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Catholicity

Catholicity. Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism. NE District Pastors’ Institute April 2013. Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism. Theological Commonplaces XXV: On the Church. Theological Commonplaces XXV: On the Church. Motive:

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Catholicity

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  1. Catholicity Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism NE District Pastors’ Institute April 2013

  2. Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism Theological Commonplaces XXV: On the Church

  3. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church Motive: “Against our position Bellarmine sets forth his own, which he likes to call ‘catholic’: ‘The church is the assembly of the people bound together by the confession of the same Christian faith and by the communion of the same sacraments, under the governance of their legitimate pastors and especially of Christ’s one vicar on earth, the Roman pontiff.’ He sets up three parts of this definition and says that each and every one of them is required for anyone to belong to the church: (p.81) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  4. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church Bellarmine’s 15 Marks of the Church Catholic Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  5. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church Bellarmine’s 15 Marks of the Church Catholic Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  6. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church Bellarmine’s 15 Marks of the Church Catholic Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  7. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church Bellarmine’s 15 Marks of the Church Catholic Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  8. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church Bellarmine’s 15 Marks of the Church Catholic Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  9. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church • Motive: • It is an “article of faith” to believe the church exists • There is no salvation outside the church • “Therefore, we must be sure to which assembly the name and definition of the true church apply, so that we may associate ourselves with that church but separate ourselves from the church of the wicked.” (p.3) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  10. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church • Definition (German): • “The German word Kirche seems to come down from the Greek word kuriakhv. You see, because the church is said to be kurivou[“of the Lord”] and kuriakhv [“belonging to the Lord”]… (p.10) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  11. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church Gathering and extending the Church through Word and Sacraments opposes: (p.60) The Papists, who bind the church absolutely, not to the ministry of the Word without any distinction of place but solely to the Roman see and to the succession of bishops in it; Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  12. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church Gathering and extending the Church through Word and Sacraments opposes: (p.60) The wise men of this world, who pass judgment about the church on the basis of her external splendor rather than on the basis of the Word and of purity of doctrine; Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  13. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church Gathering and extending the Church through Word and Sacraments opposes: (p.60) The enthusiasts and Schwenkfeldians, who look for special ecstacies outside of the Word; Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  14. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church Gathering and extending the Church through Word and Sacraments opposes: (p.60) The Anabaptists, who remove all spiritual efficacy from the external ministry of the Word and Sacraments; Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  15. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church Gathering and extending the Church through Word and Sacraments opposes: (p.60) Tanner, Latomus, Erasmus, Zwingli, Gualterus and others, who imagine that the church exists even in an assembly of heathen who lack the light of the doctrine of the Messiah; Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  16. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church Gathering and extending the Church through Word and Sacraments opposes: (p.60) Schismatics, who because of the offenses of some people or because of an admiration of their own wisdom and holiness separate themselves from the assembly of the church in which the ministry of the Word and Sacraments is flourishing. Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  17. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church The Nature of the Church Erasmus: “The church in the proper sense is the secret society of people predestined for eternal life. A large part of it is already living with Christ. That part which remains is called to strive for the greatest purity.” (Symb. Catech. 4) (p.128) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  18. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism HaugeEv. Lutheran, Decorah IA

  19. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church The Nature of the Church Erasmus: “The church in the proper sense is the secret society of people predestined for eternal life. A large part of it is already living with Christ. That part which remains is called to strive for the greatest purity.” (Symb. Catech. 4) (p.128) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  20. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church The Nature of the Church Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism Internal Splendor Faith Hope Love Gifts of Spirit External Splendor Multitudes of People Tranquility from Persecutions Purity of Doctrine Clarity of Doctrine Uncorrupted Ministry Essential and Perpetual Accidental and Temporal

  21. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church The Nature of the Church: 2 Schemes Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism Age of the Apostles / Martyrs “beautifully decorated” Virgin Age of the Heretics / Fathers “somewhat spotted” Degenerate Age of the Medieval Papacy “totally disfigured” Corpse Age of the Reformation “restored splendor” Matron

  22. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church The Nature of the Church: Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism • “Be aware that we ought to believe that there is the church [ecclesiamcredere], but not believe in the church [in ecclesiamcredere.” • Augustine • Epist. John, Tr.3

