{"id":1698,"date":"2012-09-28T07:15:41","date_gmt":"2012-09-28T14:15:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/?p=1698"},"modified":"2012-09-28T07:17:20","modified_gmt":"2012-09-28T14:17:20","slug":"steven-gjerde-a-k-a-rodney-king-can%e2%80%99t-we-all-just-get-along","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/?p=1698","title":{"rendered":"Steven Gjerde (a.k.a. Rodney King): Can\u2019t we all just get along?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Problem #1:<\/strong> Where\u2019s the beef? <\/strong>Pastor Steven Gjerde, in \u201cTempering Troublesome Spirits,\u201d[1]<\/a> faults fellow Lutherans for dealing with \u201cstyle\u201d rather than doctrine, but he himself has the same problem.<\/p>\n

He does not want to suggest that \u201cevery division is wrong and hateful\u201d (60), but he laments that the NALC and LCMC divide \u201cso sharply over matters of order and style rather than doctrine\u201d (58) and advises the leaders of these bodies \u201cto deal directly with their own constituencies\u2019 tendencies to caricature one another and divide over questions of church culture\u201d (59). When we \u201ccaricature each other on the basis of cultural choice and churchly style\u2026 we are failing to love our neighbors as ourselves\u201d (60).<\/p>\n

What are the substantive gospel issues that keep Gjerde in the ELCA? He ducks: \u201cI have chosen to stay within that body for the foreseeable future, within certain conditions<\/strong> and for reasons we consider faithful and wise<\/strong>\u2026.\u201d (57, emphasis added); \u201cSometimes there must be divisions for the sake of highlighting all the more clearly God\u2019s righteousness and truth\u201d (60).<\/p>\n

What conditions? What reasons?<\/p>\n

The whole dilemma lies in such \u201cconditions\u201d and \u201creasons.\u201d After all, there is no pure church,[2]<\/a> no pure doctrine.[3]<\/a> There is only pure gospel. Because salvation is at stake in the pure gospel and its consequences, the devil\u2019s in the details of Gjerde\u2019s illusive \u201cconditions\u201d and \u201creasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gjerde ends: We \u201cshould temper all our actions, and even more, our actions toward brothers and sisters trying to confess the same truth<\/strong> about him\u201d (60, emphasis added).<\/p>\n

What is the content of \u201cthe same truth\u201d? Gjerde doesn\u2019t deliver the beef.<\/p>\n

The \u201ctruth of the gospel\u201d (Gal 2:5, 14) is that salvation is by faith alone<\/strong> in Christ alone<\/strong> through the cross alone.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This gospel has necessary, practical consequences.[4]<\/a> Because the cross is all-sufficient, nothing more can be required<\/strong> \u2013 not a particular structure or priesthood, not a conversion experience, not inerrancy, or the like.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

CA VII: It is enough that the gospel be \u201cpreached purely<\/strong>\u2026.\u201d \u201cPurely\u201d = by faith alone<\/strong> in Christ alone<\/strong> through the cross alone.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The ELCA, however, compromised this gospel in 1999 when it changed its constitution<\/strong> to require<\/strong> the Episcopal, sacramental episcopate (\u00a710.81.01). This was the status confessionis<\/strong> <\/em>action that spurred the creation of LCMC. It made the ELCA a gospel-plus church. Every pulpit is tainted by this required<\/strong> add-on.<\/p>\n

Problem #2. Massive misinformation.<\/strong> Gjerde is silent about the 1999 constitutional change and its significance for faith and life.<\/p>\n

He is wrong about basic facts: For example: \u201cEven the LCMC did not become \u2018separately incorporated\u201d until the ELCA declared that it must\u201d (57).<\/p>\n

Not true at all. The Articles of Incorporation for LCMC were filed with the Minnesota Secretary of State on September 20, 2000. The LCMC constitution and bylaws were approved by the WordAlone Convention in February 2001. The LCMC constituting convention was held in October 2001. The ELCA had nothing to do with any of these actions.<\/p>\n

Gjerde chides conservative Lutherans: \u201cI\u2019d even venture to say that the tendency among conservative Lutherans to eschew institution (sic) has partly led to the problems we\u2019re facing. Rather than fight, rather than appearing mean, rather than care<\/em> as servants of the church should care, we withdraw, let it go to hell\u201d (59).<\/p>\n

To the contrary, Lutherans from coast to coast fought the good fight for many years but realized by the constitutional changes in 1999 that the battle was lost.<\/strong> Constitutional changes set the wickets for the future.<\/p>\n

Gjerde incorrectly describes the NALC. The NALC doesn\u2019t just have bishops, as if bishops per se were the problem, as Gjerde implies others think.<\/p>\n

Rather, the NALC requires<\/strong> that its head bishop be installed by a bishop, with prayer and the laying on of hands. The NALC has formal agreements with Episcopal seminaries to educate its seminarians. The NALC objects to the ELCA\u2019s 2009 decisions on gay sex, but it has adopted a hierarchical structure similar to the ELCA\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Problem #3: Knocking down the straw man \u201cabsolute.\u201d<\/strong> Gjerde claims: \u201cWhence comes the basis for making either the NALC or the LCMC or both the absolute<\/strong> <\/em>means of a more orthodox ministry?\u201d (59)<\/p>\n

No one claims that LCMC or the NALC are absolute.<\/strong> Perhaps Gjerde uses \u201cabsolute<\/strong>\u201d to absolve himself from making a move to a provisional<\/strong> organization <\/em>which is a life-boat, although not absolute.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Problem #4: Institutionalism\/Pietism.<\/strong> Gjerde acknowledges the importance of institutions: \u201cIf we are truly committed to the ministry of word and sacrament\u2026.we should easily recognize that the word will require institutions to be its handmaiden and the church will require institutions to be its shelter\u201d (59). Yet institutional differences seem not to matter because we\u2019re all just \u201ctrying to confess the same truth\u201d (60).<\/p>\n

Gospel-plus churches undermine the gospel. That\u2019s not a problem?<\/p>\n

Gjerde ends with teardrops of progressive pietism \u2013 lamenting self-righteousness, calling for repentance \u2013 yadayadayada. Can\u2019t we all just get along?<\/p>\n

If only Luther had \u201ctempered how he conducted himself\u201d (60). If only he had worked harder at \u201cpracticing mercy\u201d (60). After all, weren\u2019t they all \u201ctrying to confess the same truth\u201d (60)?<\/p>\n


[1]<\/a> Steven Gjerde, \u201cTempering Troublesome Spirits,\u201d Lutheran Forum<\/em> (Fall 2012) 57-60.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> See Pure Church, no \u2013 Pure Gospel, yes! <\/em> At www.crossalone.us<\/a>. (Major Theological Issues\/Basics)<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> See Pure Doctrine, no \u2013 Pure Gospel, yes!<\/em> At www.crossalone.us<\/a> . (Major Theological Issues\/Basics)<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> See Practical Consequences<\/em> At www.crossalone.us<\/a>.\u00a0 (Here We Stand)<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> See We are not free to gospel-plus<\/em> At www.crossalone.us<\/a>. (Major Theological Issues\/Basics)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Problem #1: Where\u2019s the beef? Pastor Steven Gjerde, in \u201cTempering Troublesome Spirits,\u201d[1] faults fellow Lutherans for dealing with \u201cstyle\u201d rather than doctrine, but he himself has the same problem. He does not want to suggest that \u201cevery division is wrong and hateful\u201d (60), but he laments that the NALC and LCMC divide \u201cso sharply over […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1698"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1700,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1698\/revisions\/1700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}