A Christian political theory for the future?

The always informative Rev. Dr. Jordan Cooper shares about a 19th Century Lutheran thinker who may show us a way forward that preserves much of what is best in Classical Liberal political thought, but grounded in a coherent and Christian worldview. 

 

Why should a church have bishops?

 I believe in bishops.  I've had both really good and really bad experiences of Episcopal oversight, but experience is not what drives my belief system: the Bible interpreted through the historic church is.  That is why I believe in bishops.  

I know that this is an active topic of discussion among Methodists - and the Global Methodist Church in particular will decide later this year about whether to accept bishops at all and, if so, what sort of bishop it will be.

In this video I explain some of the reasons (there are others) why I think bishops are essential for the flourishing and especially for the unity of the whole church, and the congregations within it. 

Lutheran and Reformed differences on Assurance

 This one is "into the weeds" a bit: Dr. Jordan Cooper has a great video on the differences between the Lutheran and Reformed/Calvinist understandings of Assurance.  Assurance was a huge issue - both theologically and practically/spiritually - for John Wesley.  He ultimately grounds assurance both in the reliability of the promises of God and especially the inner experience of the Holy Spirit "witnessing with our own spirit that we are children of God" (as in Romans 8).

5 Proofs of the Real Presence of Christ's Body and Blood in Communion

Here is another video from the Rev. Dr. Jordan Cooper, of the Lutheran tradition.  Though the Anglicans and Methodists share in common a view of Christ's Real Presence in Communion that is not 100% identical with the Lutheran view, they are in fact pretty close (close enough that some Lutheran bodies are now in "full communion" agreements with both Methodist and Anglican churches).

What all these traditions do agree on (over against some Baptist and non-denomination traditions) is that, as Scripture clearly affirms, when we receive the consecrated elements of the Lord's Supper by faith, we truly receive the Body and Blood and Presence and Grace of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and renewal of our souls.  

How this works is understood in different ways, I am comfortable leaving it under the heading of "holy mystery".  I'm also comfortable with members within the same church holding (with humility) different understandings of how it works, so long as we strive not to contradict the teachings of Scripture.  

So, while not a Lutheran myself, I would actually concur with the arguments that Cooper makes in this video to demonstrate that the Real Presence in the Eucharist is, on a careful read of the text, a thoroughly Biblical teaching, and ought to be believed.  And that is to say nothing of this also being the undisputed teaching of the Ancient Church for many centuries after the age of the Apostles.  Who are we - separated by language, culture, and centuries - to know better than the early Church who shared the same language and culture as the New Testament writers themselves?

  

Jordan Cooper on the "Filioque"

 Here is a great video from Lutheran pastor and theologian Rev. Dr. Jordan Cooper defending the Western view of the "filioque."

'What in the world is that?', you may be asking.  In the Nicene Creed (which churches I pastor recite occasionally) we affirm that "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son..."  

 That phrase "and the Son" is, in Latin, "Filioque" and it was not included in the original form of the Creed that was approved by ecumenical councils representing the whole of the Early Church.  It was added later by the Western Church to emphasize the divinity of the Son.  What is being affirmed is that, from all eternity, the Holy Spirit is proceeding both from the Father and from the Son within the Life of the Holy Trinity forever.

Eastern Orthodox Churches and other Eastern Rites have tended to reject this understanding of the relationship of the Spirit and the Son within the life of the Holy Trinity, and have vociferously rejected the addition of this phrase to the Creed.  

I believe that the "filioque" actually is good theology: it is consistent with the Biblical witness and makes sense of the nature of God, as Cooper explains in the video below.  However, I also agree that an ecumenical creed, authorized by an Ecumenical Council and shared in common by the whole universal/catholic Church of Jesus, ought not be unilaterally changed by only one part of that church without an Ecumenical Council authorizing the change.  

