As I grow older and have more time under my belt as a man, husband, father, and Lutheran pastor I am increasingly awestruck over the depth, breadth, and practicality of our Lutheran doctrine.  The reason for this depth, breadth, and practicality is due to the fact that our religion more than any other is based on the full counsel of God.  Of all the religions of the world, the Lutheran Faith is the faith that offers the greatest comfort, wisdom, and security of all.  Its answers to life's questions and problems are the most true to how things are in the world.

This past month has been one of the most difficult in our country's history.  The entire nation went through an emotionally and spiritually traumatic event.  Tragically, the people of our country did not turn to the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Instead, we saw a nation turning to polytheism (the worship of gods).  Even some of our own LC-MS leaders joined together in this idol worship.  President David Benke (Atlantic District) participated in the Oprah Winfery Prayer Service at Yankee Stadium, wherein Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Catholics, Protestants, and pretend Lutherans came together to worship the "unknown god" by invoking various names in prayer.

While others were running away from the full counsel of God in these days of need, I found myself amazed, comforted, and grateful for what the Lord left us through His blessed instrument, Dr. Martin Luther, and our Lutheran forefathers.  There are countless examples, but I will speak only of three contact points between our doctrine and life in light of this act.

Survivors of the attack told stories of how God saved their lives through the kindness and courage of another person.  Many survivors spoke about the firemen and policemen who, in fulfilling their duties of their vocation, risked (and many lost) their own lives to protect people from harm.  This is the very essence of the Lutheran doctrine of vocation.  While other religions make lists of good works and try to fabricate religious experiences in order to make people feel more holy, Lutheranism has always taught that God is at work in the ordinary vocations of life.  In the service we render to family and neighbor, God is at work saving the world from chaos and destruction.  He has given us and is at work in rescue workers, just as He is at work in teachers and all other lawful occupations.  But all too often we fail to realize that truth, until, of course we are faced with our own crisis.  The devil and evil men brought chaos and destruction to New York City, but God, through good neighbors, firemen, doctors, nurses, policemen, teachers in nearby schools, rescue workers of every kind, construction workers, welders, iron workers, and even dogs saved many lives.  This is the Lutheran doctrine of vocation. Second to the article of justification it was in my opinion, the greatest contribution Luther made to our Christian understanding.

The separation of church and state, otherwise known as the doctrine of two kingdoms, is also serving the world well at this time.  Luther and the reformers who followed him rightly understood that God has established two kingdoms on earth.  We in the West, especially the United States, owe a great debt to Dr. Martin Luther for he is the "father" of this doctrine.  Following the teaching of God's Word, he rightly taught that God governs the world in two kingdoms.  In the kingdom of the left (the Church), God forgives and retains sins.  In this kingdom all that Jesus taught about turning the other cheek, forgiving and loving our enemies, giving away more than what we are asked, and all the other virtues that mark a Gospel loving people are to be lived out.  They are to be lived out in the lives of Christian people and in the life of the Church.  But in the kingdom of the left, the state, things are different.  The government does not have a cheek to turn.  In this kingdom the government is about protection and punishment (read Romans 13).  In this kingdom, the government has a duty to wield the sword against those who would harm its citizens and bring peace and safety to chaos and destruction.  There is no contradiction in Lutheran doctrine between forgiving our enemies personally and publicly, while at the same time insisting that the government do its duty and punish evildoers.

I have one final observation about our doctrine in this time of crisis and war.  Over the past two decades the Christian faith, worship, and education have sunk to all time lows.  The great and rich liturgical traditions of our church have been replaced by shallow tripe and put to contemporary user friendly tunes.  Adult, children, and bell choirs have been replaced by bands.  Entertainment has replaced worship.  Self-esteem and affirmation have replaced Law and Gospel and real education.  But did you notice what happened in this time of national grief?  While on the one hand we witnessed syncretistic worship (Christians joining in worship service of false gods), I noticed something else.  Christian rock bands, praise bands, feel good prayers, and shallow liturgies were not the order of the day.  At the National Cathedral choirs sang great hymns and the service closed with Luther's "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God."  Roman Catholic Masses used Paul Gerhard's (A Lutheran Pastor from the 1600s) hymn "Our God Our Help In Ages Past."  Even as confused and lost as the religious and Christian world is now, there is some level of recognition that there is truth and comfort in historic Lutheran liturgy and hymns.  Authentic Lutheranism understands that we are in spiritual war every day and that Christians engaged in this war need the full counsel and Gospel of Christ.  Our theology is for all moments, good and bad.  It is a theology for all people: presidents and kings, laborers and peasants.

No other church has such a theology because no other church adheres so faithfully to the Gospel and the written Word as does the authentic Evangelical Lutheran Church.

En Christo
Pastor Craig S. Stanford