Vocation #5: Vocation - law of love / Ten Commandments and then Family, Government, Ministry of the Word
By Dr. Mark D. Nispel | May 29, 2008
In the previous post, I presented examples of several texts that Luther interpreted as having to do with “vocation”. These examples were:
- Matt. 19:20 - Christ’s vocation or call to the young man to go and sell all of his possessions and follow Him
- Gen. 22 - Abraham’s vocation or call to slay his son
- Matt. 4:1-11 - Christ’s vocation or call from the Holy Spirit to go into the wilderness for 40 days.
All of these examples were special events having to do with individual people. But “vocation” as it frequently occurs in Luther and his colleagues refers to more universal, general, and long-term commands. The most general and universal of the divine commands that are vocation to all Christians are the Ten Commandments. This can be called the law of love for God and neighbor.[1] After this most basic of vocations which apply to all, comes those vocations tied to the general stations of life which God has established in the family, the government, and the ministry of the word.
In this post we are going to look at a few of examples of texts that deal with these “general vocations”:
Love / Ten Commandments
In this text, Luther instructs us that no one needs to wait for a special command such as we saw come to Abraham and the young man because we all have general commands revealed in the word:
With the general orders and works of love there is no need for a new command because it has already been commanded in the Ten Commandments. There our Lord God bids everyone to hear God’s word, love God, call upon God, obey father and mother, not to murder, and not to commit adultery but rather be married. All of this is God’s creation and command. Therefore no one may ask the Holy Spirit to specially call him and bid him to marry, be a mother or father etc. For such a command exists beforehand. [2]
or again
Everyone should do what is commanded him and not do whatever is not commanded to him. And if everyone pays attention to his call he will have his hands full doing what is commanded so that he may not trouble himself with that which is not commanded to him. And if there are no other commands, still the Ten Commandments concern all men so that if he obeys these wherever they should be obeyed he will have enough to do. [3]
Or again, at the end of the Table of Duties in the Small Catechism, after enumerating the duties of the various stations in life, he writes the following category:
For All in Common
Though shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Herein are comprehended all the commandments. Rom . 13:8 ff. And persevere in prayer for all men. 1 Tim. 2: 1-2. [4]
The stations of life: family, government, ministry of the word
From the general law of love comes all the other stations of life. There are many many texts in Luther that deal with the family, government, and the ministry of the word because of his conviction that each of these was created and ordered by God. In the bible there are commands that relate to each. And these become vocation for Christians whether ones role is as a person in authority or one subject to authority in these stations. A few examples will suffice.
This life is profitably divided into three orders: (1) life in the home; (2) life in the state; (3) life in the church. To whatever order you belong - whether you are a husband, and officer of the state, or a teacher of the church - look about you and see whether you have done full justice to your vocation and there is no need of asking to be pardoned for negligence, dissatisfaction, or impatience. But if you have conducted your affairs in such a manner that there is no need of saying: “Forgive us your trespasses,” then by all means go out into the desert and occupy yourself with those showy and difficult works.[5]
For Luther then general overall station of being in the home or state or ministry of the church gives one his/her vocation. There are commands in the scripture, like the 4th commandment that establish that general station. In addition, each and every individual duty that we receive from those in authority within that station is to be considered a divine duty given to us by God through those in authority. For example:
One must note, however, that the Lord also speaks to us through human beings. When parents give orders to their children, the tasks may seem insignificant and unimportant in their outward appearance; yet when children obey, they are obeying not so much men as God. For God has commanded that parent should be obeyed.[6]
again
Now God has richly given us his word so that we may indeed without much toil take hold of our works and deeds in God’s word. For whoever has faith, that is, whoever sets his heart and trust in God’s grace which he has proven to us in Christ, does well no matter what he does, if it is doen in his vocation and order whether it is singing, praying, eating, or sleeping. For he does it all as a Christian and beliees in Christ and can say: I will read, pray , work, and serve my husband or wife in Christs name an I know that in doing so I am serving God in heaven. … Beyond the word of faith, God has comprised, instituted, arranged, and strengthened and made holy all orders whrough his word. For there stand the fourth commandment: Honor your mother and father. This commandment comprises all orders, father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife, servant, maid, government, citizen, etc. For the order of marriage is teh fountain from which all orders come. On account of this commandment a child can now say: I will now go to school, study, cook, spin, sew, and know that if I do it faithfully and with zeal God is pleased by it. … A servant and maid, husband and wife in the house, all have gods Word for themselves in their orders so that they can say: God has commanded this to me and in his name I will get up, go to work, sit at the table, go to bed again etc. Whatever one does even if it is only to sweep out a room does well and lives in obedience to God. For the word: Honor your father and mother comprises all orders, vocations, and works which belong to teh order of marriage or derive from it.[7]
