Friday, November 11, 2011

How Lutheranism Saved Me from American Evangelicalism...

I just finished reading a blog post from Chaplain Mike on The Internet Monk website.

He wrote a wonderful piece about what Lutheranism has meant to him.  His points regarding Word and Sacrament, the pastor not being a CEO, but a pastor, and the doctrine of vocation were some of the things that brought me such great relief and a breath of fresh air upon arrival into Lutheranism.  He didn't mention Law and Gospel specifically, and hope that he does later in this series, but that was for me, The Thing, causing me to make confessional Lutheranism my home. 

I also think Chaplain Mike is right when he points out that American evangelical church has bowed down to pragmatism and relevance, and has cast off biblical fidelity.  This cannot be overstated.

I can completely identify with his leaving American evangelicalism behind.  I wandered about in the 'post-evangelical wilderness' for some time, completely unsure of what to do.   Gratefully, I have found a home in confessional Lutheranism. It steadfastly points to me that Christ has come to serve me, a wretched sinner.  I have nothing to offer but my sin.  My trust has to be completely on what Christ has done for me, not the other way around.

I am eagerly anticipating more of this series regarding Lutheranism from Chaplain Mike.  I would highly recommend checking out this blog post by Chaplain Mike and the upcoming series on Lutheranism.