And so, a new Christian denomination prepares to shed its caul and come wailing into the world—the NALC, which, upon first Google, I took to be the National Association of Letter Carriers. Fair enough; a goodly portion of the New Testament is composed of epistles, and so an evangelistic-minded group might very well see themselves as letter carriers, although would someone please tell me where my Christmas cards went, December 1996?
Then I mistook the new ecclesiastical entity for Lutherans Concerned/North America, which I found demoralizing, as I must confess to never having cared one whit for North America, preferring instead the more exotic Oceania and its brilliant array of miniature golf courses (not to mention the white yams of Tonga).
Then I see that, though I have Googled, I have not Googled deeply. The NALC is, in fact, the North American Lutheran Church, as opposed to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, from which congregations are fleeing like Democrats from Congress.
Just what we needed. Another Protestant denomination. This one to straddle the biblicism of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and the bibliphobia of the ELCA, presumably with its ratio of traditional exegesis/engagement with modernity balanced so precisely that an ambitious busboy could lay his tray of half-eaten cheesy nachos on its presuppositions without fear of tippage.
I sympathize with those Lutherans who could no longer suffer the leftward march of their denomination into the abyss of irrelevancy, and those who find the denomination of my youth tiresome in its calculation of how grizzlies managed the voyage on the ark without their Dramamine. Yet another denomination can only spawn yet another denomination and so on, until there are so many congregations and so little coherence that only a swift end to history can stifle the cacophony of competing theological claims.
And so I have vowed to give up organized religion for Lent. I remain neither spiritual nor religious, but a Lutheran, sans pew. (This will no doubt send shockwaves up and down the halls of my apartment building, but only because I intend on playing my Jerry Vale albums rather loudly on Sunday mornings.)
I thank the superb religion reporter Julia Duin for bringing this to my attention, via TitusOneNine, via TimeWarner Cable (the place to be).
February 19th, 2010 | 1:23 pm
“Yet another denomination can only spawn yet another denomination and so on, until there are so many congregations and so little coherence that only a swift end to history can stifle the cacophony of competing theological claims.”
I have always found the suggestion that denominational splits create incoherence and “cacaphonies” annoying. Compare this complaint to a complaint about the fracturing of left-wing media dominance. Is the “cacophony” of new voices incoherent? Has it made discourse or dialogue worse? Is it really better than the alternative of centralizing acceptable opinion/theology in the hands of a single body or a small number of them?
February 19th, 2010 | 1:38 pm
We should lament the division of the body even when it occurs among brethren who are separated the Holy See. You do; however, point out how the protestant rejection of authority leads inevitably to disunion.
The cacophony is a serious problem. A unified and Christ-centric church would be an incredible witness of truth to non-believers. How many are left unconverted because they not only had to believe in the divinity of Christ but also believe they had found the right denominational following? We may never know in this lifetime, but I pray that we become unified again.
February 19th, 2010 | 1:45 pm
You know, I do grow weary of the charge that we in The LCMS are “biblicists.” I am not even sure what that is supposed to mean. But my vocabulary is probably not up to snuff, since I had never read the word “caul” before this post, and now I know what that means.
I can only understand the word “biblicist” in reference to The LCMS to mean that we:
(1) Reject killing unborn babies and paying for that murder via our church health plans.
(2) Reject ordaining to the office of holy ministry persons who are living in homosexual relationships with others.
(3) Reject ordaining to the office of the holy ministry, women.
(4) Affirm the historic doctrine of the holy, catholic and apostolic church and believe what we confess in the words of the Nicene Creed is actually true, not a recitation of quaint legends.
So, I’m thinking if this is to be a “biblicist” then, by all means, slap that label on me.
Biblicistically yours,
PTM
February 19th, 2010 | 1:49 pm
Oh, and by the way, there were two Grizzlies on the ark and they ate the honey the bees made during the voyage. Problem solved.
Now, dear friend, get thee to church!
February 19th, 2010 | 3:25 pm
“And so I have vowed to give up organized religion for Lent. I remain neither spiritual nor religious, but a Lutheran, sans pew.”
Isn’t this – by definition – The creation of yet another denomination. (LSP; Lutheran Sans Pew)
The irony of course being that the new denomination was created by the author’s disgust at the proliferation of new denominations.
How the Body of Christ can consist of one disgruntled “Lutheran” is a question for another time.
