What is Lutheran?

Introductions to Theology, Worship, Congregation, Ecumenism and Church Law

Florian Hübner, Henrike Müller

• Publisher: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9783374059775
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations

In the 21st century, Lutheran theology takes place on a global level. Just as the Lutheran communion has spread into all parts of the world, so also theology is now practised in a variety of linguistic and cultural contexts. For this reason, the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD), in cooperation with the German National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation, is starting a series of English translations of current VELKD publications.The first volume contains five texts by well-known German theologians on core topics of the Lutheran Church: Theology (Michael Roth), Worship (Christian Lehnert), Congregations (Martin Kumlehn), Ecumenism (Bernd Oberdorfer) and Church Law (Hendrik Munsonius).[Was bedeutet Lutherisch? Beiträge zu Theologie, Gottesdienst, Gemeinde, Ökumene und Kirchenrecht]Lutherische Theologie im 21. Jahrhundert ist global. So, wie die lutherische Gemeinschaft auf der ganzen Welt vertreten ist, so wird heute auch Theologie in einer Vielzahl sprachlicher und kultureller Kontexte getrieben. Aus diesem Grund eröffnet die Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands in Kooperation mit dem Deutschen Nationalkomitee des Lutherischen Weltbundes eine Reihe mit englischen Übersetzungen aktueller VELKD-Publikationen.Den Auftakt macht in diesem Band eine Zusammenstellung von fünf Texten bekannter deutscher Theologen zu Kernthemen der Kirche aus lutherischer Perspektive: Theologie (Michael Roth), Gottesdienst (Christian Lehnert), Gemeinde (Martin Kumlehn), Ökumene (Bernd Oberdorfer) und Kirchenrecht (Hendrik Munsonius).

Michael Roth

Given for You

Lutheran Theology

1.Introduction: A booklet on accounting for faith

A comeback for religion?

To some contemporaries, religion seems to be a relic of old, pre-scientific and pre-enlightened times, something that should by rights have no place in the modern world. Therefore, even a few years ago, the so-called theory of secularisation was the centre of heated debate, claiming that religion will disappear from the modern, secular world. It forecast that it was only a question of time before religion would disappear completely from the modern world.

This picture has changed significantly in the last few years. From a range of different perspectives it has been pointed out that the resurgence of religion in modern culture clearly shows that religion also has its legitimate place there. »Comeback of religion« is the slogan often employed. In his world-famous book »The Clash of Civilizations« the Harvard political scientist Samuel P. Huntington wrote: »In the modern world, religion plays a central, perhaps even the central role that motivates and mobilizes people.« In the meanwhile, terms used are »respiritualisation« (Matthias Horx), »de-secularisation« (Peter L. Berger) or a »post-secular society« (Jürgen Habermas).

But what is religion?

Now it is possible to be sceptical in welcoming the renaissance of religion, or at least be cautious about measuring all such phenomena prematurely with the same yardstick. Even if we agree that a there is real evidence of a renaissance of religion, that does not necessarily mean that religion and modernity are compatible. It could be that anti-modern forces are rearing their heads for the last time before disappearing completely, in a last major offensive before surrendering. Religion could also be the shadow of reason, the monster produced by the »Sleep of Reason« in the painting by Francisco de Goya. And there is another question. What about other trends which are also described by sociologists, the ones that relativize the renaissance of religion, such as the progressively increasing secularisation and a habitual atheism that is no longer militant, but lives a life without God as a matter of course without feeling that anything is missing? Above all, when speaking of the »comeback of religion«, one should look closely into the phenomena which are all subsumed under the label of »religion«. What exactly is enjoying a comeback? Does it warrant the title of »religion« or should it be classified as diffuse religiosity in distinction to religion as such? Can one say that lighting a joss stick is really equivalent to a trusting confidence which lasts a lifetime? To speak of transcendental energies or a cosmic spirit, or to take part in a religious event like the »Kirchentag« or World Youth Day, can that already be the foundation of daily religious practice?

Educated religion?

