Although we concluded Living Lutheran’s Reformation 500 series—exploring 500 unique aspects of the Reformation—this month, we now share this bonus list of 30 more ways the Reformation still impacts church leaders.
Lenny Duncan
Vicar, St. Mark Lutheran Church, Conshocken, Pa.
1
The printing press. One of the principle reasons that the Reformation happened was the easy proliferation of information for the first time in human history. The modern printing press is social media—it’s how we can speak a word of grace over thousands.
2
“If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write” –Martin Luther. Early on in my seminary career, I started writing on my blog and various other blogs. I have found the practice to be life-giving for me and countless others.
3
Speaking truth to power. Luther and the other reformers risked their very lives speaking truth to power. In that same spirit, I declare that #blacklivesmatter, that our LGBTQ siblings are a gift from God and to this church, and that God is a God of the oppressed.
4
Grace is enough. Grace alone. God’s table is open to all those who approach it because the work is already done. There are no special acts one has to do, no behavioral or moral code you must conform to, no test. Grace alone.
5
Theology of the Cross. The fullest revelation of God’s character in human history is Christ crucified. God came to walk with us and we murdered him for it, and he chose that moment to change human history and flip the very nature of the world on its head.
Kirsi Stjerna
Professor of Lutheran history and theology (chair), Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, Calif.
ELCA pastor on the Southwest California Synod roster
1
Extra nos: It’s not about me. That the sustaining grace and unmerited holiness come to me as a gift from God, frees me from worrying about my personal worthiness in ministry. I would not be in ministry without this realization that serving the word and being an instrument of God’s work in the world does not ultimately rely on my success or personal qualities.
2
Ipsa fides: Language of humble faith. I don’t “have” faith; it is given to me, and it carries me. My ministry—which is mostly teaching ministry and soul-care—is emboldened by the relief that even our faith is resourced by God.
3
Freedom from and freedom to: Freedom is everything, and for everyone. From an existential experience of freedom of conscience—or freedom from regrets and self-doubt—“sinners and saints” are called to ceaselessly work toward justice, equality and empowerment for all the children of God. If Luther’s core theology was not about promoting freedom and equality, in real terms, I’d not be interested in teaching with his theology.
4
Education and welfare: Equality in real terms. One of Luther’s most important reforms was to insist on the education of all citizens, including the girls and children from families with meager means, and to passionately fight to eradicate poverty by establishing “Common Chests.” Everyone should be educated, and nobody should be poor; as a Finnish Lutheran, I have seen the value of these theological principles put in practice.
5
Marriage and sexuality: “The good kind of ‘sex talk.’ ” The reformers—Luther, but also Katharina Schütz Zell and others—defended every person’s right to marry, considering it a human contract that the church should bless and pray for, just as they named the holiness of human love and sexuality. In ministry today, these are crucial issues to teach to our children.
Lamont Anthony Wells
Director for evangelical mission, Metropolitan New York Synod
National president, African Descent Lutheran Association
1
Prayer. The powerful effects of prayer keep me energized and focused when I’m overwhelmed by ministry in and out of the church. I’m often reminded of Luther’s reflection: “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”
2
The doctrine of justification. This doctrine repeatedly helps soothe the pains and other effects of internalized racial oppression that often leave me bare and empty. I’m encouraged to live my life in this Lutheran tradition, sharing with others the blessed assurance of God’s salvation for everyone.
3
Contemporary and imminent. I am blessed to operate in a tradition that embraces a hermeneutical principle that the gospel does and must speak to the contemporary [person] and imminent need(s). Therefore, I can unashamedly declare in 2017 that “Black Lives Matter.”
4
“Next to the word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world” –Luther. I love to lift my voice and sing God’s praises in the ancestral tunes and sounds of the blues, spirituals, jazz and gospel.
5
The spirit of Reformation. When the Reformation journeyed to America, European immigrants brought cultural gifts that have shaped our tradition over several centuries. That same spirit of Reformation is also among us from Africa and the Caribbean, and—as the poem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” says—has “come over a way that with tears has been watered,” as a beautiful harmony of black spirituality, a gift for us to embrace in this time.
Keith Holste
Administrator, Lutheran School of Theology, St. Louis
A pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, Webster Groves, Mo.
