MNO Synod Bishop's Message Archives

Canada Lutheran article – October 2006

The Lutheran Confessions helped shape who we are as Christians and how
we live out in the world. They were developed in a time when the church
faced great controversy and theological debate. They were used in a variety
of ways defend the faith against heresies. In the book, “Introduction to the
Lutheran Confessions” , the authors, Gassman and Hendrix, list seven functions
of the creeds and confessions.

Self-identifying: the fundamentals of faith to which a community subscribes
Normative: giving direction, as under the direction of the Holy Spirit
Critical: help to distinguish between true and false teaching
Community Building : gathered believers around shared convictions
Kerygmatic: announces the Christian faith to and in the world
Doxological: provides a liturgical response
Hermeneutical: uses the gospel to help distinguish fundamental doctrines from theological interpretations
Catechetical: instruments and guidelines for Christian education
Ecumenical: serving as a common bond for worldwide Christian communions of churches of the same confessional tradition

A question one of the authors asks is “In what way are the Lutheran Confessions an authoritative guide for confessing the faith today and what are their limitations?” This is a good conversation to have today, in light of our recent theological debate about same sex blessings. The confessions are multifaceted documents for a reason- to give a breadth and depth to our understanding of the gospel. There is a perception that the confessions seem to be a club to beat each other into submitting to our own understandings of the gospel, rather than a starting point for discussion and usually ONE function is the focus of the debate from both sides.

Often the kerygmatic function is evident in the position that we must do this as a mission strategy, so that all may know the welcoming spirit of Christ in our midst. The primary statement is often “ALL ARE WELCOME! In the opposite position we find the normative function as the operative focus. We need to stop same sex blessings because we believe that scripture defines our faith and life and scripture says, “Homosexuality is a sin!”.

I wonder if this is a limitation- that we use only one function to discern what God is calling us to do. How different would it be if we debating the issue with all or a few more of the functions of the confessions. Martin Luther was at the centre of a great reforming of theological thought and practice. Are we ready to do that as well?

We have always lived in a tension between differing traditions and interpretations of the bible. That is a legacy of our merger, and of our community building as a church in Canada . Our legacy could also include a people who live together in community EVEN if we differ in practice of ministry, living with the Lutheran Confessions as a wholistic body of doctrine that guides us through our call to be in mission to others.

The confessions should be seen as a means to deepen our faith and draw us together, not as a means to divide.