Precisely the same language and argument is used by Luther in regard to the civil government:
Thus when the government, by virtue of its office, calls citizens into military service in order to maintain peace and to ward off harm, obedience is hwon to God. For the Lord tells us (Rom. 13:1): “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.” But someone will say: “Obedience is dangereous, for I may be killed!” My answer is: “Whether you kill or are killed is immaterial, for you are going as the Lord has told you. It is therefore a holy and godly deed even to kill an adversary, provided the government commands it.[8]
Again, the same language and argument is used in regard to the ministry of the word:
In the same way everyone should follow this adivce of St. Peter each according to his vocation: a prince pay attention how he should guard his land and people, foster God’s word, uphold peace and discipline, produce justice for everyone, punish the disobedient etc. … Pastors and preachers should speak God’s word and truth correctly and without timitidy … But the world does not do this. [9]
or from Melanchthon, Luther’s colleague:
the gospel commands those who are to lead the churches that they should preach the gospel, forgive sins and administer the sacraments. …. Now everyone, evenour opponents, must confess that all those who lead the church have this same command, whether they are called pastors or elders or bishops.[10]
This pattern of language and argument is pervasive throughout Luther and his early colleagues. It is important to understand this pattern of language in Luther because it frames so much of what he has to say in regard to these three important stations of life. Unfortunately, a blog is not the medium to dive into any more detail than this. I can only point in the general direction here, as I’ve done above.
m.
——————–
[1] And so Matt. 22:35-39: “And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him,
[2] Hauspostille. St. L. XIII, 247.
[3] Auslegungen über den Evangelisten Johannes. St. L. VIII, 874.
[4] Small Catechism, Table of Duties, 14.
[5] Genesis LW 3, 217.
[6] LW 2, 271.
[7] Hauspostille, St. L. XIII, 2216f.
[8] Lectures on Genesis. LW 2, 271.
[9] Kirchenpostille. St. L. XII, 690f.
[10] Smalcald Articles “Concerning the Power and Primacy of the Pope”, 60-61.
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Vocation #4: now the biblical texts
By Dr. Mark D. Nispel | May 24, 2008
So now we have a basic definition of what vocation or a calling is. That which God commands a person to do is a vocation. (If you are just starting to read this series for the first time, please return to the first post for an explanation of the proper Law/Gospel context for the topic of vocation, here). The opposite of vocation are works or acts of worship that are self-chosen.
So we are ready to take a look at how the first generation Lutherans made use of this idea when they were explaining biblical texts. The first example comes from Phillip Melanchthon, who was a colleague of Martin Luther at the University of Wittenberg. In the context of a discussion on the now familiar topic of monastic vows, he discussed the text of Matt. 19:21 where Jesus commands the young man to sell everything he has and give the money to the poor in order to become perfect. Melanchthon explains:
Abandoning property is merely a human tradition[2] and thus it is an non-useful act of worship. [The papists say] Christ here speaks of perfection. But they do violence to the text and quote it in mutilated form. Perfection is in that which Christ adds: “Follow me.” An example of obedience in one’s calling is presented here. And callings are unlike. One is called to rule as king, a second to be father of a family, a third to be a preacher. So this calling [of selling everything] does not belong to all. It pertains properly to the person with whom Christ there speaks, just as the call of David to [rule] the kingdom, and of Abraham to slay his son, are not to be imitated by us. Callings are personal, just as matters of business themselves vary with times and persons. But the example of obedience is universal. Perfection would have belonged to that young man if he had believed and obeyed this vocation.[3] Thus perfection with us is that everyone with true faith should obey his own calling. Not that I should undertake a different calling for which I do not have the commission or command of God.[1]
This text is very typical of ‘vocation texts’ among the early Lutherans. Important points to note are:
- Again the opposite or antithesis of “vocation” is “human tradition” (which here is the equivalent of “self-chosen”).
