the divine service and the daily life, receiving gifts from
God at the divine service and sharing it with our neigh-
bours in the daily life.
The Lords' Prayer in the Large Catechism serves as the
best instruction on prayer. We are commanded to pray
daily to fight against our enemy, our flesh, the world, and
the devil. Luther teaches that we pray because God tells us
to do so, and also we pray because he promises us to hear
our prayer. Luther is not satisfied by just letting readers
know the importance and urgency of prayer. He inter-
prets our suffering as beneficial for us to turn us to God in
prayer. And, he suggests in a strong tone to make a daily
habit of prayer. He says,
Everyone should form the daily habit from his
youth of praying for all his needs ... This I say be-
cause I would like to see these things brought home
again to the people so that they might learn to pray
truly and not go about coldly and indifferently.
They become daily more unfit for prayer because
of indifference. That is just what the devil desires,
what damage and harm it does him when prayer is
done properly.16
In the first petition, we are reminded of our identity as
baptized in his name, redeemed, and made to be his chil-
dren. Since we call God our Father, it is our duty always to
act and behave as godly children, that he may not receive
shame, but honour and praise from us.
In the second petition, we pray for the kingdom
to come. This petition is not teaching us to wait for his
earthly rule and political kingdom to be realized. Many
misuse the term Missio Dei to see Gods work of recon-
ciling the world to himself as making society humanly
better or creating a Christ-centred society where people
value the Christian worldview as the best one among
existing worldviews. Christians are to obey God in help-
ing him as his servants to accomplish the kingdom of
God on earth. God sent Christ to bring us to himself and
to govern us as a King of righteousness, life, and salvation
16 LC III, 28.
against sin, death and an evil conscience. We pray that
the word of God and a Christian life may abide and daily
grow in us, and may gain approval and acceptance among
other people.
In the third petition, we pray for his will to be done.
We receive God as our own, and all his riches but in this
petition we pray that we must firmly keep God's honour
and our salvation, our identity, and our inheritance.
In the fourth petition, we come to the prayer for our
vocational life, that God provides for us all to eat and
drink. We also ask him to protect our family so that we
may be able to eat and drink in peace.
In the fifth petition, we pray for the forgiveness of
our sins.
In the sixth petition, we pray for the protection from
the temptation from our flesh, world, and the devil.
In the seventh petition, we pray that the evil one
may not conquer us, and for God to give us a peaceful,
faithful end.
We pray with hope in Christ alone. As we pray, our
hope is made conviction and encouragement. As we pray
our status confessionis becomes more deeply understood,
and our actus confessionis more actively incarnated in us.
If the faith is the truth, and the love is the com-
mandments, prayer is out of hope given and hope being
strengthened and activated.
God is shaping us in this century to confess our
hope in him. Prayer is always a time of repentance and
a time of faith and praise. We confess when we pray. We
remain in the joy that our Lord gives in the Word and the
Sacraments, and we rejoice in Christ and confess Christ
alone is our Lord and Saviour.

Rev. Dr. Makito Masaki president of Kobe Lutheran

Theological Seminary

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod 53


The Act of Making a
Knowledgeable Confession:
A Response to Makito Masaki
by Lawrence Rast
Introduction
A
gain, thank you for the opportunity to
engage the presentation of my dear friend,
Makito Masaki, with whom I studied in the
STM program at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort
Wayne, many years ago. The opportunity to study with
an insightful, thoughtful, and above all faithful Lutheran
theologian like Dr. Masaki was really a memory that I
deeply cherish.
I will take out a few points from Dr. Masakis presen-
tation and then put those into my area of specialty, which
is the history of Christianity in North America. We will
then consider some of the Lutheran implications of that.
I did find one quote that Dr. Masaki drew from Dr.
Luther particularly important for how we move forward
informing people in their Confessional Lutheran world-
view: For you should not assume that the young people
will learn and retain this teaching from sermons alone.1
This is not by any means to diminish the importance of
the sermon. Nobody held preaching more highly than
Luther did. But he also was realistic; namely, that to form
a person took more than simply listening to a sermon for
20, 40, 60, or however many minutes per week. Rather,
Luther knew that learning was lifeall of it. Thus, in his
explanation to the third commandment, which we learned
1LC, Preface, 2425. Unless otherwise indicated, quotations from the
Book of Concord are from Robert Kolb and Timothy J. Wengert, eds.,
The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
(Minneapolis: Fortress, 2000).
54 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
The catechism and the Word are
daily guides for Christians as we
engage the current context as
Confessional Lutherans. The Word
alone accomplishes Gods task in
the mission of the Church.
from the Catechism, when Luther talks about keeping the
Sabbath, he encourages us not despise preaching or Gods
Word, but instead keep that Word holy and gladly hear
and learn it.2 And how has this happened, when does this
happen? It happens not only Sunday in the divine service.
Yes, that is the beginning, that is the core; but it contin-
ues into all of our Sabbath life, that is, our entire life in
Christ. It is, as we like to say in the United States, 24/7,
365every day, every hour, every minute.
So, with that in mind, thinking about a Confessional
Lutheran worldview, Dr. Masaki pointed out to us that
there are six components to this, that our worldview
provides answers for our ultimate questions. It provides
emotional security for us, it validates our deepest cultural
norms, it helps us integrate culture, it monitors cultural
change and helps us adapt to those changes, and it pro-
vides psychological reassurance. These are deeply held
commitments that inform the whole of our lifewhat we
think, what we say, and, of course, also what we do. And
in this latter respect, then, I think Dr. Masaki is correctly
pointing us towards the distinction between the status
confessionis and the actus confessionis. His definition of
confessio, of confession, means to praise God, confess
sins, to confess the faith (the fides quae) that was once
delivered to the saints as Jude tells us. This faith that we
confess then informs our way of life. So, the status confes-
sionis becomes the basic question of believing, that is, the
2 SC, I, 6.
interplay, we might say, between the fides quae, the faith my grandmother. Her name was Edna Alma Frederica
that we believe, and the fides qua, the faith that believes Wilhelmina Cubycheck. She was baptized at St. Pauls
heartfelt trust and assurance in Jesus Christ as Savior. And German Reformed Church on the north side of Chicago,
that heartfelt trust and assurance then manifests itself in and brought up in German-speaking home that became
practical expressions of what we confess. very Lutheran. One of her conditions for dating my
Here I think you can hear some echoes of two other of grandfather once they had met was that he study Luther's
our presentations from Dr. Pfeiffer and Prof. Bustamante Small Catechism. He did, and he learned to love this as a
in respect to the interaction of confession and act. Here marvelous expression of the Gospel, and so influential and
this echo of lex orandi lex credendi, however, I think takes informative was it for him that from that time forward,
on a particularly Lutheran edge. That is our emphasis on beginning already in the year 1929, he regularly studied
lex credendi, the confession, the faith which we believe, the Catechism. And by regularly, I mean he took a copy
in forming and producing in our of it with him as he worked. He
lives the acts of confession. That This faith that we confess was a very humble simple man,
is to say, doctrinal theology is pipe fitter we would call him,
primary. But, how do you make
then informs our way of life. he was a pipe fitter, installing
that transition from principle So, the status confessionis and repairing heating and air
to action, from status confessio- becomes the basic question of conditioning units. During his
nis to actus confessionis? Luther believing, that is, the interplay, work breaks, he would take this
thought about this, of course, and we might say, between the fides catechism out of his pocket and
reflected on it. Again, from the read it and study it. He knew
Large Catechism, Luther wrote
quae, the faith that we believe, the Catechism better than any
that pastors would morning, and the fides qua, the faith that person I have ever met in my
noon, and night read a page believesheartfelt trust and life. You could ask him any
or two from the catechism, the assurance in Jesus Christ as explanation, to repeat any one
Prayer Book, the New Testament, Savior. And that heartfelt trust of the six chief parts, you could
or some other passage from the ask him the proof text from the
Bible, and they would pray the
and assurance then manifests catechism explanation and he
Lords Prayer for themselves and itself in practical expressions of could tell you right away. He
their parishioners.3 Luther also what we confess. knew them all much better than
makes it clear that it is the duty I do. And, when his catechism
of every head of household at least once a week to examine came to me after his death as a memento, I was stunned
the children and servants one after the other and ascer- at the battered condition of it. He had repeatedly put new
tain what they know or are learning of [the catechism], covers on it, and every page was grimy and dirty from
and, if they do not know it, to keep them faithfully at it.4 constant usage. He had gone from having this from status
This comes home in a very personal way with me, confessionis to actus confessionis. His whole life was actus.
if I might share this story. My mothers father was not a That is what we are looking for in terms of our own
typical Lutheran in the city of Chicago in the first third catechetical enterprise, and that is what I think Dr.
the 1900s. He was a pure-blooded Scotsman. His name Masaki is challenging us, to hold up as a way forward and
was Raymond Kirkpatrick, the least German-sounding the task for confessional Lutherans, and it is key that we
name you could ever imagine. Having come from do so for we know that within the Lutheran tradition that
Scottish roots and with roots in the Presbyterian tra- has not always been an easy thing to maintain, confes-
dition, the Kirkpatricks had over time drifted into the sional faithfulness.
Salvation Army. He found that very unsatisfying and, as When our own Dr. Luther died in 1546, the future
a result, had largely removed himself from active par- of his work was uncertain. That was due to the fact that
ticipation in any expression of the churchuntil he met his reforming work occurred within the context of very
challenging circumstances. There were several reforma-
3 LC, preface, 3. tion problems that consistently posed themselves. For
4 LC, Short preface, 4. example, the question of ecclesiology consistently faced

