THE CONCORD AUGSBURG THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY MINNEAPOLIS 4, MINN. December 18, 1959 Dear Reader, Due to the lateness of the season, we of the Concord staff would like to send Christmas greetings along with our Advent issue. Our next issue is scheduled for Lent and we hope that it will not be more... Show moreTHE CONCORD AUGSBURG THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY MINNEAPOLIS 4, MINN. December 18, 1959 Dear Reader, Due to the lateness of the season, we of the Concord staff would like to send Christmas greetings along with our Advent issue. Our next issue is scheduled for Lent and we hope that it will not be more appropriate to send Easter greetings along with it. It is our aim that this seminary publication might be of some significant theological value to you, its readers, as well as a line of communication be- tween the seminary and its alumni and friends . We are very interested to hear what your reactions are to this issue . We are fully aware that there is room for much improvement, but in order that this improvement might be in the direction of your needs, we invite your suggestions . Besides a letter to the editor, some of you might wish to submit a paper for our publication. We feel that such articles would be a stimulant for theological thought among our readers. Such an article should not exceed 1500 words and should be theo- logical in content. We have increased the size of the Concord by over 50% from last year and have nearly doubled its circulation. It is our hope that we might be able to in- clude pictures and art work in the near future, but right now our budget is at its bulging point. We feel that the greatest potential for improvement lies in your reactions to our publication, both good and bad. Thank you, The Concord Staff WW Hubert Nelson, Editor P.S. We wish to thank those of you who sent us gifts last Spring. Show less
EDITORIAL SEMINARY MUST PRODUCE THEOLOGIANS: In a recent visit to our seminary, Pastor W. A. Buege of Christ Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, spoke to us on the subject, “Preaching is Theology.” His point was that in preaching God is some- how doing the speaking. Speeches may have theological... Show moreEDITORIAL SEMINARY MUST PRODUCE THEOLOGIANS: In a recent visit to our seminary, Pastor W. A. Buege of Christ Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, spoke to us on the subject, “Preaching is Theology.” His point was that in preaching God is some- how doing the speaking. Speeches may have theological content, but they are not preaching unless the content is somehow “thus saith the Lord.” If God is speaking in preaching, then preaching is the- ology. Pastor Buege then suggested a few provoking implications to his thesis. If preaching is theology, the preacher must be a theologian— not in the sense of scholasticism but in the sense of a God-made man. To be a God-made man is to be a man who, through prayer and intense studying of the Word, has been humbled before God. It is only as a theologian that a preach- er can be confident that what he is doing is of God, for a theologian always sees himself in relation to God. Another even more provoking implication of the thesis, “Preach- ing is Theology,” was that as a theologian, a preacher must give of the bulk of his time in the study of theology. A preacher-theologian must be continually growing in the field of theology each year. All other discipline must be subser- vient to the preparation in theolo- gy. A preacher-theologian is called to be an expert only in the field of theology. This study involves dog- matics and Luther’s works as well as the Old and New Testament studies. Although this last implication is pointedly applicable to all called to be preachers, it is especially appropriate for seminary students. It appears to me that often a cer- tain cleavage is made between pietism and scholarly study. It is often held that the one excludes the other. If one is a pietist, alive with the experience of Jesus Christ, he cannot also be a me- thodical, scholarly person. If one is a scholarly person, he cannot involve himself in the experien- cial aspect of Christianity. In Pas- tor Buege’s lecture, the implica- tion was that the two cannot be separated. A preacher must be both a scholar and a pietist, and the one cannot prejudge the other. It would appear to me that in the seminary, the faculty must make every effort to develop its students as theologians. Those who are called to be preachers must not come to the seminary fundamentally, to learn how to cope with all the practical prob- lems of a parish, but rather they must come to become theologians, 22 Show less