- Vocation is the command of Christ given to a person.
- The particular command given to the young man by Christ is equivalent in nature to general commands such as to be a father or to be a preacher. These may be long term vocations as compared to shorter term commands such as to sell all you own - but they are fundamentally the same in that they are all are divine commands.
The comments above, written by Melanchthon in 1530, compare the command of Christ in Matt 19 to the call or command of God given to Abraham to slay his son. Let’s look at independent comments from Luther, written in 1539, regarding the text of Genesis 22:3, where Abraham is setting out to sacrifice Isaac:
This account deserves to have each word carefully examined. Abraham rose early in the morning. He did not delay; He did not argue. Nor did he ask, as Adam did in Paradise: “Why does God give this command?” He listened neither to his flesh nor to the serpent. Indeed, he did not make the matter known even to Sarah; but when he heard God’s command, he hastened without any hesitation to carry it out. … This is the meaning of the words ‘Abraham rose early in the morning.” He did not argue about the outcome, but these were his thoughts: “I am sure that something better will happen than I am now seeing - not through my strength or that of my people but through the power of the command of God. Therefore I shall obey the Lord, who is giving me the command and is calling me.”[4]
Here we see 9 years later very much the same argumentation as Melanchthon offered in the text above. In a similar fashion, Luther comments on the Gospel text where Jesus is called out into the wilderness for 40 days by the Holy Spirit[5]:
Here it says that the Lord Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, that is, the Holy Spirit called him into the wilderness. The Evangelist especially wanted to mention this so that one might guard himself from his own notions (of serving God)[6] since Christ himself did not go into the wilderness on account of his own notion (of serving God) or on his own motivation and there wrestle with the devil. He did not act as many people do undertaking many things without God’s word merely from personal notions (of serving God). But it should not be like this. No one should undertake anything nor run after anything in order to serve God unless he knows with certainty that God has bid him to do it either through his word or through men who have authority over us in God’s place. For whoever undertakes something without such a call, like the monks and nuns who have run into the monasteries, he in no way serves God by doing this but rather does this contrary to obedience to God. Therefore this example of Christ is to be considered well: that he did not run into the desert on his own volition but rather the Holy Spirit bid him to do it. And we should do the same and undertake nothing from our own notion (of serving God) but rather in everything we do we should be able to say and boast: this was done in obedience and (on account of) the command of the word.[7]
The first thing to note is how closely the topic of vocation, God’s word, and “good works” are related in Luther. For Luther that which God commands in his word is in a different class from whatever else God has not commanded. Things not commanded by God fall into the realm of Christian freedom. But when we discuss good works, things done according to our vocation, there we must be able to show that our deeds are commanded by God. All of this can be pictured as something like this:
This model is followed regularly in the works of Luther and his colleagues. One more example will suffice to show how pervasive and consistent this model was to Luther
Every Christian from youth on should accustom himself to (the fact that) he is in a holy order. If such a person should happen to even fall down the stairs and die he can say: My father, my mother, my husband, my wife asked me to go up (the stairs) therefore I am dying in a holy order, in right obedience, and in a good work which pleases God. Also, whoever should be in a war at the command of his ruler and government and goes in the name of God who placed him under such government even if he should quickly be shot or stabbed, he dies well. For he has for himself God’s word and is found in obedience to God and knows that whatever he does according to such a call he has a command of God for it. … So now learn what a holy, spiritual life is, namely, not to live in a monastery. Rather it is when you believe in Jesus Christ and do the works of your calling in faith and according to God’s word. See that first you believe in Christ and are baptized. Then look after your office and call. I am called to preach. When I preach God’s word purely I do a holy work which pleases God. If you are a father or mother: believe in Jesus Christ and you are a holy father and a holy mother. Help your children with their lessons in the morning, let them pray, punish and whip them when they are disobedient. Se how it goes in the house, how the domestics cook and work. Such are nothing but holy works for you are called to them by God. That is a holy life. It goes forth in God’s word and in the commanded office and call.[8]
m.
