So I just got back from devotions. We went to Applebees to have it. Everything was going great and some of the guys started talking smack about the ELCA...I bit my lip the whole time because I knew there was nothing I could say to change their minds! Most of them are German and Lutheran and we German Lutherans don't change easily. We have hard heads! They then started talking about other denominations and it angered me especially talking about the Catholic Church. I guess this is what I get for going to a Unversity that is affliated with a judgemental Church. I still love it here. They just need to realize that we are all Christians. That is one of the major things keeping me from switching over is that aspect of being judgemental and not accepting other people.
If there is anyone out there who reads this...feel free to comment sometime...
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Hi Chad,
Saw your blog. Sorry some people are insensitive. I am an LCMS pastor and know some of my comrades and comrades to be can sometimes have some unChristian attitudes.Keep up your studies!
Work hard! It is a noble thing to be a pastor!
Thom
Being an ELCA pastor, I know our denomination is not perfect, but neither is any other.
Hang in there and I look forward to reading more about your journey. If you want to hang out with some other ELCA pastors, come over and stop by The Heart of a Pastor (www.erichullstrom.typepad.com)
Take care.
Chad,
I am a 2002 Ann Arbor graduate and a former SLR. Dorm devotions can be a very interesting experience when many of the participants are pre-seminary guys. I can assure you that your companions actually share the same concern you expressed in your post, "ranting," regarding false doctrine dividing the church. However, they have not yet developed the ability to articulate that concern without seeming divisive and judgmental. This is a stage young men must pass through if they are to become mature fathers, theologians, and pastors. By the time they graduate college they will have gotten it out of their system. By God's grace, their convictions won't have changed, but they will hopefully have developed the ability to express their convictions in more positive and persuasive ways rather than turning others off with their approach. Just be glad they're working through this phase in life at college and not out in the real world.
Keep in mind that the Bible actually commands Christians to judge doctrine (ask Dr. Shuta) but there is a point to be made that it does not give men license to act maliciously or slanderously to do so. Also remember that the fault for division in the church lies not with the defenders of pure doctrine, regardless of how repulsive their methods, but it rests solely on the shoulders of those who promote false teaching. The unity of the Una Sancta is not primarily found in the visible actions of earthly organizations, but in the Word and Sacraments as they are taught purely and administered rightly (AC VII & VIII). The organizational divisions we experience in this world are the unfortunate, yet necessary (1 Cor. 11:19) result of man sinfully imposing his own ideas upon the pure teaching of Scripture.
If you had seen Concordia 11 years ago, the divisiveness you see on campus today would seem like a pillow fight in comparison. I hope you are blessed greatly by the opportunity to study under wise theologians like Dr. Shuta and Prof. C. Schulz. May the Lord guide you through His Word as you consider the many theological questions you will surely encounter in your studies.
Post a Comment