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod 55

the Lutheran Reformers: Are we a movement within the And then there were more emergencies. In the wake
Church Catholics or are we a Church? How do we know of Luthers death, theological, political and social issues
when we have moved from being one to the other? If we foisted themselves upon his church. The picture we often
are a Church, what does that mean? How should we pre- get of the Holy Roman Empire and the German nation
pare pastors? Can and should we ordain pastors? There is one that shows some of the complexity in comparison
was also the problem of living within the confines of a to the surrounding nations, but when one takes a closer
territorial Churchhis region, his religion (cuius regio, look at the positions of Germany as we like to refer to it
eius religio). Luther confronted these issues in part during singly, in the singular, it really begins to manifest itself.
his own life; they became very pronounced among the The German states were not united at this point in time.
Lutherans following his death. Indeed, there were hundreds of discreet political-ecclesial
We sometimes romanticize the Reformation and entities within the Holy Roman Empire. However, within
think, well everything was wonderful back then. We that context of the cuius regio eius religio principle, there
have our great Martin Luther posting the 95 Theses and was a different ruler for each of those entities. There were
he never had to face anything difficult from that point social realities, and, as we know so well, there were the
forward. Reality, of course, was something different. numerous theological challenges that stretched Luther
Student populations at Wittenberg plunged after Luthers to Concord and beyond. The emergence of the Radical
excommunication and it took years to rebuild. Then Reformation, the Counter or Catholic Reformation, the
there was the question of who should Reformed tradition and Calvinism
be ordained. In 1539, this question was particularly in the Palatinate and then
being addressed in a very concrete way. There is still a troubles, of course, within the Lutheran
We know that in 1535, the ordinations residue of God- family that would be addressed finally
began in Wittenberg. The question of by the Formula of Concord (1577).
thinking in the
can we ordain? was answered pos- However, even the Book of Concord in
itively, as was the question of how to United States, and 1580 did not settle all matters. Shortly
do it. What remained was the ques- this provides an thereafter, in 1592 to be precise (a little
tion of who should be ordained. In opportunity for more than a decade after the adoption
1539, a full third of those ordained Lutheran catechesis. of the Concordia), the Saxon Church
were not fully trained at the university issued its Visitation Articles because
in Wittenberg. There was a merchant, theological divisions remained among
there were two town secretaries, ten burghers, one stone- the Lutherans. The four articles of the Saxon Visitation
mason, six sextons, one councilman, one clothier, three Articles were: Baptism, the Lords Supper, election, and
village schoolmen and eleven printers; those book buyers Christology. The Formula's primary target is Calvinism.
are always involved. So, thirty-six of one-hundred ten It is even more obvious in the Saxon Visitation Articles.
men who were ordained at Wittenberg in the year 1539 As a result, the Visitation Articles purpose was to deter-
had not gone through the full program. Conditions were mine whether there were still crypto-Calvinists among
such that Luther and his colleagues said we must take the the Lutherans a decade and a half after the Formula
best candidates we can find who have a sufficient theo- of Concord.
logical education and set them apart. But setting apart Within the Lutheran tradition, however, there were
was necessary. other points of tension. Marvelous works that emerged
This is a concrete action of the Reformation taking its from this period of difficulty, like the Magdeburg
ideal and working it out in difficult circumstances. At the Confession of April 13, 1550, are now available in English
same time, and this must be said as well, this was never translation. Our Concordia Publishing House has pub-
seen as the ideal for preparation for Lutheran ministry. lished the Church Order from Braunschweig-Woffenbttel
Rather Wittenbergs aim was to move beyond this, once assembled primarily by Martin Chemnitzthis is a tre-
Lutheranism as an institution began to establish itself. mendous resource that everyone interested in the Book
And so, the numbers of those not going through the full of Concord should read. It provides a window into
program quickly declined as well, even as the student what Lutherans were actually doing, how their doctrine
population of Wittenberg increased. Thus, the emergency informed their practice in the year 1569; namely, the how
was overcome. the status confessionis informed the actus confessionis.