I'm glad to see that, beginning with the Lambeth Conference of 1978, churches of the Anglican Communion have begun to allow the original form of the Creed to be used - but without denying the truth that the "filioque" teaches.  Thus the 2019 Book of Common Prayer allows the phrase "and the Son" to be omitted with the Nicene Creed is recited (see page 768).  The brand new Methodist hymnal, Our Great Redeemer's Praise, follows the 2019 BCP and puts this phrase in [brackets] to indicate that it may be omitted.  Perhaps this approach will become more widespread within the Western Church and may contribute to warmer relations with the Eastern Church as well.

Evangelical Mis-understanding of Baptism

 Below is a great video from a Lutheran teacher, examining why the New Testament leads us to a sacramental understanding of baptism, in which we believe that God actually offers saving grace through and with the outward sign of water. 

John Wesley is notoriously difficult on baptism.  In some places, such as his Treatise on Baptism, he clearly affirms regeneration and justification are given through baptism; in other places, such as his Notes on the New Testament, he seems only willing to affirm a more modest and symbolic view (the Notes seem to me to be more theologically modest and generic as a general rule). 
In still other places, such as his Sermon "The New Birth" he seems to be skirting the line between a view that holds to baptismal regeneration (for infants) and a view that focuses more on a conversion experience as the point of regeneration (for youth and adults).

What Wesley is trying to hold together is a sacramental and an evangelical view of baptism.  The Sacramental view holds that God really gives saving grace through baptism (as in Romans 6, Titus 3, 1 Peter 3, and John 3), and the evangelical view holds that we really receive God's saving grace through personal faith (as in Galatians 3 and Ephesians 2).  Wesleyan theology - following the Articles or Religion of the Church of England - holds these together by insisting that, while the grace is always given in baptism, it is not fully received until we have faith, which might not (from our point of view) happen until a conversion experience years after our baptism.  

The point is that baptism is an outward and objective declaration of God's promises to us, that we can return to again and again and reclaim throughout our lives - or each day as was Martin Luther's habit.

All of this will run counter to the view - common down here in the American "Bible belt" - that baptism is no more than a symbol of our own profession of faith in Jesus.
The video below examines the major New Testament texts (he doesn't even get into the many Old Testament texts) that show why this "baptism as merely symbolic of our profession" view is not drawn from the Bible, but rather presupposed and then imposed upon it.  He brings forward many of the same texts and arguments that I would use to make the case that Baptism not only symbolizes, but also effectually offers to us cleansing and renewing grace.

  

A Christian Response to "Cancel Culture"

One thing that has been nice about YouTube is that I've found Christian voices from all over the Church - Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Wesleyan, Evangelical, Reformed/Presbyterian - that have some really good things to say about living our faith in these times.  The primary voice from the Lutheran Tradition that I've been listening to is Dr. Jordan Cooper, a confessional Lutheran with an interest in Systematic and Scholastic theology.

Cooper is always thoughtful and articulate so I've both enjoyed an profited from his videos.  Here is is video in response to the "cancelling of J.K. Rowling" and "cancel culture" in general.



For those who are unfamiliar with this controversy, Rowling has drawn the ire of Progressives, and been labeled a bigot for asserting that a man is not a woman and that freedom of speech is a good idea; some authors have even refused to work with the Publishing company that handles her works. 

Anglicans on the Wittenberg Trail

When I was in seminary one of the many books I read that greatly influenced me personally (most of which were, sadly, not part of the official curriculum) was a little book called Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail, by Robert E. Webber.

Webber tells the stories of numerous Evangelical Christians - coming from Baptist, Non-Denominational, Pentecostal, and other churches - who made journeys into Anglican or Episcopal churches (and other liturgical churches) because of a longing for liturgy, mystery, history, and a sense of deeply-rooted, ancient, and authoritative community.

Indeed my own return to Methodism was a similar journey.  Having sojourned some years in non-liturgical evangelical communities (mostly Baptist and non-Denominational) I discovered the Episcopal Church and, through it, (re)discovered Methodism.  I was delighted to find that The United Methodist Church, of which I was already (technically) a member, had inherited and adapted the same liturgy and the same Articles of Religion and (in John Wesley's writings), the same sacramental spirituality that I had come to admire about The Episcopal Church and the Anglican tradition.

