04-2 Hermeneutics.pdf

The Christian Philosophy andthe Christian ReligionMARTIN R. NOLANDIn 1950 Concordia Publishing House published From Luther toKierkegaard, written by the brilliant and inimitable JaroslavPelikan. 1 In this book Pelikan argued that the LutheranChurch had adopted the obsolete philosophy of Aristotelianismthrough the influence of Philip Melanchthon. The church hadbecome entrenched in this way of thinking throughMelanchthon’s students and their Formula of Concord. SinceAristotle was already obsolete in the sixteenth century, it behoovedthe Lutheran Church to adopt a philosophy more representative ofmodern forms of thought. Pelikan’s answer to the challenge ofmodernity was the philosopher Kierkegaard, whom he believed tobe the closest of all modern thinkers to Luther.Pelikan’s book opened the floodgates to the acceptance ofmodern philosophy, modern theology, and historical-criticism inthe seminaries and colleges of the Missouri Synod. Throughmuch turmoil and pain, the majority of the synod’s congregationsrejected Pelikan’s strategy to change the doctrine of thesynod. After the Seminex walkout, the synod reaffirmed that thedoctrine of its founding fathers was, in fact, the true Christianphilosophy, 2 as taught by Luther and his epigones, and as confessedin the Book of Concord.In 1988 the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod publishedEvangelical Style and Lutheran Substance, written by DavidLuecke, graduate and professor of Fuller TheologicalSeminary. 3 In this book Luecke argued that the AmericanLutheran churches had adopted the obsolete culture of theEuropean “village church.” 4 They had become entrenched inthis modus operandi through the continued influx of peasantimmigrants, up until the early twentieth century. 5 Since the“village church” was already obsolete in the nineteenth century,it behooved the Lutheran Church to adopt an “Evangelical”culture 6 more representative of modern forms of church life. 7Luecke’s answer to the challenge of modernity was the teachingof the Church Growth Movement, 8 which he believed to havethe best answers to the challenge posed by numerical decline inchurch membership. 9Luecke’s book opened the floodgates to the acceptance ofChurch Growth, Evangelical worship, and secular methods ofMARTIN R. NOLAND is pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, Oak Park, Illinois,and is a LOGIA contributing editor.43marketing and manipulation in the congregations and bureaucraciesof the Missouri Synod. Those in the Synod who agreedwith Luecke’s strategy succeeded in evicting or reassigningtheir most formidable opponents, namely, the former presidentand current faculty at the Fort Wayne seminary. Itremains to be seen what the majority of the synod’s congregationswill do about the challenge posed to the Christian religionby its malcontents.The term religion is used here in its older sense, that is, a set ofsacred rites and practices commonly practiced by a community offaith. The fact that the term religion is rarely used in this way inmodern English indicates that we are held captive to a world-viewof Reformed-Protestant origin. This world-view assumes thatthere is no transcendent significance in external actions, rituals, orspeech. Of course, such a world-view also rejects the biblicalteaching about the sacraments, and must therefore be held in suspicionby all who claim the name Lutheran.Both Pelikan and Luecke represent movements toward liberalizationin the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Pelikanrepresents the liberalization of the Christian philosophy andLuecke represents the liberalization of the Christian religion. Bydefinition, any church must include both “philosophy” and“religion,” that is, both doctrine and practice. The church maybe liberalized through either aspect. Those who follow theagenda of liberalization are striving against the primary purposeof the Missouri Synod, which is to “conserve and promote theunity of the true faith.” 10The decisive error in Luecke and his followers is his falsedistinction between “style” and “substance.” Without this error,Church Growth could be understood as simply the use of sociologicalmethods in the administration of the church, acceptableto Lutherans with certain necessary modifications. 11 But Lueckeattacks the heart of the Christian religion when he argues:For some Lutherans there may be a question whetherliturgical worship belongs to their substance. Theywould resist treating it as style, as implied earlier. But infact Lutheran worship practice has considerable varianceand has had that over the centuries. For Lutherans,substance revolves around beliefs, which are readilyidentified in the Confessions that define Lutheranism.The Confessions recognize considerable latitude in mat-