The phenomenon of »resurgence of religion« leads to another issue, namely the resurgence of fundamentalist forms of religion. This tendency is also evident in Christianity. It is not uncommon for faith to be seen in opposition to reason; Christian fundamentalism demands that the Bible should not be the object of rational understanding, but of obedience that renounces reason. The rejection of modernity in these circles is expressed, for example, by the demand that the theory of evolution should be replaced in the school curriculum by the theory of »intelligent design«. Like the spiritualisation of religion, fundamentalist Christianity also thrives at the expense of traditional religion.

Spiritualisation and fundamentalisation present themselves to us as two »solutions« in determining the relationship between modernity and religion – and thus the relationship between faith and reason. Evaporation of religion on the one hand, farewell to modernity on the other, or to put it another way: abandonment of the claim to truth on the one hand and fundamentalist claim to truth on the other. Is there a third way?

Purpose of this booklet: Theological reflection on the faith and its foundations

This booklet is an attempt to account for the faith – to reflect on the form and manifestation of the Christian faith to which the Lutheran Church is committed. Such reflected accountability seems to be typical for Christianity as a whole, which by means of theology has always taken care to account for faith in a scientific discipline.

The term »theology« does not come from the Bible, but from Greek antiquity, and means in the original sense of the word »speaking about God«, that is to say, singing and reciting stories about gods, first of all orally and later in writing. In this way, Plato made use of the term theology, albeit critically. Unlike Plato, Aristotle uses the term theology not to refer to the narrating of stories about the gods, but rather to the philosophical question about God, seeking to reveal through rational thinking how the myths transport falsehood in their tales of God. Christianity has adopted the term »theology«, using it as a term for the considered reflection on the Christian faith. This means that it is committed to both elements in the concept of theology: reference to history on the one hand and reasonable accountability on the other. Since the founding of universities in the Middle Ages, theology, this reflection on the Christian faith, has become one of the established university disciplines (alongside medicine, jurisprudence and philosophy).

It is to be hoped that this booklet will provide an understanding of what faith is all about: not a rigid belief in statements about the world and God, but a »life perspective« empowering people to conduct their daily life in the present, rather than remaining fixated in an unresolved past, or losing themselves in a fantasized future. That can succeed simply by trust in this promise: »Take and eat, it is given for you!«

Method and structure of the booklet

First of all, we want to look closely into the phenomenon of religious faith. The central question here is »What is faith?« In a second step we shall focus on the central contents of the faith. And thirdly, we want to investigate Christian life.

2. Faith in practice

How can one talk about God?

It is by no means the case that people are not interested in questions about the existence of God. Therefore, talking about God is not condemned to failure from the start. But the main point is, in what way should one talk about God?

The reason why it is not easy to talk about God is that people associate very different interests with conversations about God. Some people want to talk about God in an abstract fashion, speculating on the reasons behind the world, while others can only talk about God from a position of existential concern. For them, speaking about God always has to do with liberation and hope in their own lives. This difference became clear in a conversation which I overheard while travelling in an Intercity train from Bonn to Erfurt.

Conversation on the train

The conversation took place between two young men who obviously knew each other well. At any rate they were aware that one of them regarded himself as an atheist, while the other was a professing believer. I did not gather anything about the first part of their conversation but I pricked up my ears when I heard one of them say, »No, I am indeed an atheist but I really enjoy arguing with believers about the existence of God.« He was sitting quite relaxed with crossed legs, looking at his opposite number in a friendly and expectant way. Then he went on cheerfully: »Up to now, I haven’t heard any convincing arguments for his existence. Above all, when you look at all the suffering and injustice in the world, it seems to me quite absurd to believe in the existence of a good and righteous God.« The other man looked at him uncertainly. He was obviously reluctant to enter into the discussion his friend had opened, and very clearly did not appear to share his enthusiasm. »What’s the matter?« said the latter. »You really don’t have to worry. I would really like to argue with you about the existence of God, exchanging the reasons that speak in favour of his existence or against it. And you ought to enjoy it, too – after all, you do believe that God exists. Do your best to convince me he exists. I’m looking forward to hearing what you can bring forward.« After thinking for some time, the other man answered: »I am not really interested in wondering whether God exists. That is not my question.« Now it was the turn of the avowed atheist to be consternated: »All right, but if you are so convinced of God’s existence that you do not even call it into question, then you should not find it difficult to present some arguments in favour of it.« Then he was given an unexpected answer: »You want to argue about God just as you would argue about the existence of the yeti. But I can’t talk about God in the same sort of way!« When asked why not, the one who was being questioned about his faith replied: »Because it’s not the same thing – you want to talk about God without getting involved personally! I can’t do that!«

