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

4. Evangelical Lutheran Church of America

While many scholars have written about Lutheran theology, ethics, and church history, no social scientist since Lawrence Kersten (1970) has focused on the politics of either the Lutheran clergy or laity.17 The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) is the largest Lutheran body in the United States. The denomination was forged in 1988, when three Lutheran bodies (the Lutheran Church in America, the American Lutheran Church, and the American Evangelical Lutheran Church) chose to merge their institutional resources. This merger resulted in a denomination that today is composed of 10,700 congregations; 17,670 clergy; 5,099,800 baptized members; and 2,460,500 communing and contributing members (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America). While firmly ensconced among mainline Protestants, the distinctiveness of the ELCA tradition should not be underestimated. In fact, some observers have questioned the placement of the ELCA in the tradition of mainline Protestantism. In their earlier history, the predecessor churches of the ELCA had distinct immigrant identities and warily accepted some of the central tenets of modernist theology (particularly the historical criticism of biblical texts) that were hallmarks of mainline Protestantism. In fact, among mainline Protestants, the ELCA is the Chapter 4 Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Daniel Hofrenning, Janelle Sagness, and L. DeAne Lagerquist 43 only denomination to describe itself as “evangelical.” Though the ELCA Lutherans apply the term differently from its popular usage in the United States, their acceptance of the label distinguishes them from their sister denominations within mainline Protestantism. As a church founded on a radical, biblically-based challenge to medieval Catholicism , Lutherans profess the centrality of Scripture. Martin Luther’s unique emphasis in this regard, sola scriptura, has endured in the contemporary church and distinguishes the ELCA from some mainline Protestant traditions that see the Bible in a less exalted place. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The roots of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America date back to the sixteenth century, when Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk, hoped to reform the Roman Catholic Church. His efforts resulted, however , in a dramatic break with the Catholics and the formation of a new church that was termed “Lutheran.” His posting of the 95 Theses in 1517 marked the symbolic beginning of the Protestant Reformation and the formation of Lutheran churches. Initially, Luther directed his criticism at the practice of selling indulgences, a human method to pay sin’s penalties. Always the reformer, he called the church to restore divine grace to its proper, central place in salvation as indicated by the slogan, “Faith alone; grace alone; Scripture alone.” Luther’s reading of Scripture, particularly the New Testament book of Romans, led him to proclaim that no human effort is sufficient to warrant salvation; rather, salvation comes only through God’s gracious action. Faith alone—not indulgences or any human activity—is the sole requirement for salvation. In response to the pope’s demand that Luther recant, Luther asserted that his conscience was captive to Scripture and made his famous confession: “Here I stand; I can do no otherwise. God help me. Amen!” While he was a theological and ecclesiastical radical, Luther’s politics are often termed conservative. He counseled obedience to temporal authorities in all but the most extreme cases. Disobedience to the state was justified only when the ruling authorities interfered with worship and the proclamation of the central gospel message. No doubt the most notorious expression of Luther’s restraint was his negative response to the Peasants’ Revolt. While initially expressing sympathy with the peasants ’ grievances, Luther subsequently concluded that the movement went too far. He urged the princes to subdue “the robbing, murdering 44 Evangelical Lutheran Church of America hordes of peasants” in whatever way necessary (Kirshner 1972). For Luther, it seems that injustice was an insufficient cause for revolution; rebellion was justified only when the state interfered with the free exercise of religion. This reluctance to support the peasants’ action reflected Luther’s view that the proclamation of the gospel is the primary, ultimate value; politics is important, but secondary. While the theological question of salvation was Luther’s principle concern, he was also interested in worldly affairs. Luther argued that God’s work of salvation takes place in two kingdoms: in the spiritual kingdom, humans receive the free gift of grace and salvation; in the temporal kingdom, humans work to order and sustain God’s worldly creation . While the spiritual kingdom features the individual message of salvation, the temporal...