Another Evangelical who was influenced by Webber's book and who has personally "walked the Canterbury Trail" is Dr. Wesley Evans.  Dr. Evans has recently written a piece called "Anglicans on the Wittenberg Trail", which is a play on the same book title, and which I commend to you.
He refers not so much to Anglicans actually joining Lutheran churches, but a literal pilgrimage that he and several friends took to Wittenberg, Germany, where Martin Luther famously nailed his 95 Theses to the church door and (accidentally) launched the Protestant Reformation.

Why this Lutheran pilgrimage by Anglican theologians?

This year, October 31st of 2017, Halloween or "All Hallows Eve" marks the 500th Anniversary of the launch of the Reformation.

Church door at Wittenberg

Will you be doing anything special to mark the Reformation this year?  Reading Luther's works?  Holding special services or prayers for Christian unity?

Recommended Reading Round-up

1) The significance of ritual in and out of church:
This PIECE from a Lutheran blogger reflects upon the importance of ritual and formality in light of a firefighters' memorial ceremony and in light of the ways that "worship wars" are playing out in his own denomination.  Good stuff here that I wish more American Christians would consider.

2) The rise of the Intolerant Left:
Many have been commenting in recent weeks about how 'illiberal' liberalism seems to have become in our nation.  Was all that talk about tolerance and inclusion and respect for all peoples was just a smokescreen to disarm critics until the Sexual Revolution had gained enough power to simply impose its views and silence all dissenters?  Or will an empowered left reclaim the classic "progressive" values of freedom of thought, speech, and expression along with freedom and protection for dissenters and minorities?  A Christianity Today article explores these issues HERE.

3) Jeb Bush's comments on Religion and Freedom:
In connection with #2 above, THIS article at The Federalist discusses Jeb Bush's comments about the positive contributions that Christianity has made to American culture (quoting everyone from Chesterton to MLKjr) and the importance of freedom of religion, as he tries to court evangelical voters at Liberty University.

4) Memorializing a good Oak Tree:
THIS piece at the ever-thought-provoking Front Porch Republic site explores our human condition in connection to place and time as it reflects on what to do when an historic oak tree at the center of town dies.

5) Finally, Why ISIS is winning:
And what the world should be doing to stop it, HERE.  I've been saying in conversations and on this blog that I believe ISIS and its allies form the most purely demonic political and military movement in our world since the days of Hitler and Stalin.  What is perhaps even more shocking than the rapid rise and expansion of ISIS - which by some estimates now has some 100,000 fighters and controls a territory the size of Indiana - is the halfhearted response of the West.  I understand the reasons for caution.  Our ill-conceived adventures in the Middle East are likely one factor that contributed to the rise of ISIS to begin with.  Yet surely the world's most powerful nation cannot stand by wringing its hands while the Islamic State establishes itself as a permanent 'state of Terror,' founded on the blood of tens of thousands of innocents, and implacably opposed to human rights for anyone and everyone who does not share their own ideology of militant Islam?

Insults from Luther

I first read some of Martin Luther's writings in college, and more in seminary, and I (like all Protestants, and indeed all Christians) am indebted to his theological insight and genius - especially his reassertion of the teaching that we are justified and made right with God by faith in Christ, not any laundry list of good works.  Yet if you have read much Luther, you probably have quickly discovered that he is a rather...colorful...debater.  He often heaps scorn upon his debate opponents, and has no problem resorting to simple name-calling and insulting.  In fact, Martin Luther is not a nice guy; he is kind of a jerk.

So, to mark this 530th anniversary of his birth (on November the 10th, 1483) in a light-hearted way I am happy to share with you the "Luther insulter."  Just press the button and receive a genuine insult from the writings of Martin Luther!  Then do it again!  And again...  It's funny...in a "make you want to cry when you really think about it" kind of way.        

Insult me, Martin Luther!

