I feel like we've been remiss in conveying our thoughts on the division within the church, and I'd like to take this opportunity to correct that.
We are a divided church. There are two major factions within the church--more on this later. Without doing a poll of everyone it would be very difficult to say authoritatively which holds the majority and also the power, and which way the church seems to be headed. I do know that Hockinson (my home congregation) has made major strides toward the true understanding within the last 5 to 10 years. Which, by the way, is not that long of a time--as recently as 2000 the unenlightened things taking place were the norm rather than the exception (unenlightened = nice word for "stupid and harmful"). But steadily there has been progress--very visible progress.
In trying to convey the progress that AP Kid and I have seen, we have focussed mainly on the positive side of the church. There are many sites out there who's sole purpose is to point out the negatives and some who even wish to destroy the church in reprisal for the harm that was inflicted upon them personally. That's not the aim of this blog; rather, it is to show a different perspective on the church from the inside to people who have heard many rumors and wish to find out for themselves what the truth is.
Going back to the two factions. The issues that divide the two factions are:
(no particular order)
- Confession and Absolution
- The Laying on of Hands
- The Use of the Law
- Outward vs. Inward faith
- Justification
- The Definition of the Gospel
The ALC that most of the critics speak about is the legalists. They believe in the following:
- That if you sin, you must confess it to a Christian and hear a particular phrase (that they define as the Gospel) in order to become right with God once again
- That no unbeliever can come to faith except if there is another Christian present at the time of the conversion
- That the law is a schoolmaster unto Christ (a verse which they misuse) which to them means you are to follow the law (their own interpretation of it anyway) and if you break it you must confess it. This is the "bringing to Christ" in their interpretation
- That no true Christian can have a TV, or a red car, or earrings, or any number of stupid rules legislated by these so-called Elders
- That justification is based on your diligence in confessing those sins which you know you commit and a continual depression (basically self-righteous) because of what kind of a human being you are--and a joyful feeling is only permissable immediately after confession and absolution
- That the teachings of Lars Levi Laestadius are 100% correct and as good as the Bible
The other side of the church, the one that I can see is rapidly changing the face of the Apostolic Lutheran Church of America, and the one that I belong to, believes as follows. Note that many of these things were set out before and can be found in the
Core Beliefs article.
We believe (not a complete list but in comparison to above):
- That we are total sin, but in Christ there is no sin that can seperate us from God
- That an unbeliever can come to faith by hearing the gospel (whether it be by reading or hearing) whether or not there is a true believer present at that particular moment or not
- That the law was fulfilled by Christ, and thus we are not subject to it (nor man's interpretation of it)
- That confession and absolution (a particularily inadequate label) is a gift that God has given us to reassure us of the Gospel, not as a means of salvation - it's really another form of preaching
- That the teachings of Martin Luther, while coming from a man, are in majority correct and that we are identifiable as Lutheran...more on this later
- That justification is based on the faith in Jesus that the Spirit works in our heart, faith and faith alone
- That while there are things that are not beneficial to us as humans (for example, alcoholism) there is nothing outside of unbelief that can seperate us from God
An aside: Many people don't like the fact that we identify ourselves as Lutheran. But when our core teachings coincide with Martin Luther's teachings so closely, it is misleading to claim we are something else. And a Baptist is a Baptist whether they call themselves that or not, and a Methodist is a Methodist, and if you study the major branches of religions 95% of the churches who don't affiliate themselves can still be categorized with very minor variations. Not to pick on them, but Living Hope is a mostly Baptist church. And we are Lutheran.Anyway, back to the topic.
The division is very real. It's a source of contention that manifests itself at church conventions, preacher's meetings, church annual meetings, blogs, Christian Monthly articles, and bible studies. It is a matter of patience, because those who believe in the legalists side are slowly fading into the background as new leaders and preachers take their place. There is a need to acknowledge the problems the legalists have caused in the past, and a need to find a way to go forward.
I don't believe there will be a major split down the road, but if there is, I know which way I will go.