say, “Did not our hearts burn within us !" Liturgy is more than hearing and learn- ing. It is more than offering. Which young man would wish to philosophize about his sweetheart when instead he can take her in his arms and kiss her passionate- ly? And which man or woman d0es not desire to thrill... Show moresay, “Did not our hearts burn within us !" Liturgy is more than hearing and learn- ing. It is more than offering. Which young man would wish to philosophize about his sweetheart when instead he can take her in his arms and kiss her passionate- ly? And which man or woman d0es not desire to thrill to the presence of God? Certainly liturgical forms are but the vehicles of our conversation with God. At times because we are frequently con- cerned with detail they can become bar- riers, which obscure rather than unfold the brilliance of God. But when used knowingly and lovingly the pattern of the liturgy with its interchange between God and man can be the means that leads to the thrill of communion between the Lover and the Beloved. Out of the con- tinued proper use of the liturgy the Christian grows in his experience of the presence of God. It is not within the scope of this paper to discuss the private devotions. Suffice it to say that the liturgy serves to foster the private meditations of the individual. Liturgy is a corporate activity, an act— ivity which enriches the life of the Chris- tian. Certainly the person who is thrilled by the encounter with God in the liturgy will desire to continue that encounter apart from the times of the assembling of the faithful. For such moments, the Holy Scriptures, which are the source of the liturgy, will also furnish him with the tools of his continuing conversation. In most of our churches the liturgy is set in extraordinary surroundings. So much of our life is caught up in the rush of the world that we find it good to with- draw into another place. So the archi- tecture, the music, the vestments, furnishings and lights of our churches are all designed to enhance the liturgical dialogue. Even as Christ sought the peace of the desert or the beauty of the Temple,'so we require that art serve the church. But in our use of all these accoutrements we must realize that they are but aids. If our use of them is improper, if these things draw attention to themselves and not to that which they serve, then our worship is a sham. We are adoring creatures, not the Creator. 0n the other hand, if we see behind the beauty of the object to the source of all beauty then is our liturgy most salutary. THE CHRISTIAN’S OBLIGATION Finally, the liturgy points to its broader implications. The Christian cannot, as did the disciples on the Mount of Trans- figuration, be content to perpetuate the thrill of God's presence only within the churches. God dwells not only in the buildings we build or in the forms we fashion. And we who have knowu the thrill of the encounter with Him know that through us — as Luther liked to call us, “little Christs” — God must be served in the Christian's total liturgy. This is made singularly clear to us in the post communion collect of our lit- urgy: “We give thanks to Thee, Almighty God, that Thou hast strengthened us with this Thy salutary gift; and we be- seech Thee, of Thy mercy, to strengthen us through the same gift in faith toward Thee and in fervent love toward one another . . .” Here is both the spur to greater evan- gelism on the part of each member of the Body and renewed social conscious- ness. The Christian who regularly does his liturgy hears and learns; he offers and he receives, but then he knows that as he goes forth into the world his lit- urgy continues. Strengthened by the presence of Christ who is yet alive and within him, he must share his joy with others. There are still many more out- side the Body than within. The people all around us, the unbaptized, the pa- gans, the lapsed, the indifferent, the cruel, the lazy, the selfish, all these who do not know their purpose must be brought in. To do one’s liturgy means that evangelism is not a program of a board of the Church so much as it is the 15 Show less
only by the elect (Lutheran) or predes- tined (Calvinist) who live in actual fel- lowship with Christ and make effective use of the same means of grace. Hence, all men who are not inwardly governed by the Spirit are not actual members of the Church, even if they claim outward membership in it.... Show moreonly by the elect (Lutheran) or predes- tined (Calvinist) who live in actual fel- lowship with Christ and make effective use of the same means of grace. Hence, all men who are not inwardly governed by the Spirit are not actual members of the Church, even if they claim outward membership in it. The Reformers brought forth three main arguments to support their position from the Holy Scriptures: First: The Universal Church ought to be identified with the Mystical and liv- ing Body of Christ.1 Now, no member in a living body can claim active connec- tion with the whole body unless it is animated by the vitality of the same soul or spirit of life. Likewise, only those who are governed by the same Spirit of God and live in the state of Christ's sanctifying grace are actual members of the Body. Second: In the Scriptures the Church in its universal sense is called the flxngwgaic” the fulfilment or comple- ment of the Body of Christ.2 But the dead members of the Church, that is, all those who claim the name of Christians without real regeneration in Christ, do not fulfill and complete the Body of Christ: rather they burden it. Therefore, dead members of the Christian Church cannot be considered actual members of the :lngmyu - Th'rd: The New Testament describes the true and actual members of the Church as sheep of Christ who not only hear His voice but follow Him with true obedience.3 But such a description can be applied only to those who are both in- wardly and outwardly Christians. There- fore, only those who are both inward and outward Christians are members of the Church as the universal flock of Christ.4 Rom. 12:5; I Cor. 5:23-33: Col. 1: 18. Eph. 1:22; 4:16; Col. 2:19. . John 10:27-28. . Johannls Gerhardl. Loci Theologlci. Ed. Preuss, Tommi: V. p. 289. 