Substitutionary Dissent?
On this day in 1521, the Monk Martin Luther appeared before the Diet of Worms and made his famous speech, concluding: "Hier stehe ich. Ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir. Amen." Luther had already been excommunicated by the Papal Bull Decet Romanum Pontificem, and the Exsurge Domine had been issued before that. What we tend to forget then, is how patient the Curia was with Luther. The 95 Theses had been published four years previous, and many, many writings had been published after that, each one ratcheting up the rhetoric and criticism Luther had. Yet, even after he had been excommunicated, the Emperor was willing to hear him, to give him a chance to renounce his errors.
With such a pedigree one would think that Lutherans would be quite adept and given to dissent and protest. Hardly. Protest is so unseemly to us. What's more, we have such a Triumphalistic spirit in the LCMS that finding fault with Mother Synod is rare. What do I mean by this? Simply that while we believe that the Synod is capable of erring, hardly anyone actually admits that she has, in fact, been wrong--even when our doctrine and practice has changed. Let's face it: if doctrine is changed and what we believe now is correct, then it must not have been correct before. One example of this is women's suffrage in voters assemblies, which was once denied for Scriptural reasons (so they said), and is now affirmed for Scriptural reasons (so they say).
What happened the other day at the International Center (LCMS HQ) --the silent protest regarding the cancellation of Issues Etc. was unique. I also think it was a tactical mistake for the following reasons:
1. LCMS people don't like dissent or acknowledging the LCMS is wrong. Seeing crazy pastors and laity protesting arouses suspicion in those people's eyes.
2. The LCMS is mostly composed of conservative folks. Conservative folks see protests and think of hippies, liberals and Cindy Sheehan, depending on their age. Additionally, LCMS folks of a certain age remember the "Walkout" of Concordia Seminary in 1974, with the signs and clergy collars and whatnot.
3. Many people, clergy included, tend to think that the LCMS is the Church, you know, what the Holy Spirit founded on Pentecost. They do not recognize that the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is not a Church nor THE Church, but instead a non-profit corporation and association of pastors and congregations. We know that a Christian should not protest the Church. That is inappropriate, if not sinful. And they would be correct, if the LCMS was the Holy Church.
4. I wonder if, subconsciously, many Lutherans tend to think that "Luther protested and dissented so I don't have to." It's substitutionary dissent.
9 comments :
What was #3?
Are you now proposing a theory of substitutionary protesting?
Fr. Gregory: #3 was rolled into #2.
I need to fire myself as editor.
I think you should nail this to the door of the synod meeting.
If the Synod is a monetary clearinghouse, how can there be any question of whether or not it can "err"? Or do you mean the question arises because of people's misconceptions of what the LC-MS is?
"Substitutionary dissent"...now that had me laughing out loud...in public no less as I sat there reading my handheld.
There are a couple of things I'd like to explore a little further with you, if you don't mind. You say:
The LCMS is mostly composed of conservative folks. Conservative folks see protests and think of hippies, liberals and Cindy Sheehan, depending on their age. Additionally, LCMS folks of a certain age remember the "Walkout" of Concordia Seminary in 1974, with the signs and clergy collars and whatnot.
The only place I have experienced this "conservative" LCMS is on the Internet. I read about how conservative it is but that doesn't reflect my experience. Oh sure...conservative in the "we don't have female pastors" way but I recall how my congregation responded to the Yankee Stadium thing...we sent a letter in support of Benke. In all my years as an member of the LCMS I only first heard of the Seminex thing within my last few years of membership. We had a vacancy pastor who would adorn a chasuble midway between the service (for the service of the Eucharist) and he was a stickler for the Liturgy. The congregation grumbled a bit and referred to the fact that it was probably because he was a Seminex grad (which he was).
My point is that I think the views of the LCMS conservatives (traditionalists, confessionals, whatever term you want to use) only represents a small portion of the Synod. Rather than the protest being seen as something "hippies" do...I think the rest of the LCMS is more apt to say "look at those crabby, mean Lutherans, watching every step the Synod makes so they can complain and point out how wrong everyone else is and how right they are...why can't they just get along." That is the LCMS I know.
I realize my sample size is small (4 congregations in 4 cities in 3 states) and my data is aging now that I have been out of the LCMS for 3 years. I had been to several convocations. LCMS conventions and a district convention which seem to add credence to my sampling but my exposure only represents my exposure and I will give you that.
Many people, clergy included, tend to think that the LCMS is the Church, you know, what the Holy Spirit founded on Pentecost. They do not recognize that the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is not a Church nor THE Church, but instead a non-profit corporation and association of pastors and congregations. We know that a Christian should not protest the Church. That is inappropriate, if not sinful. And they would be correct, if the LCMS was the Holy Church.
Now this has me confused. Didn't Martin Luther do exactly that? Protest against the church and her teachings? If not, how could one actually protest against "the Church" in a Lutheran understanding?
Thanks for indulging me. You may be conservative but I wouldn't call you a meanie! :D
Whoops...forgot to subscribe.
Anastasia--yes, that's it. There's the misconception that the Synod is Church. It doesn't help that she makes statements about doctrine and theological application of biomedical ethics, contemporary problems and so forth. There is the understanding that the doctrine and practice of the churches of the LCMS is pure and without error. But this is often expressed as the doctrine of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is pure.
Dixie--
About the conservative nature of the people of the LCMS--you are right about the silence on Seminex. I never heard about it until I was at the Seminary--for a semester or more! There is a big difference between the LCMS congregations in the "blue states" on those in the "red states." My congregation in Alabama was composed of folks who would probably identify themselves as liberals or progressives. But the majority of congregations I've seen, which are in the Midwest, are by and large made up of salt of the earth types. In metropolitan areas, the folks tend to be more metropolitan, even liberal, but still more reserved and reluctant to "make a scene." They're like WASPs in that sense :).
Which is all to say, and I think I'm right, that Activism and Lutheranism are two -isms which don't go together generally.
You picked up on the irony, of course, of Luther protesting against the Church, but modern Lutherans not wishing to go against Mother Synod. All I can say is that I've heard and sensed my whole life sentiments like, "The Synod is right, and it is wrong and foolish to oppose it." Never quite out loud, and there's the understanding that we can just "get out," but we shouldn't try to change it--leave or conform. We're the Borg. :)
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