Pulpit and Politics: Clergy in American Politics at the Advent of the Millennium

10. Lutheran Church–Missouri-Synod

The monstrous attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., are an astounding example of mankind’s fall into sin and the forces of evil at work in this world. . . . To deal with such sin and evil in the civil world, God has given us civil authorities—President Bush and our government—to promote peace, order and to provide protection for the American people. Rev. Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, President, LCMS, 11 September 2001 Dr. Kieschnick’s words in the wake of the September 11 attacks are consistent with evangelical Protestant theology: human sin spawned the attacks; governments work to protect their citizens. At a deeper level, however, the statement in its entirety is a textbook example of the Lutheran philosophy of two kingdoms—both in theory and practice. Recognizing the totality of sin in the world, Lutherans are hesitant to try and remake the world in their image. Instead, they focus on spreading the gospel in a world protected and sustained by government. More so than many other traditions, Lutherans believe they are to be in the world but not of it (John 17:14-18). Chapter 10 Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Jeff Walz and Steve Montreal 127 In their post-September 11 sermons, as well as in the 2000 political arena, LCMS pastors followed the two-kingdom theory of separating the spiritual and earthly realms. They take a “bottom-up” approach to addressing the world’s problems, emphasizing a gospel message that can change individual lives and improve societal conditions. The church, conversely, should speak on public issues rarely and only when a clear biblical mandate exists. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Founded on April 26, 1847, by twelve pastors representing fifteen congregations , “The German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States” was the forerunner to today’s Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). Established by German immigrants in the American Midwest, the church wished to preserve its Lutheran faith in the face of government encroachment in Europe. The original group (which became the LCMS in 1947) was protective of its theology and cultural vision and ethos, and feared the secularizing effects of mainstream American life. The original constitution was written in German, which remained the language used in most synod churches until World War I. To keep its distance from secular society and to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to others, particularly its young people, the LCMS established and continues to maintain a thriving parochial school system (Nafzger 1994). The LCMS today has 2.6 million members in 6,145 congregations concentrated in the Midwest. Theologically, the LCMS is conservative and evangelical with a focus on bringing the gospel to the nation and world while maintaining strict adherence to the church’s theological underpinnings. The denomination strongly upholds its “confessional” nature, as pastors and congregations together affirm specific “confessions of faith” delineating the beliefs, teachings, and practices of the church. The basis for these confessions is The Book of Concord (formulated in 1580), which includes the fundamental teachings of the Lutheran Church (Nafzger 1994). The LCMS is theologically comparable to the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, and both oppose female ordination. The LCMS is more conservative than the larger Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), which has been receptive to female ordination, practices open Holy Communion (not limited to its own members), and is more ecumenical. 128 Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod The LCMS was split by a schism between conservatives and liberals in the early 1970s, and since then, the denomination has tried to maintain its doctrinal strictness while expanding its evangelistic appeals. The synod is dealing with at least three controversies as it moves beyond its 150th anniversary. First, the church has struggled with incorporating contemporary worship formats in an effort to broaden its “market share” while maintaining its doctrinal purity. While most within the synod agree this can be done, those on the ideological edges would either like to see these services end or, for individuals at the other extreme, become a more central part of the LCMS worship experience. Second, varying interpretations of the synod’s closed Holy Communion policy are held among the congregations. In theory, the LCMS ordinarily communes only those who have been instructed in the teachings of the LCMS church and who have specifically and publicly confessed their faith in these teachings. In practice, however, some churches interpret this much more liberally, creating a trend that is anathema...