10: 17; 12:27; Eph. 1:23: Mo.» 2-- Of course, against such a position Roman Catholic theologians objected, and still object, that if this were the case, then there would be no true mem- bers of the Church at all. For who, they ask, can claim to be immune from act- ual personal sins, at least venial? Apparently the Lutheran reformers acknowledged this objection, for they answered by dintinguishing between peccata contra, conscienflam (peccata mortalia), i.e., sins against conscience, or sins of malice, and peccata infirmi- tatis (peccata venialia), sins of weak- ness. They maintained t h a t t r u e membership in the Church was incom- patible with sins against conscience involving the loss of faith, and hence of the Holy Spirit, but not with the sins of weakness, committed by penitent Chris- tians who are still in communion and fellowship with Christ by faith and repentance.5 In conclusion we may say that for historical Protestantism, the actual and real members of the Mystical Body of Christ are not all the vocati, that is, nominal members of the Church, but only those from among the vocati who are also electi. (According to the teach- ing of the New Testament, these elect are not many, but few“) 3. THE INVISIBLE AND THE VIS- IBLE CHURCH OF THE NEW COVEN- ANT If the real members of the New Covenant are only those Christians who are in true fellowship with Christ, and hence are inwardly governed by the Spirit of God, it follows that such an assembly is an invisible one. According to the ecclesiology of the sixteenth century Reformation, the Chris- tion Church of the New Covenant is essentially an invisible society. How- ever, it is not invisible in the sense of 5. Joannls Gerhardt, Loci Theologld, lbld., p. 292. 6. Mt. 20: 16. Show less
corrected and laid aside, these matters may be settled and brought back to one perfect truth and Christian concord, that for the future one pure and true religion may be embraced and maintained by us, that as we all serve and do battle under one Christ, so we may be able to live in unity and... Show morecorrected and laid aside, these matters may be settled and brought back to one perfect truth and Christian concord, that for the future one pure and true religion may be embraced and maintained by us, that as we all serve and do battle under one Christ, so we may be able to live in unity and concord in the one Christian Church.”1 b. Holy. According to the theology of the Reformation, the Church is holy both inwardly and outwardly. It is holy in- wardly, as the invisible and mystical Body of Christ, because both its Head and its true members (the elect) are holy. It is holy outwardly because it proclaims the Word of the Scriptures which is holy, and administers the di- vinely instituted sacraments which are holy and sanctifying. Hence all the branches of the Christian Church which profess allegiance to Scripture and make use of the sacraments—including the Roman Church—are holy branches of the one Christian Church. Specifically concerning the Church of Rome, Luther writes: “So we also at this day call the Roman Church holy, and all its bishoprics holy, even though they be abused and the ministers of them ungodly... Even if the Church is ‘in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation’ (Phil. 2: 15), even if it is in the midst of wolves and rob- bers, that is to say, spiritual tyrants, it is none the less the Church. Although the city of Rome is worse than Sodom and Gomorrah, yet there remain in it Bap- tism, the Sacrament, the voice and text of the Gospel. the Holy Scriptures, the Ministries, the Name of Christ and the Name of God. Those who have these things, have them; those who have not are not excused, for the treasure is there. Therefore the Roman Church is holy, because it has the holy name of God, the Gospel, Baptism, etc. If these things are found among a people, that people is called holy. So Wittenberg is a l. Coauth Triglotta, p. 39. '8 holy town, and we are truly holy because we have God's works among us, namely, the Word and Sacraments, and these make us holy."2 c. Catholic. With regard to this attri- bute, the Reformers acknowledged the essential difference between God's church of the Old Covenant and that of the New Covenant. In agreement with Roman Catholic theologians, they held that the Old Testament was limited to Israel as the chosen people of God, whereas God’s Church of the New Cove- nant transcended all geographic, racial, national, and linguistic barriers. From the standpoint of the ecclesiology of the Reformation, the Christian Church is catholic, or universal, both inwardly and outwardly. It is catholic inwardly be- cause it is made up by all true followers of Christ wherever they are and what- ever their language, nationality, and color of skin.3 It is catholic outwardly because the means of grace characteris- tic of the New Covenant are made avail- able to all Christians regardless of the specific group or denomination to which they belong. From the standpoint of Evangelical Protestantism, the Church is catholic in the same sense that the letters of Peter, John, and James are catholic because they are not addressed to some specific persons or groups, but to all Christians. (1. Apostolic. According to the eccles- iology of historical Protestantism, the Church of the New Covenant is indeed Apostolic, yet not in the sense of epis- copal succession of the Holy Orders and governing jurisdiction as claimed by the Roman, Greek Orthodox, and Anglican communions. Lutheran and Reformed theologians un- derstood the apostolicity of the Christian a. Luther’s Commentary on Galatians: a revised and completed translation based on the Middle- ton ed. at the Eng. version of 1575. Jame; Clark Co., London, 1053, p. IO. 8. Rom. 3:31; Gal. 5:28.« ‘ h Show less
BACHELORS Residing in the B. S. Q. (Bach- elor seminarian quarters) are Sen- ior Carl Jensen from Racine, Wis- consin, Middlers Jim Almquist from Spicer, Minnesota, and Ken Gjerde from Tacoma, Washington. Juniors living in the B. S. Q. are Joe Nystuen whose home is North- field, Minnesota; Tom... Show moreBACHELORS Residing in the B. S. Q. (Bach- elor seminarian quarters) are Sen- ior Carl Jensen from Racine, Wis- consin, Middlers Jim Almquist from Spicer, Minnesota, and Ken Gjerde from Tacoma, Washington. Juniors living in the B. S. Q. are Joe Nystuen whose home is North- field, Minnesota; Tom Moen of 1210 29th Ave. North in Minneapolis; Eugene Peterson from Jackson, Minnesota; and Paul Almquist who hails from Spicer, Minnesota. Other single students are Junior Robert Moylan from Spokane, Washington, who is living at 1921 7th St. So. in Minneapolis, and Rennard Svanoe of Minneapolis who also is a Junior. Rennard will be married to Carol Hawkins on December 27th. An Essay On Relationships by Chaplain Lawrence M. Gudmestad One of the stated objectives of divine revelation is to set man in proper relationship to himself, his neighbor and to God Himself. We learn through the Word, as well as in our own experiences, that the ad- vent of sin fractured all three as- pects of these healthy relationships. Men live in estrangement from God because of the middle wall of sep- aration. This condition leads to fear and suspicion of the neighbor and a need for preserving one’s own self. In this life or death strug- gle man becomes aware of tragic fissures in his own person and is afraid of learning to know more about his own condition because this insight too serves to destroy his own self image. When this self image becomes warped and dis- torted, deterioration, which has al- ready taken place, becomes pro- gressive and leads to total chaos. The only way by which this schism could be removed was by divine intervention, which was ac- complished through the incarna- tion and redemptive activity of" Jesus Christ. Through the forensic act of justification, the way has been opened for the process of‘ sanctification to be set in motion in which state we have access to- tools placed at our disposal, which include the indwelling of the Holy- 19 Show less
like the church, we'd be out of business tomorrow!” Where then is the unitive factor of the church, that integrational principle which will cause the church’s hydra-headed act- ivity to fall neatly, adequately and pur- posefully into place? Immediately a whole host of terms, sat- urating our... Show morelike the church, we'd be out of business tomorrow!” Where then is the unitive factor of the church, that integrational principle which will cause the church’s hydra-headed act- ivity to fall neatly, adequately and pur- posefully into place? Immediately a whole host of terms, sat- urating our minds after years of preach- ing and education, fall from our lips— Gospel, The Lord, Christ, the Communion of Saints, not to mention the great tri- umvirate of Reformation theology, sola. tide, sola gratis, sols. scriptura. Reduced to the innermost kernel, the very life seed from which they spring forth to define the Church's essence, all of these time-honor- ed terms are synonomous with a term dear to the hearts of Lutherans—The Word. It may seem politic (some may prefer the word “heretical") to suggest that even here the problem is not yet solved. With all our devoted allegiance to The Word, whatever we choose to mean by that term, our purpose requires that we take another step. Louis Bouyer in his Liturgical Piety reminds us that it is The Word of God which is both the cause and the reason of the Christian community. Men are drawn out from the mob of mankind by The Word for the express purpose of hearing and responding to that same Word. Yet even as The Word— Jesus Christ who was with God and was God from the beginning, “begotten, not made”—was made Flesh so as to enter into the world of man and be known by men, so The Word for our purpose must take on form. This is what I mean by the second step. Man is a finite being. He lives in a