1
“A Christian is lord of all, completely free of everything. A Christian is a servant, completely attentive to the needs of all” –Luther. Or, said another way: A Christian has no need of any law in order to be saved, since through faith we are free from every law. Thus, all the acts of a Christian are done spontaneously, out of a sense of pure liberty.
2
Community chests. Luther believed that “indulgence chests,” which collected money in exchange for years in purgatory for the church’s use—especially building the cathedral in Rome—should be replaced by a “common chest” or “community chest,” keeping freely given money in the community to help people.
3
The eucharist. The words “given for you” and “shed for you for the forgiveness of sin” show us that forgiveness of sin, life and salvation are given to us in the sacrament through these words, because where there is forgiveness of sin, there is also life and salvation.
4
Baptism. “Without the word of God, the water is plain water; not a baptism,” the Book of Concord says. “But with the word of God, it is a baptism—that is, grace-filled water of life and a “bath of the new birth in the Holy Spirit.”
5
Righteous anger. In her speech to the 2016 ELCA Grace Gathering, Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee suggested that Luther’s anger about the corrupt state of affairs in the church of his day started with his visit to Rome in 1510, perhaps the start of the Reformation. The phrase “The just shall live by faith” became meaningful to him there. What in the communities of our congregations elicits “righteous anger” leading to correction?
Tuhina Verma Rasche
ELCA pastor and networker for #decolonizeLutheranism
1
God in the “wrong” places. As someone who didn’t grow up in the church, there’s something both holy and absurd about finding God in all of the “wrong” places. The crucified and risen God is not found in the tomb, but instead with the oppressed and with, in and under the daily and simple elements of water, bread and wine.
2
Article 4 of the Augsburg Confession. This gift of faith from God that knows no bounds has reformed my life. In knowing who I am and whose I am, being forgiven for my sins leads me to want to profess a crucified and risen God of love and liberation, the core work of #decolonizeLutheranism.
3
Morning and Evening Prayers in the Small Catechism. Starting and concluding my day focused on the Trinitarian God keeps me focused in my daily life and ministry. God’s presence through all areas and emotions of life is steadfast; these prayers are a constant reminder.
4
Luther’s use of strong language to defend the gospel. While strong language makes some feel uncomfortable or uneasy, such language is not just rooted in our Lutheran theology but also in our Scriptural heritage. The Hebrew prophets, Paul’s letters and the writings of the reformers show me that God comes to meet us in not just the Word made flesh, but also in our laments, in visceral language.
5
Serving the neighbor. I will always remember the words of my seminary ethics professor, Martha Stortz: “To a pickpocket, the entire world is a pocket; to a Lutheran, the entire world is a neighbor.” As the “called-out ones in the world,” the ekklesia (also known as the church), we are the body of Christ in the world to not only see the entirety and fullness of God in our neighbor, but to also accompany them into the fullness of life.
Stephen Herr
Pastor, Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, Gettysburg, Pa.
1
Law and gospel. Luther’s understanding of the word as both law and gospel shapes my weekly preaching. It challenges me to name human sin and proclaim God’s grace in a way that connects with 21st-century listeners.
2
Evangelism. The evangelical nature of the Lutheran Confessions, with their emphasis on sharing the word of God, serves as a foundation for evangelism and witness to an increasing secularized and unchurched world. The confessions drive our evangelical outreach and keep us focused toward God’s world.
3
Mutual conversation and consolation. I take great comfort in Luther’s words from the Smalcald Articles regarding the mutual conversation and consolation of sisters and brothers in Christ. This continues to be one important way I experience God’s renewing and refreshing gospel of love, grace and mercy. As a result, my pastoral ministry is designed to include mutual conversation and consolation.
4
Social ministry. The Augsburg Confession “Of New Obedience” undergirds my understanding of the church’s social ministry flowing from God’s justification by grace through faith. Luther and Philipp Melanchthon’s collaborative efforts model the gifts laypeople and clergy bring together to help us fulfill our baptismal calling and to share in God’s mission.
5
Ecumenism. The evangelical nature of the Reformation as a reforming movement within the church catholic commits my ministry and the congregation I serve to be ecumenical. It leads us to seek engagement with other expressions of Christianity, and from there, to be in conversation with other faiths.