56 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

Twenty-first Century Application Then 97% of the mainline churches, this would be where
Perhaps you are thinking, That is all old stuff. What does the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the ELCA
this mean for the twenty-first century? Can we express is located, 97% believe in God, but less than two-thirds
the Biblical faith in enduringly valid terms? This was a believe that God is a personal God, 26%, 1 in 4 as a
question raised within the Missouri Synod in the 1960s, personal force. Looking at the rest of those as you are
and the answer given then was, no. I, however, insist on interested.
answering yes. The Biblical faith, the fides quae, is one Where things get interesting, however, is in Pews
and it must be translated into our times. Reminding our- data on the unaffiliatedthe nones. Among the unaffil-
selves of the Luther quote once more, For you should not iated, 21% of atheists indicate that they believe in God.
assume that the young people will learn and retain this How can this be? It may be that the halo effect is in
teaching from sermons alone.5 play; namely, when one is asked a question, one responds
In 2008, the Pew Research Forum issued an extensive with the answer that one thinks the questioner wants to
study of the American people and their religious beliefs, hear. If that is the case, it still will not account for 1 in 5
and one of the amazing things that came out of this atheists believing in God. More important than explain-
investigation was that nearly 80% of Americans self-iden- ing why this might be, I think it is more important to
tified as Christiana remarkable statistic for a developed realize the opportunity that this provides. It does indi-
Western country. 78.4% of Americans answered the ques- cate is that there is a rich mission field within the United
tion Are you a Christian? favorably. At States, and that there is still the oppor-
that point in 2008, 51.3% of Americans tunity to speak very frankly with people
The challenge about God. More than half of agnostics
self-identified as Protestant, either
evangelical, mainline or in one of the
is for each of us self-identify as believers in God. Among
historically black churches of the US. to be faithful in the secular unaffiliated, two-thirds
Over 50% of America was Protestant (it confessing the faith believe in God, and among the reli-
has since fallen just under 50%). This is once delivered to the gious affiliated, a higher percent than
what makes people think that America the national percentage believe in God.
Saints so that we can There is still a residue of God-thinking
is a Christian nation.
In this religiously saturated situa-
see individuals then in the United States, and this provides
tion, some interesting things do emerge. in turn hold to that an opportunity for Lutheran catechesis.
Some that are hopeful, and some that faith in their hearts, But it is going to be a challenge, because
are challenging. 16.1% of Americans trusting in Christ as one of the other questions that the Pew
self-identified as unaffiliated. We call researchers asked was among those who
their Savior. are affiliated, Do you believe that many
them "nones" in the United States
those who have no religion. When they religions can lead to eternal life? Those
are asked, What is your religion? they check the box affiliated, 70% said yes, including, and alarmingly to me,
that says none. This is the fastest growing religion in including, 57% of evangelicals. Now, another word of
America if you can call it thatnone. caution at this point, it could be given America's denom-
When you begin to drill down into the data some inational character that when asked, "do you believe
remarkable things emerge. When asked if they believe many religions can lead to eternal life?" people thought
in God, 90% plus of Americans in 2008 answered yes. in denominational terms. But, it also suggests that there
Among Protestants, 98% said they believe in God, and is increasing number of people who simply do not believe
of that, nearly 75% believe that God is a personal God. in the exclusive claims of Christianity, and this will be a
Only 19% believe God is an impersonal force. Higher challenge for confessional Lutheranism. Here, we must be
among evangelicals, and this is where our Lutheran clear in our confession of the faith once delivered to us.
ChurchMissouri Synod is typically located in these In the wake of the Pew report, we see an ongoing
kinds of surveys, 99% believe in God, and 80% believe decline. By 2015 the number of nones have climbed
in a God with whom they have a personal relationship. to 22.8, going from 1 in 5 almost to nearly now 1 in 4
Americans being religiously unaffiliated. Americans are
5 LC, Short preface, 2425. departing from the Church in record numbers. But they

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod 57

are not secularizing necessarily in the same way as it has
occurred in Western Europe.

Conclusion
All of this underscores why we need to know our various
contexts. If we are going to confess the unchanging faith,
faithfully in our changing contexts, we need to make the
effort to know and understand those contexts. We need
to know what our people are thinking and what people
outside the Church are thinking, in order to be faith-
ful. Faithfulness is the bottom line for us as a practicing
Lutherans, faithful in the twenty-first century. We cant
simply look back romantically to images real and imag-
ined of Wittenberg. The challenge is for each of us to be
faithful in confessing the faith once delivered to the Saints
so that we can see individuals then in turn hold to that
faith in their hearts, trusting in Christ as their Savior. It
will be difficult, it will be challenging, but I take heart
from my closing quote here, it is one I often use partic-
ularly when I become a little distressed at the enormity
of the task that lies in front of each one of us. It comes
from C.F.W. Walther, one year into his presidency of the
Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod, it was 1848, he was
giving his first speech after a year as president of our
Senate, and he said this, Above all and of all matters be
concerned about this that the pure doctrine of our dear
Evangelical Lutheran Church may become known more
and more completely among us, that it may be in vogue
in all of our congregations and that it may be preserved
from all adulteration and held fast as the most precious
treasure. Let us not surrender one iota of the demands
of the Word. Let us bring about its complete rule in our
congregations and set aside nothing of it. Here, let us
be inflexible. Here, let us be avid. If we do this, we need
not worry about the success of our labor, even though it
should seem to be in vain, it cannot then be in vain, for
the Word does not return void but prospers in the thing
where to the Lord sent it. By the Word alone, without
any other power, the Church was found. By the Word
alone, all the great deeds recorded in Church history were
accomplished. By the Word alone the Church will most
assuredly stand also in these last days of sore distress, to
the end of days, even the Gates of Hell will not prevail
against her.