world bordered by time and space. He knows through his senses. If The Word is to come and dwell with man. and, equally important, if man is to respond to The Word, then the senses, all of them, are involved. Christianity is more than intel- lectual gymnastics; “We have this treas- ure in earthen vessels.” LITURGY IS UNITIVE FACTOR What form shall The Word take? I sub- mit that the answer to this question is found most adequately in the word “lit- urgy.” One can imagine the cries of an- guish arising at this suggestion. Liturgy is a red flag. Charges of “anti-quarian— ism,” “archaic and irrelevant language," and “popish frills and ceremonies" rend the air antiphonally whenever liturgy is mentioned in some quarters. Yet this is a good word which deserves a better hear- ing. More importantly it is the one term which properly describes the only ade- quate form The Word can take. Liturgy, whether we like to admit it or not, is the visibly and tanginy unitive factor of the Church. It has to be borne in mind that the term “liturgy” has a twofold use. In its breadth it is the Christian's total response to God. A Christian's liturgy is not ex- clusively confined to the Church and the hours of worship. All that he does ought to be an act of joyous thanksgiving and obedience to the will of God. Peculiarly, liturgy also means that form or pattern of worship in which, joined by his fellow Christians. he lifts his worship to God. This balance must not be overlooked. To be concerned completely with the needs of his fellow men, would make of a person's life nothing more than a pat- tern of ethics. But a life given to the most noble service of others which does not allow for recognition of the life and work of Jesus Christ and man’s need to be brought up into that life would have little if any purpose. On the other hand, to re- gard the liturgy only as an enrapturing cultic experience, with the most thrilling appeal to esthetics and man's sensory perception of beauty without a burning desire to go forth from beauty to bring the love of God to others, would be an empty shell. Liturgy is both, and, while what follows is chiefly concerned with liturgy as a form of worship, this balance must not and dare not be neglected. 12 Show less
pretation of the texts. Beginning at the beginning of a good edition of the Hebrew Text is necessary. Of course, Kittel’s BIB- LIA HEBRAICA (4th ed.) is the standard. Norman Snaith, however, has edited a new version of the Hebrew Text called “THE HE- BREW BIBLE. A new edition of the Masoretic... Show morepretation of the texts. Beginning at the beginning of a good edition of the Hebrew Text is necessary. Of course, Kittel’s BIB- LIA HEBRAICA (4th ed.) is the standard. Norman Snaith, however, has edited a new version of the Hebrew Text called “THE HE- BREW BIBLE. A new edition of the Masoretic Text of Ben Asher, ed. N. H. Snaith” which is adequate and sells for a third the price of Kittel (order through Blackwell’s). Next to the Bible itself, I person- ally find a good concordance an absolute essential for studying an idea or topic as the Bible presents it. For the Hebrew Bible Lisow— sky’s “Stuttgarter Hebraische Wortkonkordanz zum Alten Testa- ment, 1958” is excellent. The Con- cordance to the RSV is very inad- equate, oversized, and overpriced. Much more useful is the older Ha- zard’s CONCORDANCE TO THE AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, at half the price. “If one were forced to choose just one tool with which to work on his Bible, except- ing a lexicon, there would be none more useful in itself than a con- cordance.” says one scholar, and I heartily agree. As to lexicons, the need is for one that is both accurate and mod- ern. These are expensive, but of continuing usefulness. For the Old Testament, Kohler-Baumgartner’s Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti Libros written in both English and German is the best current product, but the older Brown-Driver—Briggs will remain the standard for some years to come. A second demanding need is for an accurate and comprehensive his- tory of Israel. The definitive work in this area is yet to be written. The most significant recent work is Martin Noth’s History of Israel which is outstanding for the period of the monarchy, exile and restor- ation, but which has a very pec- uliar view of the early period which is rather questionable. Just published, as yet unseen by me, is John Bright’s A History of Israel (Westminster Press $7.50). Per- haps the best very brief survey is to be found in Albright’s The Bib- lical Period. For a proper understanding of the Bible, some acquaintance with geography is quite necessary. No history can be comprehended with- out geographical awareness, so al- so the Biblical history. The WEST- MINSTER ATLAS is, I believe, still the best available, although others would give Grollenberg, Atlas of the Bible, first place. Another type of reference book that some find useful is the Bible Dictionary or Encyclopedia. Per- sonally II have found little use for either, although owning both the older International Standard Bible Encyclopedia which is now quite out of date and the Westminster Dictionary of the Bible. A new Bible dictionary is in the process of preparation and may be issued :25 Show less
