An ELCA Lutheran (seminiarian I think) named Gary posted this as part of a comment on David Housholder's blog. It's a fantastic summary of some things I've been wanting to find words to say. Thanks Gary, whoever you are!
"I believe the Church is not called to be a prosperous organization, but to be the Body of Christ in the world. Thus, it is important for me to remember what the Body of Christ does: be born, grow, teach, heal, live with the least, speak truth about the human condition, speak truth about God, remain faithful to scripture, not engage in violence for self-protection, die, be buried, rise from the dead. As far as I can tell, being afraid that a denomination is “dying” makes little sense – but being afraid that the Church is dying makes less. If your concern is about the ELCA in particular, I must say that I believe the ELCA will find a way to live its call. But if it doesn’t, it doesn’t – and that is the way it should be. It might be important to remember that it is Christ that is to be pushed, not the ELCA (though I like to think the two can go hand-in-hand)."
I like Gary's tone.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I've heard the "We don't have to be effective, we just have to be faithful" sound bite for decades.
It is a common debate move to use a true statement to cover up (consciously or unconsciously) a real problem.