Evanglizing the Lutheran Faith

Just read an online Associated Press article about a group called Lutheran Coalition of Renewal (CORE). This group is exploring the possibility of forming a new Lutheran organization after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) voted this past August to lift a ban that had prohibited sexually active gay and lesbian pastors from serving as clergy.

This is not about that decision.

This is about one line in the report that bugged me. One of the organizers (Ryan Schwarz of Washington, DC) said that "While this is of course a wrenching decision, there is also a sense of hope in refocusing on our true mission, which is evangelizing the Lutheran faith."

I don't think there is a "Lutheran faith."

A disclaimer: I am a life long Lutheran. I was raised a member of the American Lutheran Church one of the synods that merged with others to form the ELCA in the 1980s. I now belong to a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod congregation. This is not to get into a discussion of Lutheran theology and doctrine.

But over the past six months I have visited a lot of different churches from a lot of different denominations. And none of them have the lock on salvation.

Period.

What I mean is this: I do not achieve salvation because I am a member of a particular synod, church, denomination or faith. I achieve salvation and eternal life because Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins and because I believe that he did.

Period.

And that salvation is between me and Christ. A church or a church body can not get in the middle of that.

Denominations have a lot to do with our comfort. We are more comfortable in this church with that style of music. Or our friends go to that church. Or I like the youth leader. Or the pastor really speaks to me. And hopefully, by belonging to a local church, I am built up to go out and tell others about Jesus and what he did on the cross.

And I should not care which church or denomination they end up going to as long as it is a church that teaches that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins.

But there are many churches and denominations that are teaching other stuff. And I have to avoid those. These are Christian in name only.

I am to evangelize only one "faith" And it is not the Lutheran faith or the Catholic faith, or the Methodist faith or any other faith except this one: the faith that Jesus Christ is my Savior, the Christian faith.

For I am convinced that my brothers and sisters in Christ are spread across denominations and synods and churches and the world.

Period.