individual responsibility of every Chris- tian. The same is true in all of our dealings with all men. The person who has shared in the liturgy of love within his parish church on a Sunday morning must carry that liturgy of love to others. To give to the poor, to visit the sick and shut-in, to... Show moreindividual responsibility of every Chris- tian. The same is true in all of our dealings with all men. The person who has shared in the liturgy of love within his parish church on a Sunday morning must carry that liturgy of love to others. To give to the poor, to visit the sick and shut-in, to bring joy and comfort to the dis- tressed, and to walk among men every- where showing forth the love of God: these are also the Christian’s liturgy. It will not be enough to arrange for more frequent and beautiful services in our churches. Nor will all that has been said throughout be accomplished if sud- denly we restore the full liturgy of ser- mon and sacrament to the chief service each Lord's Day. What is required is a determined program of instruction and training in the deeper and proper mean- ing of worship for the Christian. Sermons must be educational, not just exhorta- tive. Holy Communion must have re- stored to it its joyful aucharistic char- acter, instead of the somber emphasis which sees as its chief purpose nothing more than an extended absolution. Mu- sicians and other artists must look to their creations as vehicles of God’s grace, and all Christians should be taught to see in the liturgy — the total liturgy embracing all of life — their highest service to God. The Concord Reports The Seminary Chorus This past fall has seen the con- ception of a seminary chorus. The chorus, rising in an almost spon- taneous manner, has as its direct- ors Marshall Johnson and Don Myrvik. middlers from Middle Riv- er and Minneota. The chorus had its first appearance during the college Spiritual Emphasis Week in early November. Participation in the chorus is open to all seminar- ians and has seen wide participa- tion on the part of the seminar- ians. The chorus is looking forward to several appearances on the col- lege campus and in Twin City churches during the late winter and early spring months. ' 16 Social Activities A picnic outing again opened our seminary year. The returning in- terns and eager Juniors enjoyed a day of recreation, eating, and de- votion together. * The seminarians were honored with a banquet sponsored by the Seminettes. The informal occasion was enjoyed by all. The Juniors re- ceived a “new insight” into another- side of our seminary life! * * One of the highlights of the year has been the evening spent-at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Christensen. In the presence of the faculty and Show less
the sixteenth century Anabaptist or so- called Enthusiast understanding. These groups, because of a misconception of the invisibility of the Church, gathered in hidden and secluded places in an- der that they might there worship and listen to the divine voice of God. Nor is the Church invisible... Show morethe sixteenth century Anabaptist or so- called Enthusiast understanding. These groups, because of a misconception of the invisibility of the Church, gathered in hidden and secluded places in an- der that they might there worship and listen to the divine voice of God. Nor is the Church invisible in the sense of the Church triumphant, which is indeed invisible and hidden to human eyes. From the standpoint of the ecclesiology of the Reformers, the Church of the New Covenant is primarily an invisible assembly in the sense that it is made by the elect who as such are known to God alone.1 According to the Holy Scriptures, the fruits of inward spiritual regeneration and hence true Christians should be dis- cernible through their works.2 But, according to the same Scriptures, it is also true that external works, however good and holy they may seem, can come out of a hypocritical and unregenerate heart, and hence they cannot be taken as an absolute criterion of true fellow- ship with God. Hence the Reformers distinguished between the internal and external aspect of the Christian Church. Appealing again to the Holy Scriptures, the Reformers maintained that the in— ternal reality of the New Testament Christian assembly is rooted upon the unity of the saving faith, hope, and love, through and by which true Christians are really and actually united with Christ. They are also united among themselves in the true communion of the saints. On the other hand, the external society of the same Church consists in the public profession of faith, public use and administration of the sacraments, and exercise of ecclesiastical discipline. The Protestant theologians of the Ref- ormation acknowledged that the uni- versal Church of the New Covenant in l. .111. 10:14, 28; II Tim. 2:19. 