November 6, 2003
Dear Colleagues,
Greetings in the name of our
crucified and risen Christ!
These occasional e-mail letters
provide an opportunity for me to express my continued gratitude
for and commitment to you and your ministries. They are also a
chance to share reflections on questions before the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America.
Perhaps you recall that, at the
2002 Synod Assemblies, voting members suggested priorities for the
ELCA in coming years. The second most frequently mentioned
priority was that this church should tend to Lutheran identity.
Reformation Day and All Saints Day
are fitting times to reflect with you on Lutheran identity. We
have opportunity to claim the gifts of the ongoing Lutheran
reforming movement as we remember that we, as Lutherans, belong to
the communion of all the saints.
Lutheran identity grounded in
Scripture, the Confessions, and ecumenical creeds will at times
emphasize those theological convictions that set us apart from
other church bodies. Yet, I wonder if it is not more helpful to
think of Lutheran identity in terms of what we bring as a part
of the Body of Christ, even as we are open to receiving the
gifts of others.
Certainly identity has to do with
what distinguishes one from another. It seems that as nations, as
cultures, as church bodies ―even as members of families―we can
become almost singularly preoccupied with that dimension of
identity. When that is the case, we sometimes describe others in
the most pejorative light, so that we might appear more clear and
secure about our identity.
It is important to claim the
uniqueness of who we are as Lutherans. However, is not the greater
challenge to think of Lutheran identity in the context of our
relatedness? What does it mean to be the ELCA in relationship with
other Lutherans throughout the world? What does it mean to be
Lutheran Christians within the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic
Church? What does it mean to be Christian in this world of many
faiths? What does it mean to be human, sharing with other life
forms the rich diversity but increasingly threatened existence of
God's creation?
I am absolutely convinced that
there are rich treasures of the ongoing Lutheran Reformation that
we must continue to mine and share. They include, but are not
limited to:
- Justification by grace through
faith
- The theology of the cross
- Law and gospel
- The means of grace
- "Simul justus et peccator"
- Vocation and the priesthood of
all believers, and
- The freedom of the Christian.
Maintaining a Lutheran identity in
our culture is challenging. We do not live in a time when many
people value dialectics or are drawn into the mystery of paradox.
Yet as Lutherans, we hold onto "simul" and "sola." We speak of:
- The creation as good and
fallen
- Ourselves as saint and
sinner
- Jesus as human and
divine, crucified and risen
- The Word of God as incarnate,
recorded, and proclaimed
- The Word as law and
gospel
- God as hidden and yet
revealed under the form of contraries
- God reigning through law and
reason for the sake of order and justice and God reigning
through the gospel for the sake of faith and salvation, and
- Holding faith and reason
in healthy tension
Amid the dialectics of our
cherished "ands," we are so bold as to also declare "sola"
- Christ alone, Scripture alone, faith alone.
Lutheran identity is inseparable
from the community gathered in worship around the means of grace.
It is difficult to address issues of Lutheran identity when 70
percent of ELCA members are not in worship each week. It is
through Word and Sacrament that the Holy Spirit brings us to
faith, joins us to one another, and gifts us for God's work in the
world. Our baptism into Christ's death and resurrection is the
defining identity-forming event in our lives. Through the Word
proclaimed and the bread and wine of Christ's presence shared, the
Holy Spirit renews our identity as believers, members of Christ's
body.
There are those who argue that the
ELCA is in search of its identity: looking back to predecessor
church bodies, looking around at ecumenical and global partners,
and looking ahead, wondering who we are becoming. While all of
those are important to forming and clarifying identity, they do
not mean that we are without clarity regarding whose we are and
what God is calling and sending us to do in Jesus' name.
Luther's wonderful catechetical
question, "What does this mean?" reminds us that faith seeking
understanding is crucial to Lutheran identity. Faithful lives and
inquiring minds belong to our identity as Lutherans. Yet that
insatiable curiosity about God, faith, and the world cannot be
satisfied if we fail to take time to study the Scriptures, the
creeds, and the Confessions and to immerse ourselves in our local
and global context. In other words, tending to Lutheran identity
takes time, discipline, and creative, gifted teachers and pastors!
I must confess that I become
discouraged when Lutheran identity is judged as a hindrance to a
congregation's growth and therefore either diminished or
disregarded. I worry when a congregation's identity as ELCA is
seen primarily as a sign of support for or rejection of churchwide
policies or actions. While growth in mission and agreement in
decisions are important to unity and identity, I am suggesting
that the question of identity is far more fundamental than that
for us. It is encouraging to hear of adult education, new member
classes, and confirmation curricula taking time to focus on what
it means to be Lutheran Christians. I believe such emphasis is
inseparable from exploring, expressing, and experiencing the unity
we are given as members of the Church catholic.
There is a large billboard in
Chicago that reads, "I DO, THEREFORE I AM." Although this
billboard is intended to be humorous, this is not a Lutheran
saying! I would rather we proclaim:
- God does, therefore we are and
we do
- God gives life; therefore, we
are children of God and stewards of creation
- Jesus is the Christ; therefore,
we are loved, forgiven, and free
- The Holy Spirit through the
gospel calls us to faith and joins us to one Body of Christ;
therefore, we are sent to be about God's work of justice, mercy,
and peace.
As I conclude this brief
contribution to the lively conversation on the topic of Lutheran
identity taking place throughout this church, I encourage you to
add your own contribution as you meet with your colleagues for
study and dialogue. As you do so, draw upon the many resources
available on this topic through:
- ELCA colleges and universities,
several of which are focusing on a Lutheran understanding of
vocation
- ELCA seminaries
- Teaching theologians
- Churchwide staff
- Augsburg Fortress' Lutheran
Voices series
- and many, many more.
The ELCA has a new mission
statement: "Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are
claimed, gathered, and sent for the sake of the world." This
strong statement is one more reminder of the identity and unity we
are given and God's mission to which we are called. May God bless
you as you proclaim the crucified and risen Christ in word and
deed.
In God's grace,
Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