  23. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church The Nature of the Church: • “The church is called ‘catholic’ either with regard to quantity or with regard to quality.” • Quantity:members (language, peoples, etc) • Quality: “Because of the teaching and faith in which it agrees with the entire church or with the assembly of true believers spread over all the earth. This agreement is sometimes perceived clearly so that one can appeal to it.” (p.280) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  24. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church The Fathers: “But we cannot and should not seek what the apostolic doctrine is, which the ancient apostolic church embraced, from the writings of the fathers who lived centuries later. That would be preposterous. Rather, we should look for it and learn it only from the actual writings of the evangelists and apostles. Indeed, it was for this purpose that those writings were given to the church through the singular benefaction of God and have been preserved until now.” (p.409) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  25. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church The Fathers: “By no means do we despise the ancients; rather, we consider them as fathers. If they propose anything in harmony with the voice of our heavenly Father, we accept that with faithful obedience. But if they propose something not in harmony, we prefer the voice of our heavenly Father.” (p.444) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  26. Theological Commonplaces XXV:On the Church The Nature of the Church: Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism So what picture of the Church catholic emerges from the theology of Gerhard?

  27. Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism The Church Fathers and Doctrine 1884

  28. The Church Fathers and Doctrine: 1884 “Therefore a person cannot be recognized as one who respects the Bible if he says, ‘Away with human writings! I read no other books at all apart from the Bible!” (p.69) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism • What’s the danger in the attitude, pious as it sounds?

  29. The Church Fathers and Doctrine: 1884 “Further, the Ohioans say, “The fathers of our church have always held this teaching of intuitufidei.’” (p.76) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism • What, of course, is the other extreme? • Where do “the fathers” fit into doctrinal discussions?

  30. The Church Fathers and Doctrine: 1884 “One cannot express what heartbreak can yet come to our Lutheran church [here] in America because, only to keep people, some have begun to mislead them [by saying]: ‘Just look at these men! They are highly enlightened, pious, godly, highly gifted church fathers, whom even our opponents cannot reject, and they teach such and such; we must hold fast to it as solely truly Lutheran.” (p.80) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  31. The Church Fathers and Doctrine: 1884 “We wish to show thereby that our doctrine is Lutheran, since we are decried as being Calvinist. That our doctrine alone is true, this we show only from Scripture.” (p.82) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism • Is this distinction helpful?

  32. The Church Fathers and Doctrine: 1884 “And so they fall unintentionally into a thoroughly papistic approach. Right in the first article they wrote against us they said, ‘Could it be possible that in this matter our fathers have been in error for 300 years? Now that is real papistic talk.” (p.84) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism • A warning we still need to hear? In what contexts?

  33. The Church Fathers and Doctrine: 1884 GEM: “A Christian has only so much trust in the doctrines of Scripture as he has acquired for himself in conflict against his own heart through God’s grace. For only by struggle and affliction with flesh and blood is every inch of the land of faith gained.” (p.86) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  34. The Church Fathers and Doctrine: 1884 For Discussion Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism • Do Lutherans read / interpret Scripture: • “through the lens of the Confessions”? • “in light of the Confessions”?

  35. The Church Fathers and Doctrine: 1884 “It always seems like we quote the fathers or the confessions and then back them up with passages, and this is backwards. We quote Scripture, then show how the fathers agreed with this. This latter method means that sometimes we will have to make theological distinctions where one before us has not had to do so. This is why we start with Scripture and if we do not see something directly quoted in the fathers, it doesn't make us feel uneasy, nor does it mean we are teaching falsely.” Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  36. The Church Fathers and Doctrine: 1884 Listening to patristics may be the "wrong way" for xxxxx, but it is not the wrong way for [this blog], which prides itself in being the same Church as that of the Fathers; She prides herself in her Catholicity and uses the Fathers for guidance when it comes to matters of doctrine and practice. This does NOT mean that Scripture cases to be the pure fount of Israel; rather, it is a matter of confession. EVERYONE says they are following the Scriptures. Even the Mormons say that! But what do we confess the Scriptures say? These are arguments that have been going on since A.D. 33. And frankly, I don't think we need to re-invent the wheel here. We have the testimony of Scripture that has been consistently confessed the same way for 2,000 years. No need to re-interpret it in the 21st Century. Our Fathers took the Lord's advice and told it to their children and their children's children. We should listen.That being said, I'm not adverse to a text study of the relevant texts. Ad fontesindeed! But don't use that salutary suggestion to gainsay the testimony of the Fathers. Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  37. The Church Fathers and Doctrine: 1884 “To demonstrate the continuity of Reformation teaching with the ancient church requires more than the culling of useful quotations from the fathers. Single quotations will betray subjective selection. They may be used to prove one thing and to prove another. The work of organizing a catalog of testimonies must be supported by familiarity with the ancient church and theology of the fathers in their wholeness. Then history will have rendered its service to upholding the truth. From history Luther had become aware of the fact that the church as he first knew it had once been different.” -- T. Hartwig: The Continuity of the Formula of Concord with the Ancient Church, in No Other Gospel (NPH) p. 302 Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  38. Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism Wauwatosa and Catholicity

