An Open Letter to the Members of the ELCA

“Here I stand. I can do no other.” Martin Luther - 1521

“I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word.” (Psalm 119:16)

The Reformation dispute between Martin Luther and the Catholic Church came to a head at the Diet of Worms in 1521 when Luther was called in to renounce his teachings and the 95 Theses he tacked on the church door of Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. As Luther saw it there were two interrelated issues at stake. First, was the authority of Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura) as the sole source for doctrine and practice as opposed to the twin authorities of both Scripture and the tradition of the church. Second, was the issue of faith alone (Sola Fide); that a person is justified by grace alone through faith alone. Following Aristotelian from-matter schema, the formal issue was Scripture alone and the material issue was faith alone.

In other words, the underlying issue was the question if God’s Word alone was the only rule for faith and practice or if tradition came alongside and carried equal weight. How this worked out was that the Catholic Church came to a different understanding of salvation because they based it on the twin authorities of Scripture and church tradition. Since both carried equal weight it was Scripture that ultimately was reinterpreted to line up with tradition. Any interpretation of the Bible that ran counter to tradition was disallowed.

Luther’s core conviction was that God’s Word alone binds the conscience and is the sole authority in doctrinal matters. When called to recant he spoke plainly, “Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”

Thus began the Reformation that is our history and heritage as Christians. There are interesting parallels between the discussion in Luther’s day and the debate within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The material issue has to do with the acceptance of the practice of homosexuality among the laity and clergy. But underlying the issue is a question of the authority and clarity of the Word of God. Is God’s Word the sole authority in doctrinal matters and do we accept the clear and plain teaching in the Bible or do we allow the changing mores and cultural climate of our day to reject these teachings? Like those in Luther’s day, we are allowing the sentiments of men to reinterpret and redefine what God has clearly said in the Bible.

It is both sad and ironic that the very church that bares Luther’s name would abandon the clear teaching of God’s Word in order to be more in line with the sentiment and spirit of the age. Unwittingly many have overturned the very foundation of the Protestant Reformation and the core convictions of the very reformer they view as their founder.

Many in the Lutheran Church are saying that this issue should not divide the church but rather people should focus on what unites them. If one cannot agree on the very source of authority for faith what is left that unites them? This was the very reason Luther left the Catholic Church and took his stand. I believe those within the Lutheran Church who know Jesus as their Savior must once again have the courage to take a stand and do what is right before God.