The Benefit of Tradition for the Church

Much of  the work I have done on this blog over the last 8 years is precisely as one of these young adults advocating for the re-discovery of the theological and liturgical traditions of the ancient church for our contemporary church and world.  More and more I am discovering others who are on a similar journey: we seek a church that can unreservedly affirm the faith of the ancient Creeds and use them as our lens for determining the "basics" or "foundations" of Christian belief and for interpreting the Bible; we seek a sacramental and liturgical spirituality that engages not only our brains but our senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and our sense of wonder in a holistic way of worship that is rooted in the ancient Hebrew and Christian practices and shared with saints and believers through the centuries of Church history.

Many young people on this journey have migrated from various sorts of "free churches" into Methodist, Lutheran, Anglican or even Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

All of these churches have their issues and problems right now, none is perfect; but all of them share in the ancient liturgical and creedal heritage that has been handed down from the early church, and all of them also seek (though in differing ways and to differing degrees) to continue the ancient three-fold ministry of bishop, presbyter, and deacon that we find in Scripture and the early church.  As a Methodist presbyter I can say that we are less consistent than some of these other churches in our reception of these treasures, but the ancient faith and liturgy are indeed the basis of official doctrinal statements and books of worship, even if some of our clergy ignore this.  

Here is a post on the benefit of this ancient theological and liturgical heritage at The Flying Scroll blog by Chad Bird.  Here are some excerpts:

Some like the way these practices are transhistorical, providing an unbroken ritual link with prior generations of the faithful.  Others appreciate how traditions tend to concretize doctrine, embodying religious teachings in religious rites, so that the eyes and ears and other senses participate fully in what a faith teaches, rescuing it from becoming a bloodless religion of the mind.  Still others embrace tradition as the communal expression of the faith, the participation of all in a shared rite, thereby bonding them, and avoiding the tyranny of individualism or clerical whim.

I am afraid that clerical whim - both in terms of our worship services and our theology has been a great problem at times, but not a new one.  For us as Christians and especially us clergy, the challenge is always to be sure that we are putting what God wants and what God things before our own desires and values (and recognizing that the two may be quite distinct).  Chad goes on to tell why he eventually came to love the rooted experience in the liturgical church.

Ultimately, however, I fell in love with traditions—and specifically, traditional worship—for a single, overarching reason:  its components, to varying degrees, are all in the service of the Gospel.
What you’ll encounter in a traditional worship service is a framework of readings, creeds, confessions, hymns, and prayers that pulsate with the language of Scripture, with Christ Jesus at the heart of it all.  By the repetition of these, with new elements circulating every week, truths seep into the hearts and minds of worshipers, steeping them in vivifying words.  Every element of worship flows toward, into, and from the altar, where Jesus sits as Lamb, Priest, King, and Man, all rolled into one, giving his blood and body into his people and thereby literally embodying them with God.  Cognizant of the fact that Jesus came to save not only the soul, but also the body, the body participates fully in this worship.  Knees bow before the regal Lord; hands trace the sign of the saving cross upon themselves; mouths dine at his feast; eyes soak in the portrayal of his Passion in crucifix, icons, stained-glass windows; and noses spell the aromatic incense wafting prayers up toward God’s throne.

There is some wonderful testimony there.  He brings us back to the main point here, which is communion with the Living Lord; he also discusses the much-talked-of recent posts from Rachel Held Evans on the subject of young Baptists 'going high church,' but I will not rehash that ground, you can check it out over there.  Check out the whole post here.

For similar 'musings' on liturgy and tradition see:
Lewis on the liturgy
Methodist bishop: Let us pray (with the church)
The Liturgy questions us about relevance.

"The Bible versus the traditions of men"

I once had a conversation with a very outspoken non-denominational believer at a party who was very critical of Roman Catholicism (the denominational affiliation of most of the people at the party) and any other "tradition-based churches."  Citing Matthew 15:1-9, she proclaimed wanted the simple word of God and not "human traditions." 

That is a criticism that is often leveled at the more liturgical churches, from Methodists and Lutherans to Catholics and Orthodox - and no doubt it sometimes is a needed corrective that we need to hear and consider without becoming defensive.  Yet it is worth pointing out that even "non-traditional" churches actually receive many things simply on the authority of the Church's tradition alone.  I attempted to engage this person at the party on the question of how she knew which books belong in the Old and New Testaments - if her non-denominational church had audaciously done the research to come up with its own canon on its own authority or if they simply received what was handed down to them by the people of the church, since it was the early church that decided which books belong in the Bible, and the Bible itself nowhere gives us a list.  That line of conversation did not last too long.