Rev. Dr. Lawrence Rast president of Concordia Theological

Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.

58 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

Closing Remarks
ILC World Seminaries
Conference
by Albert B. Collver
T oday the theologians of our church
lament to the very depths of their souls the
apostasy from pure doctrine for which we all
take responsibility. The theologians of those churches
lament what they call the sin of division. For us true
repentance in the church means becoming serious again
about the confession of our church.Hermann Sasse,
The Confessions and the Unity of the Church, 19371
The International Lutheran Councils World
Seminaries Conference 2016 had the theme: Shaping
Confessional Lutheranism for the 21st Century: The
Impact of the Lutheran Reformation on Mission,
Worship, and Worldview.
The Lutheran Reformation has had a profound effect
on the entire world. No matter how a person regards
the Reformation, or how they regard Martin Luther, it
is impossible to deny the impact it has had both on the
church and the world, from the realigning of geo-polit-
ical boundaries, to greatly expanding the translation of
the Bible into the vernacular, to clarifying the distinction
of Law and Gospel, to giving birth to many Protestant
church bodies, to prompting the Counter-Reformation
and the reforms introduced by the Council of Trent,
and perhaps most importantly, to expanding the procla-
mation of the clear Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.
Depending upon ones point of view, not all of these
effects are seen as positive, but there is no denying the
1 Hermann Sasse, The Lonely Way: Selected Essays and Letters, vol. 1,
trans. Matthew C. Harrison, et al. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 2001), 359.
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
huge impact. Some 500 years later, the Christian Church
is wrestling with how to regard the Reformation.
Many people have responded to the Reformation by
seeking to bring about the fulfillment of Jesus prayer
that the Church may be one. Indeed, all Christians con-
fess they believe in one, holy Christian and apostolic
church. Yet on this earth, as Saint Paul wrote, there must
be factions among you in order that those who are gen-
uine among you may be recognized (1 Cor. 11:19). Here
Saint Paul is not speaking about unnecessary divisions
and separations based upon sinful pride or upon desires
for power. Saint Paul describes divisions that are neces-
sary to preserve the pure proclamation of Jesus Christ and
His Gospel of forgiveness. The Lutheran worldview can
be seen as divisive as it has an impact on the Church and
world in the areas of mission and worship. This fact pres-
ents a difficult challenge for the Lutheran churches who
find their beginning or re-birth connected to the events
of the Prussian Union in 1817. Most of the churches in
the International Lutheran Council (ILC) began either
in reaction against the Prussian Union, or were formed
subsequently by those churches which came out of the
Prussian Union seeking to preserve the Old Lutheran
understanding of the Gospel, fellowship, and worship.
The beginnings of the International Lutheran
Council (ILC) can be traced to the 1952 Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) Assembly in Hanover, Germany. Prior
to this assembly, there was the possibility that the LWF
would remain a federation of churches instead of a com-
munion of churches who practice altar fellowship without
59
agreement in all areas of doctrine. After the communion
service at the Marktkirche in Hanover, representatives
from The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod and repre-
sentatives from some of the free churches met in Uelzen
in 1952. This marked the beginning of the International
Lutheran Conference, which became the International
Lutheran Council in 1993 at its meeting in Antigua,
Guatemala. The ILC was not founded to compete with the
LWF, but rather to provide a clear Lutheran confession
for world Lutheranism. The ILC represents the voice of
the Old Lutherans / Exclusive Lutherans, while the LWF
represents the voice of Progressive Lutherans / Inclusive
Lutherans. The difference comes down to the understand-
ing of the Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions,
dividing world Lutheranism into two types or families.
The churches of the ILC hold that the Holy Scriptures are
the inspired and inerrant word of God. The churches of
the ILC unreservedly accept the Lutheran Confessions as
found in the Book of Concord. In contrast, the churches of
the LWF, particularly the Western (North American and
European) churches, do believe that the Holy Scriptures
contain the word of God and that the Scriptures are a
source for doctrine but not necessarily life. In some sense,
the Western churches of the LWF contextualize the Holy
Scriptures through the present context. The Lutheran
Confessions, particularly the Augsburg Confession, are
seen as a mark of Lutheran identity, more of a historical
document than a living document. Differentiating these
two positions is not intended to criticize as much as to
show the distinction between the two groups, and to
provide space or a rationale for the existence of the ILC.
Though churches of the ILC are in the minority compared
to the LWF, both in terms of numbers and funding, the
ILC represents a voice and tradition in world Lutheranism
that is not readily found within the LWF.
Our task in the world for the twenty-first century is
to present, in a winsome way, the saving Gospel of Jesus
Christ. This Gospel of Jesus speaks compassionately to
a world which has lost its moral compass, a world that
has not only forsaken traditional Judeo-Christian values
and morals, but also to a world that is actively seeking to
suppress that message. We have the challenge of provid-
ing a clear confession to the world and to the Lutheran
churches in the world. We have the challenge of encour-
aging Lutheran Christians in their confession and
identity, and to remain faithful not only in the face of false
teaching but also in the face of governments and religions
that oppose the cross of Jesus. We have the challenge of
60 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
presenting historic Christian values in the face of world-
wide progressive values, which seek to marginalize, if
not eliminate, viewpoints that oppose its views on mar-
riage and sexuality. We face the challenge of remaining
Lutheran Christians in this world, and bearing witness to
the truths of the Holy Scriptures. Left to ourselves, this
task would be impossible. We are not left to remain faith-
ful alone. Our Lord Jesus has given His Holy Spirit to keep
us in the one true faith. Our Lord Jesus has promised to
never leave us or forsake us. Our Lord Jesus has promised
that the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church.
We bear witness not alone, but with our Lord Jesus.
This means for the churches of the ILC, each chal-
lenge is a new opportunity in Jesus. As the world becomes
more hostile to the truth, as churches move away from
the historic faith in favor of a progressive agenda, the
Lords sheep hear His voice and seek the places they hear
Him speak. Particularly because of the position some
Western Lutheran churches have taken on same-sex
marriage and the ordination of practicing homosexu-
als, a number of churches in the Global South are eager
to hear the witness provided by the churches of the ILC.
This ILC World Seminaries Conference, and the 2015
ILC World Conference had in attendance church leaders
who represented over twenty million Lutherans around
the world. This is a significant increase since the ILCs
humble beginnings in 1952. The ILC currently has 38
members and a number of new membership requests for
consideration at the ILCs 2018 World Conference. The
ILC is working to revise its bylaws to enable the organi-
zation to be more effective and viable in the twenty-first
century. The ILC continues to provide encouragement to
its member churches through conferences and publica-
tions, and is now seeking to develop programs to enhance
Lutheran identity among member churches. The ILC has
more new opportunities than it has resources to meet. In
short, the ILC has great potential. The ILCs Seminaries
Conference on Shaping Confessional Lutheranism for the
21st Century: The Impact of the Lutheran Reformation
on Mission, Worship, and Worldview sought to celebrate
the 500 year history of the Lutheran church, while look-
ing forward to how the churches of the ILC can continue
to impact the world.
Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver is the executive secretary of the ILC.
B o ok R eview a nd C omme n tary
Brand Luther: 1517, Printing, and the
Making of the Reformation
by Andrew Pettegree (New York: Penguin, 2015)
by Adam Koontz