February 19th, 2010 | 3:26 pm
Rev Paul should add top the list of ‘biblicist,”
“Concealing pedophile activities of our Brethren from secular authorities.”
February 19th, 2010 | 4:04 pm
Brother Paul
Though for some (liberals) Biblicism may mean the things that you listed, there is a more salutary concern when referring to our beloved LC-MS as one influenced by… well I don’t want to use Biblicist. No one loves the Word more that us good guys. But there is a spirit that approaches the Bible in a way that is to much like the Baptist/Pentecostalist ect. manner. One may see it in that abominable Christian News publication. I would characterize it as Biblical exclusionism.
Mostly it excludes the Church. Sola Scriptura absolutely. But Sola Scriptura requires an understanding that the Bible is never without the Church in Its formation, exegesis, and preservation. Though, unlike Protestants, we in the LC-MS have the Confessions (an expression of the Church) often the Confessions are undervalued, or merely given lip service.
Also there is exclusion of, not so much of the Sacraments themselves, but of the meaning of the Sacramental dimension of the faith, which is a Incarnational quality that can not be accounted for by the use of mere words.
And there is an exclusion of reason in some areas. This is understandable because the use of reason over faith has been the source of modernist heresy. But there is a spirit in some parts of Protestantism that takes a morbid delight in interpreting the Bible in the least reasonable fashion. My conversions with young earth creationists, have often been frustrating. Some seem to endow the Biblical text with a unbiblical literalism. For instance, Jesus was in the tomb for three days which, (Biblically) meant Friday night through Sunday morning. (36-40 hours?) But in Genesis, a day must be 24 hours or the whole faith collapses.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think the LC-MS has gone fundamentalist, however there are some voices (louder than numerous) that sound that way.
We Lutherans are always being called by God to avoid extremes either Rome/Zurich, or Enthusiasm/Rationalism, or Dawkins/Creation Museum.
February 19th, 2010 | 4:17 pm
Actually, Rev. McCain, I think that the “biblicist” label had more to do with the promotion of ideas like Young Earth Creationism. But I think you knew that already.
February 19th, 2010 | 5:52 pm
Anthony, I tried to send you an email recently, but you might not be using that email address. I’m still at the same one–which is the one left with this comment. Send me a message when you can. – John
————
The article you cite ends,
“So it’s true NALC’s beginnings may be humble. But detractors should take note of what’s happened to the breakaway Anglican Church in North America that has pulled away from the Episcopal Church. The ACNA is gaining members; the Episcopal Church is about to drop below 2 million as early as next year. So, don’t write off the NALC yet.”
Maybe this and similar moves among the Anglicans are not simply more instances of spawning new denominations, but about the reconfiguration of Christ’s body on the way to full Christian unity. Ultimately, the sects don’t matter, not even “Rome”. Only Jesus’s prayer in John 17 matters, and what individuals and sects can do to conform themselves to it.
February 19th, 2010 | 8:46 pm
Let’s ask Jesus. You know, the guy who prayed this his followers might be one as He and His Father are one? And who said to Peter, and then to the apostles collectively, that whatever they bound on earth was bound in heaven, and whatever they loosed on earth was loosed in heaven?
February 19th, 2010 | 9:20 pm
From my vantage point in the original non-denominational Christian Church, I would offer the observation that Lutherans or any Protestants who break away are only fulfilling the fundamental principle of the Reformation. And so the process will continue to take place ad infinitum as long as “God calls” some of us to flout valid ecclesial authority.
February 19th, 2010 | 10:48 pm
Tiresome palaver about the “Protestant denominations”. When I was 10 years old I knew that the “Protestant denominations” were nothing more than social clubs. Protestantism is worldliness through and through, said Kierkegaard, and he was right about that. The centurian said “I am a man under authority”, and that authority is the Catholic Church, whose teachings are the WHOLE of the Christian message. It’s a beautiful thing, if you’re open to it.
February 20th, 2010 | 9:42 am
“and that authority is the Catholic Church, whose teachings are the WHOLE of the Christian message. It’s a beautiful thing, if you’re open to it.”
