(from the ChicagoTribune.net)
On Tuesday (last week), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America waged a war on illiteracy. But it didn't tackle the challenge of how to read words. The group addressed the challenge of how to understand and interpret The Word, otherwise known as the Bible.
The five-year Book of Faith initiative is intended to boost study of the Bible throughout the 4.8 million-member church. It is also a response to church research that shows 32 percent of Evangelical Lutherans believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God, which is not the position of the Evangelical Lutheran church.
"In our culture, particularly around issues of immorality, the prevailing understanding tends to be a literal understanding of Scripture, which is not a Lutheran understanding," said Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson. Full Story
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
What then is the Lutheran understanding? I went to the website where the article is posted, and they do not state it. I'm particularly interested in the Lutheran position on the "innerant Word of God". We recently completed a small group study with the college kids from St. Matts (JACK and JILL) studying the book Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. The book explores the empowerment given to us by Christ to interpret the Word in community. I'm interested in the contrast of his viewpoint to the Lutheran viewpoint...anybody know?
As far as I know, the Lutheran Church's position on the "inerrant Word of God" is similar to what Rob Bell talks about in his book. Our culture and our circumstances are going to shade how we read the bible, but I think that's why we can call it the LIVING Word of God...while it remains constant, it has the power to change us to become more like Christ.
Also, the statement that 32% of Lutherans believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God is a symptom of a bigger issue--the breaking down of denominational barriers. I think fewer people are choosing a church based on it's denominational heritage. It's just not as important as it used to be. This is part of the changing face of the Church at large and something that the Lutheran Church in particular will have to come to terms with.
Thanks for your comments Jason. I am heartened by your statement of the Lutheran church's position. This was a subject of intense discussion during our small group this summer. While I've been a Lutheran all my life, I agree that the denomination line is not as important any more. In fact, if I were church shopping, per se, I would not necessarily be looking for a Lutheran church. Interesting things to keep in mind as we try to revamp the website and strive to improve communications within our own community. I think we could do a better job of "inside branding" so our community knows where we stand on such things as a community, and therefore communicate that effectively to the outside community, so potential mission partners understand where we stand on such issues. Nice talkin to ya!
Post a Comment