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[1] This text appears in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, article XXVII, 47-49. This is one of the documents in the Book of Concord, which contains the definitive historical confessional documents for Lutherans.
[2] Latin: traditio humana. German: menschliche Satzung.
[3] Latin: si huic vocationi credidisset et obedivisset.
[4] LW 4, 102-114.
[5] Lk 4: 1-13.
[6] “one might guard himself ones own notions” = “daß man sich hüte vor eigener Andacht”
[7] St. L. XIII, 246f.
[8] St. L. XIII, 2218-2223.
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Vocation #3: good works are “God commanded” not “self-chosen”
By Dr. Mark D. Nispel | May 24, 2008
As demonstrated in the previous post, the best answer to the question “what is vocation”, is not found by looking at the pattern of usage of one particular word in the bible. Vocation, or its original equivalents (Beruf, vocatio) are best understood by observing their historical context and development. That is, it’s easiest to understand them when we ask how Luther and Lutherans came to use the terms originally and what they meant by them. In this case, vocation is most easily understood by contrasting it to Luther’s most common antithesis to vocation, monasticism as a self-chosen form of worship.
The monks and nuns of Luther’s day often entered the monastic life at an early age and took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to their order. There they would regularly engage in prayers and fasts and other practices of deprivation. There was a common impression that this life of dedication to God was more holy than the normal life of every-day Christians. Within Roman theology it was taught that such excess merit before God could be distributed through actions of the church, such as through indulgences.
Luther often criticized the widespread impression and belief that the monastic life was somehow more holy and God-pleasing than the life of a common Christian lived in faith. Luther presented his criticism on several fronts. For example he regularly pointed out that impressive external sanctity often masked internal sin.[1] But he often made an even stronger criticism which pointed out that the common conception that the monastic life was more holy was exactly opposite of the truth. Luther’s argument, repeated time and time again throughout his writings, goes as follows:
- The fasts and vigils and self deprivation of the monastics are not commanded by God but are self-chosen works.
- The universal command to love one’s neighbor and the Ten Commandments, on the contrary, are God’s word and commands.
- When Christians in faith obey these commands of God they are good and holy works.
- The simplest acts of obedience of the child to parents, the citizen to government, or of love shown to one’s spouse or neighbor, are thus holy and good works of faith, greater than the most impressive self-chosen works done by the monks.
This rather simple argument is presented by Luther on many occasions in a variety of forms. Here is one example:
Therefore the monks and their filth are nothing when they claim: To live in the general orders and offices and to follow one’s call is nothing. But to enter a monastery and become a monk, that is something. They also think: O those are general works which even the heathen do. Therefore they are nothing special before God. And so they judge the offices and works without and outside of God’s word. For whoever has God’s word says: It is true that if one judges according to the work it is a very small thing that a child goes to school and studies, a young girl spins and sews, a servant girl cooks, washes, sweeps, carries the children, wipes their mouth, and bathes them. For the heathen and non-Christians do such things too. But they do it without God’s word, that is, they do not do them in faith. They do not believe that they serve and obey God with such works and they do not know His command. A son however, a daughter and maid who are Christians, know from the forth commandment that God has commanded such works and will have them done. Through his word God makes them holy works and he needs no chrism in addition. For the word is the right chrism that God has said through saint Paul: “You children, obey your parents in the Lord” and “You servants, obey your bodily masters with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your hearts.” Eph. 6:1-5. Without such words they are simple general works which the heathen also do. But through such word and faith the simple works (which the heathen do just as well) become holy and acceptable to God.[2]
So that which God commands, however big or small, is for Luther a divine call or vocation:
Therefore it is indeed great wisdom when a man does what God has commanded him and does not pay attention to others nor asks what they are doing but rather pays attention only to himself and his call.[3]
and
Let us institute nothing without the Word of God; but let us walk in a holy calling, that is, in one that has the word and command of God. He who institutes anything without the command of God labors in vain. … Let this conviction remain unshaken: that everything must be done in accordance with God’s command, in order that we may determine with assurance in our conscience that we are doing it because we have been commanded by God.[4]
In the next several posts I will show how Luther applied these ideas and vocabulary when he taught from various biblical texts.
m.