Belief in God and belief that a yeti exists

This conversation between the self-confessed atheist and the man who professed his religion makes it clear why it is often so difficult even to start a conversation about God. One does indeed have the feeling that many people want to talk about God’s existence in the same way as they would talk about the existence of a yeti in the Himalayas. You discuss the existence of a yeti by considering what reasons speak in favour of its existence and what grounds there are for refusing to believe it. But if you were to speak about God in a similar way, you would take leave of the existential dimension which is essential for the language of faith. Does talking about God not entail more than just discussing a theistic object whose existence we either do or do not believe to be true? Is it even possible to talk about God without talking about oneself and one’s own hopes and expectations?

Religious talk of God

It would be a misunderstanding of religious faith to see it as »being convinced« of the existence of God. Religious talk about God is quite different from the belief in the existence of a yeti, not only by content, but also by category. You cannot have a debate on faith by arguing about God as an object, as one might argue about the existence of a yeti-object. A dispute between people supporting the hypothesis of the existence of a yeti and the adversaries of such a hypothesis is quite a different matter to the dispute between believers and sceptics. This dispute does not concern theoretical knowledge about a particular being, but rather the conflict between differing ways of life.

What is faith?

If religious belief is distinct from »being convinced« of God’s existence, and therefore from theoretical knowledge about a particular object, then the question arises: what is faith? We want to try to put together some aspects of faith which help us to answer that question.

Different usage of the term »belief«

First we should take a look at the everyday language use of the term »belief«. Ordinarily, we use the term »belief« in the sense of »accepting the truth« of a statement, meaning »I believe this, that and the other«. I might be using the word in this sense, for example, when I say »I believe the table is two metres long«. But although the concept of »belief« is commonly used in this sense of »accepting the truth«, that is not the only way it is used. When I say »I believe you«, then I am using the word in a completely different way.

In this case, I mean »believe« in the sense of »trust«. It is important to distinguish between the use of the concept of »belief« in the sense of trust (»I believe you«) and the use of the same word to mean »accepting as true« (»I believe that …«). In many languages different words exist for these two different concepts, so that English, for example, makes the distinction between »belief« and »faith«.

Belief as trust

When the reaction to God’s promise in Christ is described as »belief«, then the term is not used in the sense of »accepting the truth« of a statement, but rather in the sense of trust (»faith«). This is of great importance, because otherwise it is not clear what Christianity is. It may lead to a distorted notion of what it means to be a Christian. It is not the essence of Christianity to be convinced of certain propositions which are denied by others, but rather to trust in them in a certain way.

The Reformation understanding of faith

In the Reformation tradition, there is a particular emphasis on the character of belief as trust (fiducia). Thus, in the Large Catechism, Luther refers to faith as a »trust of the heart« directed toward Christ. When Luther formulates, »Faith remains purely and simply attached to the word alone, turns its gaze not away, nor looks for something else«,¹ then it is clear that faith is understood as a movement shaping and determining one’s entire life – in all its facets. This is unmistakably clear in Luther’s exposition of the first commandment in the Large Catechism: »To have a God is nothing else than to trust and believe Him from the [whole] heart; as I have often said, that the confidence and faith of the heart alone make both God and an idol. If your faith and trust be right, then is your God also true; and, on the other hand, if your trust be false and wrong, then you have not the true God; for these two belong together, faith and God. That now, I say, upon which you set your heart and put your trust is properly your God.« Thus, Luther understands faith as the fulfilment of the first commandme...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Foreword
• Table of Contents
• Given for you: Lutheran Theology
• Descent and Ascent: On Lutheran Worship
• Church for the People: Guidelines for Protestant Parish Work
• Fellowship in Practice: Ecumenism from a Lutheran Perspective
• The Church and Its Law: An Introduction
• Authors
• Editors
• More Books
• Endnotes