  39. Wauwatosa and Catholicity Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism How do we define “Wauwatosa Theology”?

  40. Wauwatosa and Catholicity • The uniqueness of Wauwatosa Theology: • Biblical exegesis • Historical disciplines • A “balanced combination of the two” (dogmatics and exegesis) • (P. Prange, p. 21) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  41. Wauwatosa and Catholicity • The uniqueness of Wauwatosa Theology: • How good are we at the “grammatical”? • How good are we at the “historical”? • What is Lutheran (catholic?) exegesis? Καὶ ἃ ἤκουσας παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ διὰ πολλῶν μαρτύρων, ταῦτα παράθου πιστοῖς ἀνθρώποις, οἵτινες ἱκανοὶ ἔσονται καὶ ἑτέρους διδάξαι. Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  42. Wauwatosa and Catholicity The uniqueness of Wauwatosa Theology: “[The Wisconsin Synod], while revering the fathers of the Church, goes back directly to the Scriptures. And this immediate investigation of the Scriptures creates another, a milder, more charitable, more tolerant spirit.” - J.L. Neve (1916) (P. Prange, p. 26) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  43. Wauwatosa and Catholicity • The uniqueness of Wauwatosa Theology: • A truly Christian Weltanschauung • Life is art • “Art, in its wider and narrower sense, is of the natural spiritual gifs of God to man…” • (P. Prange, p. 17) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  44. Wauwatosa and Catholicity • The Battle Against Legalism: • the Church & Ministry Debates • Einsetzung (“divine institution”) • Legal…or evangelical institutions? • Morphed into discussions about the 3rd Use of the Law Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  45. Wauwatosa and Catholicity • “I respect … the Lutheran concern to be loyal to the Confessions; it is evident, however, that this conception is clothed in the garment of legalism,” since the Confessions have been twisted at times to argue that the Scriptures say something that they actually do not say. • J. P. Koehler • (P. Prange, p. 2 fn) Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  46. Wauwatosa and Catholicity • GezetzlichWesenUnterUns (1914-15) • 1. Legalism among Christians consists in that they take the motives and forms of their actions from the law instead of letting them flow from the gospel. This comes from the flesh, which blends this inclination into every expression of the Christian’s life and thereby makes it superficial.” • J. P. Koehler Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  47. Wauwatosa and Catholicity • GezetzlichWesenUnterUns (1914-15) • 2. “This behavior manifests itself in the Lutheran church chiefly and principally in the bravado of orthodoxy. Connected to it is a bravado of sanctification, which asserts itself particularly by measures of church government…” • J. P. Koehler Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  48. Wauwatosa and Catholicity • GezetzlichWesenUnterUns (1914-15) • 3. “Where these factors gain the upper hand in every phase of ongoing church life and become a condition to the point of style, the decline sets in, evident externally when we adopt all kinds of unhealthy traits copied from the sectarian churches.” • J. P. Koehler Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  49. Wauwatosa and Catholicity • GezetzlichWesenUnterUns (1914-15) • 4. “Only the repentant recognition throughout the church of these conditions can offer the prospect of halting the outright opposition to the working of the gospel. But this working is brought about when again we search more deeply into the gospel and cling to it all the more incessantly.” • J. P. Koehler Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

  50. Wauwatosa and Catholicity • The Battle Against Legalism: • the Church & Ministry Debates • “The third generation of pastors since Walther are now in the ministry. To us applies the proverb: ‘What you have inherited from your fathers, acquire anew in order to possess it.” • A. Pieper • (The Voice of our Church on the Question of Church and Ministry) • Quoted by Prange, p. 42 Catholicity: Post-Reformation & American Lutheranism

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