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[1] Luther refers to his own vows and external sanctity and contrasts them with his own internal struggles as follows:
I observed chastity, poverty, and obedience. In addition, I was free of the cares of this presentl life and was devoted only to fasting, vigils, prayers, reading Mass, and things like that. nevertheless, under the cover of this sanctity and confidence I was nursing incessant mistrust, doubt, fear, hatred, and blasphemy against God. This righteousness of mine was nothing but a cesspool and the delightful kingdom of the devil. (LW 26, 70.)
[2] Hauspostille. St. L. XIII, 2218f.
[3] Lectures on Genesis (17:9). St. L. I, 1071. See LW 3, 128. Similarly:
This is a necessary doctrine on which much depends, that we take hold of our call in God’s Word. Everyone should be certain that everything that he does or leaves undone he does or leaves undone in God’s name and at God’s command. (St. L. XIII, 2216).
[4] Lectures on Genesis. LW 2, 112 and 115.
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Vocation #2: NOT the meaning of vocation
By Dr. Mark D. Nispel | May 17, 2008
“Call” or “called” are used in the English New Testament in several ways. There are the simplest passages that refer to a literal vocal summoning of someone, such as John, 18:33: “Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus.”[1] And there are passages that refer to naming something like John 19:17: Jesus “went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull”.[2] Neither of these uses of the word belong to the subject at hand. They are not “vocation”.
There are also many verses that refer to being called by God to faith.[3] For example, Gal 1:1: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ.” This is to be called by the Gospel.[4] And from this important idea, Christians can even be identified as the “called“.[5] But this too is not what is intended by the Lutheran teaching of vocation.
Finally, in the New Testament “call” or “called” is used a couple of times to refer to God’s calling of Paul to be an apostle. In 1 Cor 1:1 Paul writes that he is “Paul called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus”. In similar fashion, in 1 Cor 1:1, he refers to himself as “called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus”. As it turns out, this is related to the Lutheran teaching of vocation. However, it is only one piece of the pie. It is a broader concept than “apostleship”.
So we will not arrive at “vocation” by simply following the trail of “call” or “called” in the bible. It is a higher level idea that encompases more than this one thing. Yet once it is properly framed it is fairly simple and easy to understand. And I will hopefully get to that place next time.
m.
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[1] The Greek word here is a form of ‘phoneo‘.
[2] The Greek word here is ‘legomenon‘, a passive form of the verb ‘lego’.
[3] For example Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” And 1 Corinthians 1:9: “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” The Greek word used in these passages is the verb ‘kaleo’ .
[4] 2 Thess. 2:14: “To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
[5] Rev. 17:14: “for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” And Rom 1:6: “you who are the called of Jesus Christ”.
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Vocation #1: A simple and practical guide to Christian living
By Dr. Mark D. Nispel | May 16, 2008
I recently made public remarks that included an argument based upon a Lutheran idea called “vocation”. My remarks assumed that the reader was familiar with this unique Lutheran teaching. On the other hand, I realize there are many people who are not familiar with it. In fact there are aspects of this idea that are a little challenging to communicate accurately in English. So it occurred to me that it might be useful to make a simple presentation of vocation in a short series of posts which in turn could be used to help more people understand this valuable Lutheran teaching.
INTRODUCTION - THE IDEA OF “VOCATION”
The English word “vocation” is based directly upon the Latin noun “vocatio”, a call/calling or a summoning.[1] It is a general word for things like summoning someone to this or that event or activity, like a court of law. But Luther and Lutheran teaching have made use of this word and related words in a unique and valuable way in order to convey specific ideas related to very practical Christian living. It actually played a very important role in the day to day teaching of the original Lutherans. Today it is still there in their writings that have come down to us. But to some degree it remains underutilized by English Lutherans today. Perhaps in part this is due to some difficulty in presenting the idea as clearly in English as it was done in German and Latin. But with some focus and a little effort that can be overcome. And that is what these posts will be about.