T he flood of words in books and articles, on blogs,

and at conferences commemorating, discussing,
and making hay of 1517 is already here. One Andrew
mines to Luthers death at Eisleben seeking to reconcile
feuding brothers. Someone without much or any clear
knowledge of Luthers life story will gain it from this
Pettegrees insights presented in his new book on Luther book. Into the bargain, Pettegree draws Luther without
and the media of his day is that this flood is nothing new. enlisting him as the herald or hero of something much
The German printing market boomed in the first quarter larger than himself. Pettegrees Luther is not the harbinger
of the sixteenth century in large part thanks to Luthers of modern freedom of conscience, the German nation, or
very modern ability to write about theology in clear, even of all the Lutheranism that followed him. He was a
brief, and convincing vernacular language. Fortunes were man of singularly great intellect and facility of expression
made printing and publishing who was courageously tenacious
in the German world where or foolishly obtuse, depending
each printer could, without on ones sympathies. He was
hindrance, reprint the Luther
Amid a flood already mighty at Worms in defending
texts from Wittenberg that begun and perhaps now a conscience captive to the word
would sell by the hundreds and itself 500 years old of of God, uniquely instrumental in
thousands. Pettegree marshals the history of the German nation
a detailed knowledge of that Lutheriana, this new and the German language, and
particular story into line with the book retells the story you the theological progenitor of
larger stories of the Reformation what Pettegree calls a new way
and Luthers life and career.
may already know with of being a Christian commu-
Pettegree does not write for accuracy, fresh facts, nity instantly recognizable to
the specialist. He uses the word and insights. modern Lutherans in its devo-
Reformation with a capital tion to Scripture and the primacy
R and without any discussion of congregational song. Yet
of a variety of reformations, including a Catholic one. Pettegree is careful never to make Luther merely the sum
Although the book covers the period from roughly 1480 of everything or everyone he influenced, a cipher we fill in
to 1580, the word confessionalization does not appear for ourselves in commemoration of the great man.
once even when he is talking about the clarification of This is most clear when Pettegree narrates Luthers
confession and political status at events like the Diet of two major absences from Wittenberg between 1517 and
Speyer in 1529 or the publication of the Book of Concord his death in 1546his friendly imprisonments at the
in 1580. Commendably, he makes the outline of the his- Wartburg in 15211522 and at Coburg Castle in 1530. It
tory of the Reformation, the biography of Luther, and was during those times that we have the clearest picture
the role of printing in them comprehensible to someone of how much Luther was involved in from day to day as
neither pursuing a degree in nor making a living from he wrote and agonized about all he could not control. He
the subject. gave detailed instructions to his wife Katie in 1530 about
The narrative heart of the book is the biography of how a manuscript should be yanked from one printer and
Luther, traced from his fathers investment in copper given to another, even as the first printer sent a beautiful

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod 61

final copy of the book to him, arriving after Luthers exco- very sympathetic portrait of John Eck), and its eventual
riating instructions were already en route home. As he theological diversity, introducing at least briefly everyone
wrote at a superhuman pace in 15201522 and managed from the more famous Zwingli, Bucer, and Calvin to the
and reviewed everything from university curricula to the less famous but important Rhegius, Zell, and Mntzer.
placement of pastors in rural Saxon parishes to numerous He is predictably eloquent on the role of printing and
manuscripts at diverse and sundry printers all at once, its suppression in markets more highly regulated than
Luthers energy is astounding and his very human frustra- Germanys, like France, England, or the Low Countries,
tions and dislikes evident. which meant the suppression of nascent Lutheran sympa-
The brand the title identifies is the distinctive appear- thies. In a few paragraphs or a few pages, he covers topics
ance of Luthers writings that the reformer promoted after as various as Zwinglis progression from parish priest
early mishaps with Rhau-Grunenberg, the only printer to his battlefield death, the relationship between Duke
in Wittenberg when Luther arrived there. There were six George of Saxony and Jerome Emser, and the southwest-
other centers of printing in the German world: Leipzig in ern German origins of the Bundschuh cause leading to
nearby ducal Saxony with its own university, Augsburg, the Peasants War of 1525. He is able to discuss all of this
Nuremberg, Basel, Cologne, and Strasbourg. Wittenbergs without becoming ponderous or superficial.
sole printer was terribly backward by comparison, and There is much to enjoy here, not least the detailed
once the thirty-four-year-old hitherto obscure professor maps of Luthers world and well-chosen illustrations of
of Bible began to make a sensation with the publication major figures. There is much Pettegree says that is char-
of the Ninety-Five Theses, which were quickly reprinted acteristically concise and precise that we cannot here
throughout the German world, Luther knew that discuss. Amid a flood already begun and perhaps now
Wittenberg needed a sophisticated, modern look for its itself 500 years old of Lutheriana, this new book retells the
German-language Flugschriften, the very brief, very pun- story you may already know with accuracy, fresh facts,
gent writings so popular across Germany, for its academic and insights. Pettegree tells a newer story about Luthers
works in Latin, and eventually for the German Bible, relationship to media that is fruitful for reflection in our
issued in parts from the September Testament of 1522 to own time of massive changes in how people come to see
the first complete Bible printed by Hans Lufft in 1534. what they see and know what they know and finally to
With the aid of Lucas Cranach and the Lotter print- believe what they believe.
ing family, Luther put together a look for even the
smallest pamphlets that would make both Luther and
Wittenberg famous enough to be used on writings that
were not strictly his and certainly had not been printed
in Wittenberg. A specialist in the history of books, espe-
cially printed books, Pettegree details the nature of early
modern printing and why, for instance, a Leipzig printer
with Catholic convictions would petition his staunchly
Catholic ruler for the right to print Luthers works for
sale in his staunchly Catholic territory. The interconnec-
tion of Luther with the emerging print media of his time
is necessary to understanding his success in view of his
early obscurity and later ignominy. Pettegree masterfully
demonstrates the interdependence of the writer and his
market.
In connection with that central story of Luther and his
use of what were then new media in ways before unused
by any theologian, Pettegree deftly adds a general sense
of the flow of the Reformation (including the humanists
like Erasmus and Pirckheimer initially sympathetic to
it), political and theological opposition to it (including a