2. Jae. 2:18; Mt. 7:16, 30. its outward expression, i.e., a society of Christians among whom the Gospel is orally preached and the sacraments publicly administered, ought to be con- sidered as a visible reality. However, their contention against Rome was that, according to Scripture, the outward and visible expression of the Christian Church cannot be identified with the in- ternal assembly of pious and regenerate Christians (pii et renati) who actually are hidden and concealed to human eyes (absconditi et occulti),3 and therefore known to the Triune God alone, and, it should be added, to those who have re- ceived from God the divine charism of kardiognosis, the gift of discernment of the heart. Thus the Reformers carefully distinguished between the true and the apparent reality of the Christian Church. In line with the spirit of the New Testa- ment Scriptures, they maintained that the true reality to all those who make an outward profession of Christianity, but is limited to those outward mem- bers of the visible Church who inwardly are the true children of God. According to the author of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Church, as the congregation of the saints, consists only of those who receive the promise of the Spirit and are renewed and sanctified by the same Holy Spirit and the same Sacraments! Hence, as a logical con- clusion, it follows that all those Chris- tians who are members of the internal or invisible are also members of an ex- ternal and visible Church, but not vice versa, that is, not all Christians who are members of the external and visible church are necessarily members of the internal and invisible Church. Concerning the church of the Old Cov- enant, the Reformers acknowledged the Roman argument that in its outward ex- pression it was essentially a visible and . R . 2: 29. i. vn & VIII. concord]; Tflgloth. DD. 2278. ': w‘xfii w Show less
INCRthng SHIPS The sooner a person discovers fhaf ships seldom come in unless fhey are firsf pu+ ouf lo sea. +he sooner he will gel down lo fhe praclical business of saleI regular saving for fhe independence he wanls lo be sure of in +he laler years of life. Preparing for refiremenl means planning... Show moreINCRthng SHIPS The sooner a person discovers fhaf ships seldom come in unless fhey are firsf pu+ ouf lo sea. +he sooner he will gel down lo fhe praclical business of saleI regular saving for fhe independence he wanls lo be sure of in +he laler years of life. Preparing for refiremenl means planning well in advance. A Lu‘lheran Mul’ual represenl’afive will be happy fo help you plan a sound reliremen’r program. ml” M 9- llv l: Mm“) 7 AN OLD LINE COMPANY Wrile for free folder . . . it does make a difference "Whose MOMY Will Luthemn Mutual meni?" LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY Home Office 0 Vlavuly, lov- Show less
The Church is an assembly of people. By the Word and the Spirit, men, women, and children have been called out of the world to find a unity marked by the Ch‘oss. This does not mean that they share a particular philosophy. Rather it means that the Word has caused them to gather in a particular time... Show moreThe Church is an assembly of people. By the Word and the Spirit, men, women, and children have been called out of the world to find a unity marked by the Ch‘oss. This does not mean that they share a particular philosophy. Rather it means that the Word has caused them to gather in a particular time and a particular place for a purpose, and this purpose is to respond to that same Word. Now their response must take on a form, and this form we call liturgy. In hymns and psalms, in collects and prayers, by attention to sermon and re- ception of the sacramental meal the Christian performs his liturgy. No action of the assembly of Christ quite demon- strates to the world the true nature of the Church as does this participation in the liturgy. If the Church were to give up the traditional patterns of worship, substitu- ting for them new forms with new words, there would still have to be a form. Christians must assemble, and when they come together they must do something. What they do is a dialogue between them- selves and God, and this dialogue, this act wherein the members of the Body of which Christ is the head offer their wor- ship to the Father, has been known tra- ditionally as the liturgy. Thus we may speak of the liturgy as the unitive factor of the Church. Clothing tanginy and visibly as it does the Word, that which caused men to become the Body, it also unites them in the outward form or expression which their required responses take. Too often in the Church one senses a greater solidarity in a vigorous steward- ship or evangelism program than in the corporate character of worship. Men and women who attend services, often be- cause they feel it is the proper thing to do, find a greater enthusiasm in seeking the other sheep and in allowing Christian principles to regulate their pocket books than in the assembly of believers. This is not to minimize these important as- pects of the total liturgy of the faithful. The Church must never waver in its zeal to practice an enthusiastic program of personal stewardship and evangelism. But the incentive for these and all other emphases of Christian behaviour ought to come from the Church’s corporate wor- ship. It is important that the Church recog— nize the treasure it possesses in its litur- gy. Of all the multifarious activity of the local