The teaching of “vocation” was intended to address very practical questions of the Christian people among whom Luther and his colleagues taught. In many ways, it is the original and better version of a genre of books like a Purpose Driven Life. [2] The reason I say that it is the better version of such contemporary books is not because I am a historian and simply favor old ideas. The real reason it is better is because Luther was careful to place the idea of “vocation” within the larger context of Christian teachings. Vocation was carefully distinguished from and related to the larger questions of salvation or justification. Priority and importance was appropriately given to the questions like Who is God?, Who is Jesus?, How does one become a Christian?, etc. And only after these questions were answered clearly did vocation become a topic of discussion. But even if vocation followed in priority after these questions, it was still an important topic that received regular attention. So in summary, it can be said that vocation is the idea Lutherans used to encompass all that is included in the question: “OK,
I am justified by faith in Jesus. I am a Christian. Now what do I do?”
So Luther puts vocation in just the right context when he said:
Give no more to the Law than it has coming, and say to it: “… I am baptized; and through the Gospel I have been called to a fellowship of righteousness and eternal life, to the kingdom of Christ, in which my conscience is at peace, where there is no Law but only the forgiveness of sins, peace, quiet, happiness, salvation , and eternal life. … When I have this righteousness within me, I descend from haven like the rain that makes the earth fertile. That is, I come forth into another kingdom, and I perform good works whenever the opportunity arises. If I am a minister of the Word, I preach, I comfort the saddened, I administer the sacraments. If I am a father, I rule my household and family, I train my children in piety and honesty. If I am a magistrate, I perform the office which I have received by divine command. if I am a servant, I faithfully tend to my master’s affairs. In short, whoever knows for sure that Christ is his righteousness not only cheerfully and gladly works in his calling (or vocation), but also submits himself for the sake of love to magistrates …” [3]
In the following posts I will unpack this and similar passages and try to show how vocation is a simple and practical guide to Christian living.
————-
[1] This noun derives from verb “vocare”, to call or to summon. The German equivalent was “Beruf” and “berufen”.
[2] Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002).
[3] LW 26, 11-12.
Abbreviations
LW - Luther, Martin. Luther’s Works (English Translation) (St. Louis. 1955-76).
Topics: Luther, Lutheran Church, language, vocation | No Comments »
Original German source for Die heilige Absolution by Walther
By Dr. Mark D. Nispel | May 9, 2008
My translation of the first in a series of articles by Walther on absolution in the 1846 Der Lutheraner was recently printed in Logia XVII (2008), 2: 63 - 65.
This is discussed here:
and here:
I am making the original German source available. I’ve scanned it and turned it into a .pdf file.
It can be retrieved here:
Original German Source: Der Lutheraner 2 (1846): 59-60
Perhaps over time more and more early Missouri material can be made available in this way. If only there were more language skills and historical/theological interest to actually make use of it.
m.
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Robert Newton and “Accountability and Faithfulness in Reaching the Lost”
By Dr. Mark D. Nispel | April 26, 2008
Robert D. Newton, President of the California, Nevada, Hawaii district of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, presented a paper in Nashville, TN in January 2008 at a conference of the Transforming Congregations Network: Mission Revitalization Process.
This paper is part of the ongoing activity associated with the Ablaze! program within the Missouri Synod of which President Newton is an active part. In fact he seems to be somewhat of a theological apologist for the program as his papers and presentations are appearing in various places throughout the church body.
The original paper (about 11 pages) is available here: Accountability and Faithfulness in Reaching the Lost.
My interest in it came about because I was asked to review it and comment upon it.
My complete comments (about 12 pages) are here: Nispel Comments
The summary from the comments document are as follows:
First, it is appropriate to respond to this paper publicly because it has been presented in a public forum. Secondly President Newton appears to be one of the ongoing theological apologists for the Ablaze! initiative and thus has placed his work in general into the position of receiving critical evaluation. And finally, in his paper, President Newton explicitly invites a fraternal conversation on the topics he addresses.