I also suspect, however, that some of our "traditions of men" in the historic churches are actually quite a bit more Bible-based than is often assumed.  In the Anglican tradition (out of which the Methodist movement sprang), almost every word of the Prayerbook Liturgy is borrowed from the Bible, and (by tradition) much longer passages of the Bible are typically read in these services than in the non-liturgical churches.

Since the Reformation there has been a tradition that we teach our children to memorize the Lord's Prayer and Psalm 23 as summaries of Christian prayer and the 10 Commandments and the Golden Rule as summaries of Christian morality (all passages of Scripture so far), and then we teach the Apostles' Creed as a summary of Chrisitan belief.  It is here that our "non-traditional" Christians might say, "Ah, see how they teach the traditions of men and not the word of God as doctrine, just as Jesus warned."  But this is simply wrong.  The Early Church Fathers very carefully assembled the Creeds to summarize the same faith that is also taught in the Bible and the Fathers of the Reformation continued to accept the Creeds precisely because these creeds "may be proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture" as Anglican Article of Religion VIII puts it.

I ran across the chart below at the Lutheran blog Cyber Brethren that gives a Scriptural warrant for every phrase of the Apostle's Creed.  As is pointed out on that original blog post, this chart was originally photocopied from a 17th Century Lutheran work and quite often does not use the obvious proof texts that we might think to use for any given line.  (Note: I've changed a word or two and added a couple of texts as well)

I believe (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 4:5)

In God (Deut. 6:4 1 Cor. 8:6)

The Father (Psalm 89:27; Matthew 7:11)

Almighty (Genesis 7:1; 2 Cor. 6:18)

Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 33:6; John 5:17)

And in Jesus ( Zech 9:9; Matthew 1:21)

Christ (Daniel 9:24; John 3:34)

His only (Zechariah 13:7; John 1:14)

Son (Psalm 2:7; Matthew 16:16)

Our Lord ( Jeremiah 23:6; John 20:28)

Who was conceived (Jeremiah 31:22; Luke 1:31)

By the Holy Spirit (Daniel 2:45; Matthew 1:20)

Born ( Isaiah 9:6; John 1:14)

Of the Virgin Mary (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:43)

Suffered (Isaiah 50:6; Luke 23:25)

Under Pontius Pilate (Psalm 2:2; Luke 18:32)

Was crucified (Psalm 22:17; John 3:14)

Died (Daniel 9:26; Rom. 5:8)

And was buried ( Isaiah 53:9; John 12:24)

Descended to the dead/Hades (Psalm 16:10/Acts 2:28; Ephesians 4:9/1Peter 3:19)

And on the third day (Hosea 6:2; Matthew 26:32; Acts 10:40-41)

He rose again from the dead (Isaiah 63:1; 2 Timothy 2:8)

Ascended into heaven (Psalm 68:19; Col. 2:15)

And sits at the right hand of the God the Father Almighty (Psalm 110:1; Mark 16:19)

From thence he will come (Isaiah 66:15; Acts 1:11)

To judge (Wisdom of Solomon 6:6; Acts 17:31)

The living and the dead (Daniel 12:2; 1 Cor. 15:51)

I believe in the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 12:10; John 15:26)

The holy (Psalm 45:14; Ephesians 5:26)

catholic/universal Church (Psalm 22:26; Matthew 16:18)

The communion of saints (Exodus 19:5; Ephesians 4:3)

The forgiveness of sins (Psalm 32:1; Acts 10:43)

The resurrection of the body (Isaiah 66:14; John 5:28)

And the life everlasting (Psalm 16:11; 1 Peter 1:4)

Amen! (Psalm 72:19; 2 Cor. 1:20)

Presbyterian vote: "highwater mark" for pro-gay Protestants?

