I Would Be Remiss...
if I didn't mention that "Issues, Etc." is going back on the air...but not in any way affiliated with the LCMS. Amazing that such an expensive program could find sponsors and support.
You can find it here. If you've never listened, please consider doing so. For those of you under my spiritual care, please be aware that I found its previous incarnation to be very one-sided as to what "True Lutheranism" is to the point that it could give the impression that Lutheranism is about Being Right! (tm). There were also factual errors and "spin" applied to discussions of other denominations at times.
For those who've not experienced much of what Lutheranism is like outside of your parish or LWML, listening can be an educational experience, if one is willing to listen with an open mind and ignore some of the closed minded attitudes that may be expressed on the show.
2 comments :
"There were also factual errors and "spin" applied to discussions of other denominations at times."....
Could you elaborate please?
Example: some time ago IEtc interviewed a former EO priest, now LCMS Lutheran. As they discussed his former beliefs, it was clear that he was not in the mainstream in several respects--an Old Calendarist, in a non-Canonical jurisdiction. Yet his experience was presented as the EO norm. This was verified on a discussion list elsewhere.
"How could clergy of a denomination get the facts wrong about the church he used to serve?" you might ask. Well, take a look at the LCMS.
It is very tricky to accurately present the beliefs of other denominations, especially in an hour-long radio program. Few church bodies have the confessional standards such as we have. But even those that do have the unofficial, sometimes unwritten, practices and doctrines that give flesh to their written statements. These take some time and experience to understand. If one read the BoC as exemplifying Lutheranism, would an outsider recognize all we say and do within the LCMS? Would describing the church of the AC be an accurate portrait of the LCMS? Even within a confessional congregation? I don't think so...at least right away. No.
Would describing my experience as an LCMS pastor be an accurate picture of Lutheranism? Hopefully, yes; realistically, no.
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