Summary
First it should be granted that President Newton has raised a legitimate issue for discussion. And he points to real concerns in relation to the history, status, direction, culture, and theology of the Missouri Synod in relation to reaching the lost. And these can and should be discussed openly and seriously. However, the paper itself in dealing with the two questions related to proclaiming the gospel to the unchurched, presents exegesis, language, and arguments that are significant innovations and diversions from the historical examples and norms of the Lutheran tradition and, to some degree, from the wider historical Christian tradition. As such they should be evaluated carefully.
This innovation in language and argument is not simply a neutral clarification or alternate description. On the contrary, it creates a theological model of “mission” by changing the scope of the fundamental term “gospel” and using this term as a label for something that is clearly considered “office” by Luther and the Confessions. This approach can not help but affect many other related doctrines such as the public office of the ministry, the means of grace, etc. although these topics are not addressed directly by President Newton’s paper. Beyond this, the new terminology used in the presentation of this model leads to additional statements that appear to border on careless and should not be accepted without careful scrutiny.
Finally, important issues of church polity are touched upon by President Newton’s argument in that he claims Synod should provide centralized oversight and accountability for mission to the lost because we provide accountability for those things we value most. These issues should be evaluated carefully within a proper description of the relationship between the Synod and its member congregations as established by the doctrine of the church.
I was asked to review the document and make my comments. And I think
the comments raise important and non-trivial issues. Every man can use
them as they like.
I have no interest in simply being argumentative on this topic. And I have had no previous exposure to or conversations about the Ablaze! program other than a couple of incidental remarks I have heard a couple of times that were without any detail. The comments contained here are not general comments regarding Ablaze! Nevertheless, they could easily raise more general concerns as to what other similar arguments and assertions may be in use for the promotion of this program.
m.
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Walther - officially speaks Nebraskan
By Dr. Mark D. Nispel | April 14, 2008
My translation (mentioned in earlier posts from last August and September) of part 1 of a series of articles in Der Lutheraner by C.F.W. Walther has officially appeared in print. It is in the Forum section of the latest issue (Eastertide 2008) of Logia. It is titled: “Walther on Absolution.” The second part has been translated by Dr. Matthew Phillips of Concordia University, Seward, NE. It should be appearing in upcoming issues.
m.
UPDATE 4/26/2008: I noticed this evening that Logia referenced my first part of the series as Der Lutheraner 3 (1846):59-60. In actuality, it is 2 (1846): 59-60. I see that I made the mistake on the copy of the translation I sent them. I had it right when I originally referenced it here in this blog: Original Der Lutheraner Reference
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Three Luther documents completed
By Dr. Mark D. Nispel | March 22, 2008
I finally finished the third Luther work assigned to me by CPH for translation. It has been submitted for editing.
This document came from 1537 and was an introduction by Luther to a work titled “A disputation regarding the monarchy of the pope.”
In this document Luther was quite severe in his judgement of the papacy and its ongoing claims to have authority over all the churches and the right of shepherding them, which Luther considered a lie. And while this claim was made, said Luther, the papacy regularly took money and physical goods from the churches to enrich itself.
In addition, Luther makes some interesting remarks about the history of Charles the Great and his coronation of the papal claims that were made on the basis of this event.
Finally, Luther in several places demonstrates rhetorical skill and polish even while using harsh language to express his disapproval of the papacy.
The work is found in WA 50:102-105.
m.
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Wittenberg and Aristotle
By Dr. Mark D. Nispel | December 11, 2007
Logia has called for manuscripts on the topic of “Wittenberg and Athens” for their Reformation 2008 issue. So at the end of November, I reworked my paper titled Wittenberg Reforms in the University which I wrote as part of my doctoral program. I reworked it to shorten and improve the text and fix up some reference mistakes and then I submitted it to Logia.
The paper is a historical piece that discusses the place of Aristotle in the late medieval European university and Luther and Melanchthon’s modification of that tradition in Wittenberg. The topic is quite interesting in a number of different aspects. The primary of these is Luther’s complete rejection of Aristotle and the medieval commentaries from the area of theology. A secondary area of interest is Melanchthon’s continuing use of Aristotle as a basis for a new Lutheran Natural Philosophy that placed the rational study of the world within the context of the biblical doctrine of creation. This effort by Melanchthon was very influential in the subsequent history of European education.
We’ll see if it is of enough interest to get published or not.
m.
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