As long as by catholic you mean all true believers in Jesus then yes. If you refer to the denomination, the great whore of babylon, led by the antichrist pope, then no…
February 20th, 2010 | 11:14 am
The Catholic church is not a denomination, unlike every other Christian church available. We do not get to pick and choose our tenets, or follow subjective feelings as to whether we’re true believers and have had a real experience of the presence of Christ in our hearts and lives. Catholics accept that to be a true believer in Jesus means that I submit my life to God’s will and law as laid out by the Catholic church, the ONLY place Christ gave his authority to teach and interpret, first through Peter and the apostles, then through the succession of popes. It is folly to think that God’s ultimate plan for humanity would be left lost and wandering once the final apostle died. That is why Christ promised to be with his visible church on earth, the Catholic church, until the end of the age, protecting it even unto the gates of hell. Even Paul urges his readers not to forget the traditions they have learned, in addition to reading the letters they have received.
Jim, I will pray for you.
February 20th, 2010 | 12:04 pm
Ted said, “Actually, Rev. McCain, I think that the “biblicist” label had more to do with the promotion of ideas like Young Earth Creationism. But I think you knew that already.”
There is that. It is symptomatic of a tendency to defend the facticity of Scripture against plainly observable fact, and a rejection of, if not revulsion for, historical critical methodologies.
LC-MS subscribes to a version of inerrancy that is far beyond anything Martin Luther imagined.
February 20th, 2010 | 12:14 pm
It is a relief for me to be in a communion stretching all the way back to Peter….Although there are lots of theological arguments here and plenty of original sin, at least there is an authority that one can point to as where the buck stops. As one who crossed the Tiber years ago, I think that the unreformed church (as Flannery O’Conner phrased it) needs all disappointed Protestants to come in and help bail the leaky Ship–with gifts of bible study, prayer, zeal, and fellowship. That we might all be one…
February 20th, 2010 | 1:34 pm
How true are Jesus’s words: “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!”
February 20th, 2010 | 4:33 pm
How is that different from the state of both Christianity, and organized religion in general, today? You seem to be complaining that someone put another drop of water in the ocean.
February 20th, 2010 | 5:22 pm
I have been known to turn my nose up at willy-nilly splintering of the Body of Christ – and the incredible diversity in faith around the world – in a similar manner. After all, how could I know my faith was properly placed or my worship pleasing? How could there be one right faith with so many to choose from? Are we all like the blind men describing an elephant we cannot see? Is there even an elephant in our midst?
In my case these questions led to a long period as an agnostic. For some of my friends it led to atheism. I would likely have joined them had I not met some wonderful people in college who introduced me to the Catholic Church. Their obvious love for the Lord and the evident joy it brought them and those who knew them was inspiring. I’m the son of a bitter ex-Catholic turned ELCA Lutheran, so warming to the idea of joining the Whore of Babylon was as unlikely in my mind and getting struck by lightening. Nevertheless, I joined the Church at the Easter vigil in 2000. The Lord indeed works in mysterious ways.
What’s my point? I’m not sure. I just got the feeling that giving up organized religion for Lent and becoming anything sans pew – that is, sans faith community and anchor – might lead you slouch into going sans faith. If you must eschew the company of your fellow Lutherans, at least consider following the model of the Quakers. Creeds and sacraments hold no meaning for them, but they nevertheless recognize the necessity of congregating for fellowship, support, and guidance. Trite and cliche as it sounds, in unity we stand and division we fall.
February 21st, 2010 | 9:19 am
Who is Anthony Sacramone and why would he post his post-modern, anti-Christian ramblings on this blog?
February 21st, 2010 | 10:12 am
“Whore of Babylon.” Whew!!
Time to lighten up. Puts me in mind of two wonderful scenes in old movies:
from “Bruce Almighty” -
God (looking remarkably like Morgan Freeman):
“Now, I’m not much for blasphemy, but
I’ll admit…that one made me chuckle.”
from one of the Pink Panthers, I don’t remember which -
Insp. Clouseau (faux French accent): “My good man, are you BLIND??”
Other: “Oui, monsieur. Zat is why I am standing wis a cane on ze street cor-nair, beg-GING!”
February 21st, 2010 | 4:21 pm
Jesus loves…
Catholics
LCMS
ELCA
NALC
LC-NA
Protestants
the soon to dip below 2 million Episcopal Church
Anglican Church in North America
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church
Even though this church is splintered, often ugly, frequently nasty, not to mention judgmental
Anthony, if you have it all figured out, then get to church and keep loving the people in the pew next to you until they “get it.” Follow the Jesus who welcomed Peter back into the fold in John 21. That’s what the Church in all its expressions is called to do.