This was posted at the ChristianCentury site:

Gay and lesbian advocates celebrated a landmark victory on Tuesday (May 10) when the Presbyterian Church (USA) entered the expanding ranks of Christian denominations that allow openly gay, partnered clergy. The winds of change, they said, are at their backs.

"Presbyterians join a growing Protestant movement of Lutherans, Episcopalians and United Church of Christ members who have eliminated official barriers to leadership by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons," a coalition of pro-gay Presbyterians said in a statement.

The momentum of the gay clergy movement, however, may soon grind to a halt.

"There is not another denomination I see on the horizon right now that is on the cusp of this," said Robert P. Jones, CEO of Public Religion Research Institute, a nonpartisan research and consulting firm...

...even as gay and lesbian Christians celebrated, some acknowledged that steep challenges lie ahead in other denominations, particularly the country's largest four: the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, the United Methodist Church, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Those four denominations, whose leaders show few signs of accepting gay clergy or relationships, together count nearly 100 million members. By contrast, the four largest denominations that allow gay clergy together count less than 11 million members. The Presbyterian Church (USA), for example, has about 2.1 million members...

..."The data would not suggest that United Methodist clergy are on the cusp of supporting gay and lesbian ordination," Jones said. Moreover, the UMC, which has about 12 million members worldwide, is growing most rapidly in Africa, where Christians tend to hold conservative views on theology and sexuality, noted Alan Wisdom, vice president of the Institute for Religion and Democracy, a Washington-based conservative think tank...

Read it all here.

It would seem that all the major US churches that were likely to move in the direction of accepting homosexual behavior, have now already done so. I wonder if there will follow a 'realignment' in which members move between churches that do and do not accept this behavior (based upon their own beliefs or preferences). I heard of a strong lay leader leaving one of our own local (relatively conservative) Presbyterian churches over this issue just last week. Of course, the Lutherans and Anglicans have seen entirely new church structures created in this country for those moderates and conservatives who did not want to follow the denominational leaders in accepting homosexual behavior.

Luther' ecumenical Pilgrimage

The folks over at www.hereiwalk.org are chronicaling their journey from the (now Lutheran) monastery at Erfurt to Rome in an ecumenical pilgrimage symbolically connecting the Evangelical and Roman Churches as we approach the 500th Anniversary (in 2017) of Luther's posting of the 95 Theses. The journey is the same route that the monk Luther took in 1510 in his own pilgrimage to the Eternal City.

Lutherans plan denominational split

Last summer the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) voted to enter into full communion with The United Methodist Church. Then the Lutherans turned around and lifted their ban on sexually active gay clergy, thus formally departing from the very clear teachings of the Bible and the Great Tradition on Christian sexual morality. At that point a denominational split was simply inevitable - indeed we might say it had already begun.

Now moderates and conservatives within the Lutheran Church are planning the formation of a new denomination (for more, go here or here). No doubt these folks will be called "conservatives" or "traditionalists" in reports, but the fact that they are not seeking to join the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod (LCMS) or the much more conservative Wisconsin Synod demonstrates that these are in fact more moderate conservatives who nevertheless will not remain in communion with the ELCA if there is a departure from Scriptural teaching.

Methodist-Lutheran Unity Statement

As you may have heard, this past summer the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) accepted the full communion agreement with The United Methodist Church (UMC), that the United Methodist General Conference also had accepted back in the summer of 2008. So now our churches are in "full communion." We recognize one another as equal and fully legitimate expressions of the one body of Christ, proclaiming a common faith, celebrating common sacraments, with interchangeable clergy and seminaries and so forth.

I've only recently read the unity statement called "Confessing our Faith Together" (available beginning on page 12 of this study guide). It is always nice to read these ecumenical statements because they set forth what each Church considers the fundamentals of its own faith and practice, and so form a nice "refresher" in the basics of Lutheran and Methodist theology. It is also reassuring to note that the general theological flavor of this document is orthodox, especially with regards to Trinity, Christology, soteriology, and sacraments.

