Comments on: Tradition–And Lutheran Stuff Again http://haligweorc.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/tradition-and-lutheran-stuff-again/ Old English: Sanctuary (formed from the words "holy" and "work" thus what goes on in a sanctuary.) This is my sanctuary for writing on religion, academics, and the other things that ground my life. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 11:38:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU By: Christopher http://haligweorc.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/tradition-and-lutheran-stuff-again/#comment-4372 Christopher Fri, 21 Sep 2007 02:21:44 +0000 http://haligweorc.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/tradition-and-lutheran-stuff-again/#comment-4372 My latest comments: http://thanksgivinginallthings.blogspot.com/2007/09/unhappy-exchange.html My latest comments:
http://thanksgivinginallthings.blogspot.com/2007/09/unhappy-exchange.html

]]> By: ELW Thoughts « Idle Ramblings of the LutherPunk http://haligweorc.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/tradition-and-lutheran-stuff-again/#comment-4370 ELW Thoughts « Idle Ramblings of the LutherPunk Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:42:05 +0000 http://haligweorc.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/tradition-and-lutheran-stuff-again/#comment-4370 [...] a simple question, “What would you do?” It’s a great question, one that Derek has already responded to from his perspective as a post-Lutheran. Derek and I are much on the same page regarding this [...] [...] a simple question, “What would you do?” It’s a great question, one that Derek has already responded to from his perspective as a post-Lutheran. Derek and I are much on the same page regarding this [...]

]]> By: Derek the Ænglican http://haligweorc.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/tradition-and-lutheran-stuff-again/#comment-4363 Derek the Ænglican Thu, 20 Sep 2007 15:41:23 +0000 http://haligweorc.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/tradition-and-lutheran-stuff-again/#comment-4363 Yes, YF, and what makes it even more complicated is how this fits within the history of the development of the tradition. In some senses, Lutheranism in America is a complicated alignment of tribal groups. To really understand Lutheran conflict, you need to have a sense of the history of the various predecessor bodies. To the informed insider a throw-away, "Oh, that's a former Suomi Synod church" brings an understanding nod and a change in topic. Lines between varieties of churchmanship and retention of catholic elements are often connect to issues of nationalism--particularly as it relates to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_norway#The_Kalmar_Union_and_the_union_with_Denmark" rel="nofollow">political fortunes of Norway in relation to her neighbors</a> and various regional tensions within Germany. As a simple for-instance, two ELCA Lutherans may stare hard at one another over this book as one comes through the LCA-ULC-Augustana Synod tradition of the very catholic Church of Sweden while the other comes through the ALC-ELC tradition of Norwegian pietist lay preachers. Both are authentically Lutheran and may even hold to the Confession--but in very different ways. Add in further non-Confessional complications like Evangelical or Liberal Protestant incursions against Lutheran Confessional theology and things start getting *really* messy. So--to make a long story short, east-facing altars are a logical extension of certain strands of Lutheranism, but praise bands too can be seen as a logical extension of certain schools of Lutheran pietism as well. The Anglican Churches have just as many divisions, of course, we just all talk past each other in a common tongue... ;-) Yes, YF, and what makes it even more complicated is how this fits within the history of the development of the tradition. In some senses, Lutheranism in America is a complicated alignment of tribal groups. To really understand Lutheran conflict, you need to have a sense of the history of the various predecessor bodies. To the informed insider a throw-away, “Oh, that’s a former Suomi Synod church” brings an understanding nod and a change in topic. Lines between varieties of churchmanship and retention of catholic elements are often connect to issues of nationalism–particularly as it relates to the political fortunes of Norway in relation to her neighbors and various regional tensions within Germany.

As a simple for-instance, two ELCA Lutherans may stare hard at one another over this book as one comes through the LCA-ULC-Augustana Synod tradition of the very catholic Church of Sweden while the other comes through the ALC-ELC tradition of Norwegian pietist lay preachers. Both are authentically Lutheran and may even hold to the Confession–but in very different ways. Add in further non-Confessional complications like Evangelical or Liberal Protestant incursions against Lutheran Confessional theology and things start getting *really* messy.

So–to make a long story short, east-facing altars are a logical extension of certain strands of Lutheranism, but praise bands too can be seen as a logical extension of certain schools of Lutheran pietism as well.

The Anglican Churches have just as many divisions, of course, we just all talk past each other in a common tongue… ;-)

]]> By: The young fogey http://haligweorc.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/tradition-and-lutheran-stuff-again/#comment-4362 The young fogey Thu, 20 Sep 2007 15:26:25 +0000 http://haligweorc.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/tradition-and-lutheran-stuff-again/#comment-4362 It's my understanding as an outsider who knows a few former Lutherans that their worship wars not only may be traditional versus modern but there's always been at least a tension between on one hand the distinctive Lutheran doctrinal orthodoxy and liturgical semi-Catholicism brought to America from Europe and on the other blending in with mainstream American Protestantism and now modern American evangelicalism - let's get rid of vestments and the hymnal and have a praise band and overhead projector like the Baptist megachurch, that kind of thing. (Which affects the LCMS too.) It’s my understanding as an outsider who knows a few former Lutherans that their worship wars not only may be traditional versus modern but there’s always been at least a tension between on one hand the distinctive Lutheran doctrinal orthodoxy and liturgical semi-Catholicism brought to America from Europe and on the other blending in with mainstream American Protestantism and now modern American evangelicalism - let’s get rid of vestments and the hymnal and have a praise band and overhead projector like the Baptist megachurch, that kind of thing. (Which affects the LCMS too.)

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