True Unity: Reflections on the Augsburg Confession, Part 3

For it is sufficient for the true unity of the Christian church that the Gospel be preached in conformity with a pure understanding of it and that the sacraments be administered in accordance with the divine Word.

(Augsburg Confession, Article VII)[1]

Maintain Unity

One of the most difficult and important tasks of pastors and leaders in any congregation is to maintain unity. It is no easy thing to keep a group of several hundred people united around a common vision of mission and ministry. Many of you have experienced how painful and destructive conflict within a congregation can be. Friendships are broken, people become disillusioned with the Church and therefore with the Gospel itself. Some just drift away and stop going to church altogether. Even when things seem to be resolved, distrust can continue to simmer below the surface.

Politics are Divisive

One of the things that seems almost certain to cause division and distrust in 2020 is politics. The division between Red State and Blue State, conservative and progressive, Democrat and Republican is as wide and deep as it has been in a long time. Just begin to discuss immigration, LGBT rights, war, abortion, gun control, religious freedom, Israel/Palestine, global warming, and a host of other issues, and the conversation will quickly become heated. Express the wrong opinion and you might be shunned, or unfriended on Facebook. In some cases, you may even lose your job or be sued. This is as true in the family and the church as it is in the workplace or social media.

As a pastor, I have always worked carefully and diligently to make sure that people of all political stripes feel welcome in my congregation. I encourage each person to live out his/her vocation as citizen by voting, volunteering and advocating for those causes that he/she believes are in accord with God’s will. However, I have made it clear that the congregation and its ministries cannot be used as a platform to advance partisan causes. For instance, the congregation does not pass out voting guides or endorse amendments to the state constitution.

And yet at the Synod Level

You can understand my dismay then, when I have seen the annual assembly of my synod used as such a political platform. Several years ago, members of St. Paul were shocked when they listened to a report given by our synodical VP. They expected to hear about how the synod planned to proclaim the Gospel. Instead, they heard a laundry list of political tasks the VP insisted the Church must undertake. To add insult to injury, the VP suggested that those who were skeptical of or opposed to her agenda were in the same moral category as Nazis and White Supremacists. This same pattern of behavior has continued for at least four years, if not longer. I can imagine the voting members to the synod assembly thinking to themselves, “But pastor said that the Church is not to be used as a political platform for one’s favorite political causes. Was he being untruthful when he said that?”

Where Does the ELCA Leadership Stand?

The bottom line on all of this is that it is no longer clear whether the leadership of the ELCA agrees with what the Augsburg Confession (AC), Article VII, says about the true unity of the Church. It seems that many believe that the true unity of the Church is found in a common socio/political agenda. Those who do not share or will not support this agenda are anathematized.  

A further problem arises when we consider what the AC, Article V, says about the Ministry:

To obtain such faith God instituted the office of the ministry, that is, provided the Gospel and the sacraments. Through these, as through means, he gives the Holy Spirit, who works faith, when and where he pleases, in those who hear the Gospel.

[2]

The Holy Spirit Gives Faith in Jesus Christ

The primary calling of the pastor and the primary mission of the congregation is to preach the Word of God, in Law and Gospel, and to administer the Sacraments.  The Lutheran Church confesses that it is through these means that God gives the Holy Spirit. It is this Holy Spirit that gives the gift of justifying faith in Jesus Christ. In turn, it is faith that becomes active in good works for the neighbor. (See Article VI on the New Obedience.) You might say that through the faithful ministry of the pastor and congregation, God brings about true change in persons, communities and the world.

Lost Confidence in the Gospel?

One of my primary concerns with the current emphasis on political advocacy and engagement in the ELCA is that it suggests we have lost confidence in the power of the Gospel to change the world. It is often suggested that the mission of the Church is to be transformative. It is our calling to change the world. And it is through engagement in the issues of the day and in the promotion of certain political causes that the Church truly makes a difference. This turns the Augsburg Confession on its head.

Political Advocacy Is ELCA Pastoral Duty?

Of more concern is the notion that, within the ELCA, it is the duty of pastors to promote the political causes and agendas endorsed by the larger denomination. Wording in the standard letter of call in ELCA synods says that a pastor shall “impart knowledge of this church and its wider ministry though distribution of its communications and publications.” When the focus of the ELCA was primarily on Word and Sacrament ministry, this was not problematic. When the majority of the communications and publications of the ELCA focus on political advocacy, however, it turns the pastor into a political operative or press agent.

Unity via the Gospel and the Sacraments

The current direction of the ELCA in regard to political engagement and advocacy presents a serious challenge to the ministry of pastors and congregations as outlined in the Augsburg Confession. It encourages and sometimes insists that we welcome a major cause of division into our congregations at a time when the political divide is at its worst. It would prevent us from finding the only unity that is necessary, namely unity through the Gospel and the Sacraments.

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[1] Theodore G. Tappert. Augsburg Confession (Kindle Locations 88-89). Kindle Edition.

[2] Theodore G. Tappert. Augsburg Confession (Kindle Locations 79-81). Kindle Edition.