A couple of points are worth noting:

In the section on theological authority, paragraph 12 reminds us that Holy Scripture is the primary authority for both Churches; para. 13 points out that both see the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed as basic statemtents of the apostolic faith; and para. 17 notes important elements of the tradition that serve as practical authorities, naming the teachers of the Early Church, Martin Luther, and John & Charles Wesley as formative teachers for our common faith.

The Section on Prevenient Grace has this well-said quote:

Since all life is enveloped by the wooing activity of the Holy Spirit, God draws people to the saving grace given to us through Word and sacrament and received by faith in Jesus Christ.

The second part of this sentence is an excellent way to phrase the relationship between God's initiative in giving grace through the Bible and through the Sacraments (the "means of grace") on the one hand, and the importance of our recieving grace by faith in Christ on the other. This forms the foundation of a Christianity that is at once both sacramental and evangelical. Through the Biblical Word and through the sacraments God gives grace; while it is by faith in Christ, trusting our Lord and Savior, that we recieve his grace. In this way we hold together the Biblical truths that the sacraments really do incorporate us into salvation (see John 3:5; John 6; Rom. 6; 1 Cor. 10; Titus 3; 1 Pet. 3) and also that salvation is through faith (John 3:16; Eph. 2:8-10, etc.).

Note also the nice emphasis on a high eucharistic doctrine held in common by both Churches in para.s 40 & 41:

In this sharing (koinonia), Christ offers his life-giving body and blood through bread and wine to all who take part in the celebration of this meal (1 Corinthians 10:16). In the words of Christ that institute this meal stands a promise that he himself is truly present for us. These words in the Supper call us to faith...It is by the living word of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, that the bread and wine become the sacrament of Christ’s body and blood.

The document also implicitly calls for the celebration of Holy Communion to be as frequent as possible (in para. 46):

This meal unites us with God and with one another; the more time we spend at the Lord’s table, the more we come to love one another and appreciate the Giver of every good and perfect gift.

So, I recommend this theological statement to Methodist and Lutheran Christians, and to others interested in the unity of the Church, or the basics of the catholic faith held in common across denominational lines.

Unfortunately, this full communion agreement itself has something of a cloud hanging over it, since the same Lutheran Conference that accepted this agreement then turned around and removed the rules requiring their clergy to hold to Biblical sexual standards (in order to facilitate actively homosexual clergy; click here for an interesting description). This move will undoubtedly fracture the unity of the ELCA itself over time, leaving a big question-mark over the future of this full communion agreement.

Pondering this calls to mind the words from The Book of Common Prayer (and Wesley's revision of it): "...inspire your catholic Church with the spirit of truth, unity, and harmony and grant that all who confess your holy Name may agree in the truth of your holy Word, and live in unity..." And we see in these strange times how much we need to continue praying that prayer for the Church.

[pictured above, ELCA Bishop Hanson (left), and UMC Bishop Oden applaud the move toward full-communion]

Celebrating 10 years of Justification consensus

Protestants - Lutherans and Methodists in particular - and Roman Catholics are gathering in Old St. Patrick's Church, Chicago, today to celebrate 10 years of a consensus on the doctrine of Justification by Faith with the Roman Catholic Church.

Considered the most significant agreement since the Reformation, the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification was signed by the Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation on Oct. 31, 1999 in an effort to end centuries of doctrinal dispute.
"For hundreds of years, the issue of justification by faith divided Catholics and Protestants," said Bishop Gregory Palmer, president of The United Methodist Church’s Council of Bishops, in a released statement. "This agreement celebrates consensus on the basic truths of the doctrine of justification."
Methodists joined the agreement in 2006 during a World Methodist Council meeting in Seoul, South Korea.

For the full article, click here.

Lutherans reject sexually active Gay clergy

On August 12th, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) voted 51% opposed 49% in favor of a motion that would have allowed homosexual clergy to be non-celibate (or practicing). The motion required a 2/3 majority to pass. A measure that upholds the current ban on same-sex wedding ceremonies was also passed, but the language of the ban was made somewhat more ambiguous.
For more information see: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/13/national/13lutheran.html