62 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

B o ok R eview a nd C omme n tary
Pauline Hermeneutics: Exploring the
Power of the Gospel
edited by Eve-Marie Becker and Kenneth Mtata, LWF Studies, 2016/3 (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2017)
by John G. Nordling

P auline Hermeneutics, the result of an international

conference at Aarhus University, September 24-29,
2015, is the fourth in a series of international conferences
and even morality are not acceptable as is but require the
church to make such complicated texts relevant (59).
The next two essays take up spiritual gifts (Rospita
convened to prepare for the 500th anniversary of the Deliana Siahaan) and creation and reconciliation (Roger
Reformation. (Earlier conferences focused on the Gospel Marcel Wanke). Siahaan argues that churches should not
of John, the Psalms, and the Gospel of Matthew.) The judge each other in terms of practicing charismata but
purpose of the Paul conference in particular was to bring respect real differencessuch as speaking in tongues,
together exegetical and theological expertise from all parts or not (71). Reconciliation finally comes down to Gods
of the world to evaluate the Pauline tradition of gospel unconditional forgiveness in Jesus Christ, and so-called
interpretation in view of current objective reconciliation (83 n. 39)
scholarly debates in New Testament may involve financial compensation
studies and Luthers writings. I shall to achieve earthly justice or preserve
treat the contribution of each scholar
I kept wondering the environment.
in turn before providing a more what the Marianne Bjelland Kartzow
general evaluation at the end. alternative to advances so-called intersectional
After a pair of introductory essays hermeneuticswhich, as she freely
on hermeneutical implications of church discipline admits, is a further step in the fem-
the gospel (Kenneth Mtata) and might be: inist interpretation of the Bible (85).
how Paul deals with traditions (Eve- Hagar, for example, should be recog-
Marie Becker), Oda Wischmeyer
Pentecostalism? nized because she has been excluded
explores such principles of Pauline Ancestor worship? (97), a hermeneutic that subverts
hermeneutics as the Greco-Roman Pauls intent and, in my view, pre-
background, Jewish foundations, and fers darkness to light, wickedness
Pauls understanding of the Spirit in 2 Corinthians 3. The to goodness, and error to truth (see the examples on p.
Spirit is by no means divorced from the letter, though Paul 95). This way of reading Scripture can be quite difficult
seems sometimes to downgrade Moses (43) to bring to follow, and Kartzow herself acknowledges that her
to expression the christological euagglion at Corinth. interpretations are necessarily complex (93). A more
Magnus Zetterholm analyzes Pauls use of the slave-mas- traditionaland usefulessay by Lubomir Batka follows
ter metaphor from various perspectivesfor example, on Pauls understanding of citizenship in Philippians.
the ubiquity of slavery in ancient times, Pauls portrayal of Power relations at Philippi could have been replicated in
himself as a slave, connections between servility and slav- the congregation, opines Batka (106 n. 20), and this con-
ery at Rome, and how Egyptian slavery formed Judaism tribution surpasses the others in its coming to terms with
at core. On the other hand, he might find problematic the original Sitz im Leben.
the possibility that ancient slavery remains pertinent for Faustin Mahali argues that Africans are so amena-
modern Christians still todayin their coming to terms ble to Luthers doctrine of justification by grace through
with the biblical (and Lutheran) understanding of voca- faith that so-called stringent church discipline
tion, for example. In Zetterholms view, biblical ideologies (113, 116, 120) hampers the gospel in Africa. I kept

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod 63

wondering what the alternative to church discipline Christocentric positions that line up with what the word
might be: Pentecostalism? Ancestor worship? Mahali of God has alwaysand continuesto reveal. While
seems quite open to such phenomena in African Lutheran avoiding the Scylla of fundamentalism, they fall prey to
Christianity. Urmas Nmmik summarizes Estonian dis- the Charybdis of agnosticismdeciding, as many mod-
cussions among Lutherans on homosexuality before erns do, that ancient texts have no authoritative meaning
concluding that the issue cannot be decided from ancient for the present day. However, since the word of the
evidence nor the Pauline texts. In Nmmiks opinion, Lord remains forever (Is 40:8; 1 Pet 1:25), the Lutheran
Holy Scripture needs constantly to be reevaluated in light churchs task ought be not only to preach Christ faithfully
of changing sociocultural circumstances (13940) and before the heathen, but also to cherish the finer things
the church should heed the reality of personal experience of Gods creation (see Phil 4:8-9)such as, for example,
(141). Likewise, Mercedes L. Garcia Bachmanns essay good thinking at international conferences of this sort,
pondering the difference between called and cold marriage between a man and a woman, and legal systems
saints (an obvious pun) does no sufficient justice to the that genuinely punish the wicked (as identified by the
Pauline expression kltois hagiois (to the called saints) Decalogue) and reward the good. Portions of essays con-
in two letter openings (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:2). In fact this is tained in Pauline Hermeneutics contain some good (i.e.,
a significant phrase, exegetically speaking: a Christians theologically sound) material, though also much chaff
holiness depends on Christs righteousness in baptism and and straw.
in the calling of the gospel Christians alone have prox-
imity to in the means of grace (see Nordling, Philemon
[St. Louis: Concordia, 2004], 202). Bachmann, however, is
either unwilling (or incapable?) of conducting more tra-
ditional biblical exegesis. Indeed, she admits that she is
not entirely sure of what she is writing about (145).
Bernd Oberdorfer acknowledges that Luther was
a full-blown Paulinist in his doctrine of justification
by grace through faith, although ethics certainly mat-
tered both to Paul and Luther. The so-called new life
in Christ shows continuity with Judaism in such matters
as marriage, slavery, and the role of womenalthough
the author cannot understand why it is self-evident
that homosexuality disrespects the God-given, natural
order of the created world (162). In the authors opinion,
Christian ethics boils down to self-restraint, mutuality,
equality, and solidarity (165)foundations upon which
rest the so-called gospel of equality and fairness dogging
so many mainline churches nowadays. In a final essay,
Hans-Peter Grosshans ponders Christianitys engagement
with culture and hope for the world to come. Christians
are no longer citizens of this world but already have
one foot in heaven (Phil 3:20). Those whose god is the
belly (Phil 3:19) are, in the authors opinion, misguided
Christians who seek stability in a fallen world (175).
Admittedly, this once-over does scant justice to the
level of theological sophistication provided in most of
the essays and overlooks many details. However, I find
myself disappointed by some obvious problems (for
example, blatant feminism, an openness to homosexual-
ity) and failure of many of the authors to arrive at firm,

