Just finished watching the PBS show on Martin Luther. What an incredible personality. I have read some of his works--The Bondage of the Will being especially meaningful and insightful. I would encourage anyone who is struggling with the present state of ecclesia americanus (or anywhere else) to pick up one of his works and read it. What I'm discovering as I'm doing the research for the book is that our current struggles are not new...it has very little to do with Post-Modernism vs. Modernism, but has to do with the simple faithfulness of the church. Henri Nouwen said that one of the greatest temptations in ministry is the tempation to be relevant. I think CHURCH™ has given in to that temptation. We think relevance is the key, but the servanthood, humbleness, and the truth held forth by love is the key--and sometimes love seems irrelevant, archaic, troublesome. Hauerwas says that Christians will someday be known as those people who don't euthanize their old or kill their babies. In a world that would accept such things, the words of the church would seem rather irrelevant--but they would be based in the truth that springs from love.

That's why I believe Martin Luther spoke so strongly. He loved Christ and he loved people, therefore he could not stand for a system that demeaned the one and oppressed the other, denying both Christ's Lordship and the salvation of the individual.
posted by Jimmy at 11:10 PM | |