February 21st, 2010 | 10:09 pm
My own view is that the endless splintering of conservative Protestant sects into ever-purer groups, none of whom can possibly unite with any of the other previously-splintered splinters, is a public self-refutation of the whole conservative Protestant project. Let it continue.
February 22nd, 2010 | 5:02 am
[...] via Just What We Needed. Another Protestant Denomination. » First Thoughts | A First Things Blog. [...]
February 22nd, 2010 | 8:29 am
The ELCA brought together three Lutheran churches, one formed by former members of the LCMS and the oher two formed by bringing together several churches and synods. While Jesus prayed that the church might be one from the earliest time tendencies to cooperation and to independent action have been present. One advantage Lutherans have over Episcopalians (the church in which I serve) is that Lutherans are able to cooperate with those who share a common tradition but for reasons of conscience are in different churches. We tend to sue.
February 22nd, 2010 | 8:09 pm
Hey jim: Protestant separatism always leads to each person being his or her own Pope. Enjoy your reign, jim!
February 22nd, 2010 | 8:53 pm
When the Titanic launched the lifeboats, I doubt anyone said, “Oh great, just what we need. More boats on the sea.” The ELCA is a sinking ship. Anyone who doesn’t jump off that ship will surely go down with it. So the new CORE/NALC will replace the ELCA.
February 22nd, 2010 | 10:55 pm
Wow. All this dialogue on the issues, but only between conflicting voices within the Body … an argument inside the House.
Wonder what would happen if you actually carried this into the public square … where you should be engaged.
February 23rd, 2010 | 2:41 am
As the final hours wind down on the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, I am reminded of the truly miraculous unity afforded the Catholic Church by the Petrine Ministry which is indispensable. When a few million Christians have to split over yet another angle over which they disagree, the 1.16 Billion members of the CC stand out for their remarkable coherent witness. We are not perfect, and we do not all agree on everything, but we serve the unity of the Body for which Jesus prayed his greatest prayer.
I pray that one day the Petrine Ministry may serve the unity of Christ’s body in a way that attracts the many who are divided back into the Barque of Peter.
February 23rd, 2010 | 12:48 pm
I am saddened and appalled by the general mean spirited tone of this post and of many of the comment. May God have mercy on us for the things that we say and do in His name.
February 23rd, 2010 | 4:28 pm
“I am saddened and appalled by the general mean spirited tone of this post and of many of the comment. May God have mercy on us for the things that we say and do in His name.”
It’s strange that we’ll say things about each other, while arguing amongst ourselves, that we would never say to (or about) an outsider. Being in the right (assuming that one is in the right) is not a license to be unkind.
February 23rd, 2010 | 4:30 pm
P.S. Anthony Sacramone is really a very nice ecclesiastical guy with an unmatched sense of humor. (Strange Herring)
February 23rd, 2010 | 6:21 pm
I apologize for the un-ecumenical nature of my comments. I guess I was feeling a bit cranky.
March 2nd, 2010 | 1:49 pm
BTW, the LCMS does teach Young Earth Creationsim as outlined in the Scriptures. It is not the same YEC that the fundementalist protestants profess. We must remember that when interpreting the Bible, the hermeneutic to follow is ‘Scripture interprets Scripture’. We don’t add papal traditions or human reason to God’s word. Context is king.
March 12th, 2010 | 11:56 am
Very interesting. Fifteen years ago a group of us Lutherans left our church because we found it too conservative and formed a new independent Lutheran congregation. We decided we would decide what it meant to be Lutheran and named our new congregation Reformation Lutheran Church because we wanted to reform the right wingers in the church.
March 20th, 2010 | 10:41 am
I would hope that your comment about giving up church for Lent was made in jest. We are called to dwell in God’s Word and to commune with Him in His house. Staying away will only allow the evil one to fill that void that remains when you choose to close your heart and mind to His Word. When it comes to where the ELCA is leading its members, it all starts with 2 words, bound conscience. Putting man’s opinion over and above God’s. This is not a human sexuality issue. This is all about the audacity of the ELCA to disregard Scripture to make a social statement. What part of God’s Word will fall next to their bound conscience?
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