64 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

B o ok R eview a nd C omme n tary
The Enduring Authority of the Christian
Scriptures
edited by D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016)
by John T. Pless

T o say that this volume is comprehensive

would be an understatement indeed! Over 1200
pages populated by thirty-seven scholars with proven
and often internationally recognized expertise in biblical
studies, historical theology, and systematics, this book
is a learned and robust affirmation of the authority of
Holy Scriptures. The Bible is approached not with a
hermeneutic of suspicion but one of confident faith that
God himself is speaking in and through the inspired
Scriptures and that these writings
are utterly reliable.
Under the able editorship
of D. A. Carson, one of the
All in all, this is an
most prolific New Testament outstanding contribution
scholars of our day, topics demonstrating the
ranging from the history of
interpretation, questions of depth and vigor
epistemology, apologetics, of contemporary
contemporary hermeneutics,
diversity within the canon, and
conservative and
the relationship of the Bible to evangelical theology on
the scriptures of major world reli- biblical authority.
gions are treated. Carson himself
contributes an opening chapter
that surveys the current shape of the current debate over
the Scriptures, noting shifts in the reception and, in some
cases rejection of, earlier forms of the historical-critical
approach to the Bible. For example, Carson narrates the
angry and sweeping critique of historical-critical exe-
gesis offered by Klaus Berger, emeritus professor at the
University of Heidelberg to the more tepid yet pointed
critique of Ulrich Wilkens from Hamburg. Cason also
engages Roy Harrisvilles Pandoras Box Opened: An
Examination of the Defense of Historical-Critical Method
and its Master Practitioners and the now nearly classic
work of Brevard Childs and N.T. Wright. The old Battle
for the Bible of the 1960s and 1970s may be over, but
the struggle continues and sometimes with new allies.
Not only Carson but nearly all of his authorial team have
read widely and are fully conversant with a wide range
of not only theological interpreters of the Bible, but also
current philosophical and linguistic theory. Carson con-
cludes the volume with a chapter entitled Summarizing
FAQs, which briefly and coherently demonstrates why
the contemporary debates surrounding the character and
authority of Scripture do matter for the life and mission of
the church.
Carsons team contains
numerous heavy hitters. Kevin
Vanhoozer takes up the relation-
ship of the Scriptures to doctrine
in an essay entitled May We Go
Beyond What is Written After
All? The Problem of Theological
Authority and the Problem
of Doctrinal Development.
Vanhoozer argues that preaching
and pastoral care do call us to go
beyond what is written but never
against the grain of the text;
instead theologians and preach-
ers proceed along the grain of the text, following the
way the words go (792). Simon Gathercole takes up the
question of apostolic unity in early Christian literature
challenging Walter Bauers thesis arguing the priority of
heresy over orthodoxy in the early church. Contemporary
Roman Catholic views of scriptural authority are exam-
ined and assessed by Anthony N.S. Lane while Osvaldo
Padilla engages postconservative theologians, especially
Stanley Grenz and John R. Franke. A chapter by R. Scott
Smith also takes up non-foundational epistemology
and the truthfulness of Scripture. Karl Barths view of
Scripture is the subject of the chapter by David Gibson.
Numerous authors engage Bart Ehrman in one way or

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod 65

another; the essay by Peter Williams is specifically aimed All in all, this is an outstanding contribution demon-
at Ehrman. strating the depth and vigor of contemporary conservative
Several essays deal with the relationship of the and evangelical theology on biblical authority. It is well
Old Testament to the New (Craig Blomberg, Stephen worth reading and careful study by Lutherans who receive
Dempster, Douglas Moo, and Andrew David Naselli). the Scriptures as the word of God and are committed to
Bruce Waltke contrasts ancient mythologies, i.e., proclaiming the one saving gospel of Gods justification
Mesopotamian myths, with the biblical record in his dis- of the ungodly according to these prophetic and apostolic
cussion of myth and history after noting a most positive writings.
evaluation of mythology in contemporary anthropolog-
ical studies. He concludes that, The human spirit in its
hunger for truth, for reality, requires the philosophers
reasoning and the poets intuition (575). Kristen Birkett
addresses the relationship of science to Scripture, arguing
that without the foundation of the Christian Scripture,
science makes very little sense, for it is only the Scripture
that reveals the purpose of the universe that scientists
study so avidly (986). A related essay by Rodney Stiling
narrates the rise of natural philosophy and its challenge to
biblical authority in the seventeenth century.
Those involved in mission work among adherents of
other world religions will find four essays that deal with
truth claims competing with the Holy Scriptures in Islam,
Hinduism, and Buddhism.
Two chapters have a special appeal for confessional
Lutherans. Mark Thompsons The Generous Gift of a
Gracious Father: Toward a Theological Account of the
Clarity of Scripture is a fine exposition of the christo-
logical character of the Scriptures as he takes up Luthers
question, [I] f scripture is obscure or ambiguous, what
point is there in God giving it to us? (617). Drawing on
the recent work of John Webster, Thompson challenges
contemporary denials of the clarity of Scripture, conclud-
ing, The clarity of Scripture remains an element of the
Christian doctrine of Scripture but its contours are deeply
theological and its center of gravity is found in the exam-
ple and teaching of Jesus Christ (643).
Finally, there is the essay by the sole Lutheran contrib-
utor to this collection, Robert Kolb, who writes on The
Bible in the Reformation and Protestant Orthodoxy.
While this is an exceedingly broad topic, Kolb master-
fully surveys the continuity and discontinuity between
Luther and other Protestant reformers and between the
reformers and their heirs in the age of orthodoxy. Kolbs
essay whets the appetite for his book, Martin Luther and
the Enduring Word of God: The Wittenberg School and
Its Significance for Scripture-Centered Proclamation from
Baker Academic Press.

