I was shocked to read the Rev. John F. Wurst’s diatribe last Sunday against the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, or ELCA (Pastor’s view: “ELCA must repent for turning back on God,” April 25).
By: The Rev. Mark Osthus, For the News Tribune
In response: Attack on ELCA was pure baloney
I was shocked to read the Rev. John F. Wurst’s diatribe last Sunday against the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, or ELCA (Pastor’s view: “ELCA must repent for turning back on God,” April 25). What Wurst never mentioned in his commentary was that he is a pastor of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, or LCMS. The LCMS is a German immigrant church that has historically had a fine tradition of conservative values and quality scholarship. I have had many good and respectful conversations with LCMS clergy over the years without being subjected to the kind of vitriol that flowed from the Rev. Wurst.Martin Luther, after whom Lutheran churches are named, was a 16th-century reformer priest whose scholarship and genius gave much to the world in theology and philosophy. He was not perfect and had no problem identifying himself as a sinner. Many remember Luther’s famous words, “Sin boldly, but believe more boldly still.” However, there is a lesser known Luther quotation that is one of my favorites: “The most dangerous sin of all is the presumption of righteousness.” The simple truth is that God is righteous and humans are not. A presumptive attitude leads humans to dispense judgment in areas where only God has authority.
Why then did the Rev. Wurst seem to believe he had the right to encroach on what is rightfully God’s purview?
Martin Luther wrote some things that cannot be defended. But insofar as grace is concerned, we are hard-pressed to find anyone in the church’s history speak more eloquently. Christians live by grace alone, faith alone and Word alone. Luther warned against making an idol of the Bible, saying that it is the cradle that holds the Christ and that it is the Christ we worship and not the book.
We of the ELCA believe the Bible to be inspired, and that it is the rule and norm for our lives. When I read it I see love in abundance and room for all in God’s vast domain. I don’t recall Jesus saying one word about homosexuality or female preachers. He did, however, forgive sins and heal people. Then he commissioned all called by his grace to go into the world and proclaim the good news.
We live by faith and not certitude. When I meet Jesus in heaven, I will hope to have claimed too much for God’s grace rather than too little. In the meantime, I think that Christians have to trust the Spirit and let God be the judge. It seems to me that life is too short to seek sawdust in our neighbors’ eyes when we have a board in our own.
The Rev. Mark Osthus is pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church of Proctor and dean of the Lake Superior Conference of the Northeastern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, or ELCA.
***GJ - Pietism and unionism have always argued this way. Naturally, the leaders of the past would be mortified to see their logic used this way. The son of Zinzendorf (the Pietism leader) founded his own community, which had to be shut down because of all the love there.