66 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

B o ok R eview a nd C omme n tary
The Journal Articles of Hermann Sasse
edited by Matthew C. Harrison, Bror Erickson, and Joel A. Brondos (Irvine, CA: New Reformation Publications, 2016)
by John T. Pless

H ermann Sasse (18951976) is remembered for

his staunch confessionalism, which was largely
out of step with twentieth-century theology. The journey
Concordia Publishing House. Other significant essays
have been translated and edited by Matthew Harrison
in the two-volume set The Lonely Way (CPH). Sasses
of his life was a movement away from the Prussian Union wartime sermons, translated by Bror Erickson, are avail-
and the teachers of his youth in Berlin, particularly able in Witness (Magdeburg Press). His major book on
Adolph von Harnack and Karl Holl, toward a carefully the Lords Supper, This is My Body, was published by
articulated case for the distinctiveness of the Lutheran Augsburg Publishing House in 1959. The Journal Articles
church in the world. Postgraduate studies at Hartford of Hermann Sasse now rounds out the corpus of Sasses
Seminary in 19251926 would expose him to American collected works in English.
Christianity. While in the States The materials in this most
he admits to becoming a loyal recent anthology are from the
Lutheran through the reading
Given the current Australian years. The majority
of Wilhelm Loehes Three Books of the articles and book reviews
about the Church. situation of global in this volume were published
Returning to Germany, Sasse Lutheranism, it is not in the Reformed Theological
was active in ecumenical affairs. Review, an Australian journal. It
He collaborated with Bonhoeffer
an overstatement to say was no accident that Sasse, who
in writing the Bethel Confession that Hermann Sasse was highly critical of Reformed
but refused to sign the Barmen spoke prophetically. intrusions into Lutheran theol-
Declaration as he evaluated it as ogy and church life, would be
Barthian. Along with such nota- a welcomed contributor to this
bles as Werner Elert and Paul Althaus, Sasse served on the journal. Sasse was respected as a conservative Lutheran
faculty at Erlangen during the Nazi era. It was during this theologian who was willing to engage with those outside
period that he wrote Here We Stand, a book that would of his tradition. In fact, Sasse served for a while as presi-
be translated into English in 1938 by his friend Theodore dent of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship in Australia.
Tappert and widely used in American Lutheran sem- Sasses confessionalism was by no means a narrow
inaries of all stripes in the 1940s and 50s. Disappointed parochialism. He was a friend and regular correspondent
with the unionistic path taken by the Lutheran Church in with Cardinal Augustin Bea, a highly influential figure in
Bavaria after World War II, Sasse immigrated to Australia the years of the Second Vatican Council. Several of the
for a teaching post at Immanuel Lutheran Seminary entries in The Journal Articles are commentary on deci-
in Adelaide. sions of the Council. A significant number of articles deal
While he was geographically isolated in Australia, with aspects of the ecumenical movement with which
Sasse kept abreast of theology in Europe and North Sasse was intimately acquainted. He narrates the history
America. His engagement was often through circu- of the ecumenical movement from its origins in pietism
lar letters, mimeographed and mailed to Lutheran and the great missionary movements of the nineteenth
pastors and professors the world over. The letters have century. In a 1953 essay, Sasse worries that the ecumenical
been collected and published in a three-volume set by movement is so eager for reunion that it neglects truth.

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod 67

He writes,
Ecumenical discussions can be fruitful but only
if carried on between those who have a common
doctrinal basis, be it the Nicene Creed or the sola
scriptura of the Reformation. Without such ex-
pression of common convictions and a common
faith, the ecumenical discussions will lead not
to a new Pentecost, but a Babel-like confusion of
tongues. That is the tragedy of modern ecumeni-
cal organizations. What is meant to be a means of
overcoming the divisions of Christendom has prac-
tically destroyed the unity that already existed. (7)

To be sure, Sasse is critical but there is no hint of mean

spiritedness or cynicism. His polemic is intended to serve
the truth of the one gospel which alone creates the unity
of the church.
Along with essays on matters ecumenical, there are
numerous essays on the nature of Holy Scripture and
its authority. Shortly after his arrival in Australia, Sasse
became entangled in debates on scriptural inerrancy to
the frustration and dismay of some of his friends in the
Wisconsin and Missouri Synods. Critical of both the
skepticism embodied in Rudolph Bultmann and the ahis-
torical approach of fundamentalism, Sasse sought a path
forward that would avoid both extremes. His essays exam-
ine the emergence of the dogma of Holy Scripture and are
suggestive of ways to confess that the Bible, like Christ,
has both a divine and human nature. Although misun-
derstood on this point, Sasse asserted that to speak of the
Bibles human nature does not imply a capacity for error.
Also included are forty-two book reviews published
in The Reformed Theological Review. These reviews
demonstrate the wide-range of Sasses theological interest
and give insight into his evaluation of his contemporar-
ies such as Wingren, Schlink, Tillich, Cullmann, Elert,
and Pelikan.
Given the current situation of global Lutheranism, it
is not an overstatement to say that Hermann Sasse spoke
prophetically. We have a record of his prophetic voice in
this volume. No sectarian, Sasse was both confessional
and ecumenical. He knew that the Lutheran Confessions
stand in service to the whole church of Jesus Christ. These
articles and reviews demonstrate the depth of his knowl-
edge and the wide range of his ecclesiastical connections.

68 Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

If decisions on human sexuality in recent years
illustrate how great segments of Lutheranism
have lost their way, the essays included in
The Necessary Distinction help guide you
to anchors we all need. These authors take
Christ, the Scriptures, and our confessions
seriously. They are not carbon copies of each
other. They put you through your paces, even if
CPH.ORG/NECESSARYDISTINCTION
you wrestle with certain details of their views.
Pastors as well as informed lay theologians will
profit from them. What a welcome contribution
to the 500th Reformation anniversary year!
REV. DR. ROBERT BUGBEE
President, Lutheran ChurchCanada
Vice-Chairman of the International Lutheran Council
Journal of Lutheran

Mission