congregation, nothing that the Church does can have quite the vital sig- nificance for its life as does the liturgy. Properly understood and used, the liturgy becomes in reality not another phase of the busy congregation’s activity, but the one factor which combines all of the fac- ets of congregational life into an ordered integrity. Man is a social animal. By nature he seeks the companionship of others. But for all of his infatuations with together- ness—associations founded upon mutual interests, noble purposes, or the snob appeal that comes of commensurate bank accounts, prestige, or family trees—he can find no gathering which is so poten- tially all-inclusive as the Church. Nor is there any other community whose fellow- ship is not limited solely to this world. Thus the assembly of Christians, gath- ered together to do its liturgy, knows no restrictions of race or affluence, and in that same liturgy the Christian is made one with his brothers. It is to the shame of the Church that because of the frailities of men, the One Body has become many. Fortunately the days of bitter strife between Christians are dying. The sons of those who fought battles and burned heretics have learned that the seamless robe of Christ must once again be re-sewn. Instead of clash- ing on battlefield, churchmen discuss their differences over conference tables and each day brings with it a closer drawing together. Even this is not a rosy picture, and theological hairsplitting oftentimes leads to renewed antagonism. But above the cry of the party line there ‘13 Show less
.- , «- lnlerpreting the Bible by J. C. K. van Hofmann Translated by Christian Preus. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1959. 236 pp. $4.50. The area of the interpretation is one of the most prominent concerns of contemporary theolo- gy. This is the problem that under- lies the discussion... Show more.- , «- lnlerpreting the Bible by J. C. K. van Hofmann Translated by Christian Preus. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1959. 236 pp. $4.50. The area of the interpretation is one of the most prominent concerns of contemporary theolo- gy. This is the problem that under- lies the discussion of Rudolf Bultman’s “demythologizing” of the Scripture. The names of An- ders Nygren, E. C. Blackman, Jaroslau Pelikan and others illus- trate the fact and times the nature of this concern. As a contribution to this continuing discussion, Dr. Christian Preus, together with Dr. George Forell and Dr. Otto A. Piper, has given us a translation of J. C. K. von Hofmann’s Biblische Hermeneutik. Hofmann’s work was published about 1880 from lectures which he had given in 1860. In spite of the fact that this exposi- tion is now about 100 years old, it is a perspective which is particu- larly relevant, for the matter of of the Bible is one of the most prominent concerns of contempor- ary interpretation and preaching. J. C. K. von Hofmann stands among the pioneers of that school of thought associated today with “Heilsgeschichte,” sometimes trans- lated as “Holy History” or “Re- demptive History.” In the Intro- duction, von Hofmann discusses some approaches to the Scriptures, suggests criticisms and prepares for his own position. The author is concerned to appreciate properly the historical character of Scrip- ture. A wrong attitude toward Scripture has at times obviated this understanding and the “result was that each individual passage, rath- er than being weighed according to its position within the whole of Scripture, was supposed to supply the same insight without any re- gard to context” (p. 16). Hofmann discusses general and Biblical hermeneutics and suggests that while in general hermeneutics the procedure is to study the words and the sentences and then the paragraphs, the opposite holds true in Biblical hermeneutics. “The interpreter is in the first place con- fronted by Holy Scripture as a whole, which in this capacity is the Holy Scripture of Christendom. It is in its totality and intrinsic unity that it forms the object of Biblical hermeneutics. The fore- most question is how the activity of the interpreter of Holy Scripture is determined by the specific way in which he is confronted by the Bible in its totality.” When Hofmann speaks about the attitude of the interpreter toward the Bible he insists upon faith. It is an impossibility to come in a neutral fashion to the Bible. The Bible is a miraculous book, not in the sense that it has come down out of heaven as a book, but rather in the sense that it is not the out- come of the natural development 29 Show less
Ed. Note: It is one of the purposes of the Concord to be of some stimulus and guide in the study of theology and related areas. In this issue we are attempting to give some guide to the selection of reference books. Though not entirely complete, it is hoped that this list will be of some valuable... Show moreEd. Note: It is one of the purposes of the Concord to be of some stimulus and guide in the study of theology and related areas. In this issue we are attempting to give some guide to the selection of reference books. Though not entirely complete, it is hoped that this list will be of some valuable help. Suggested Books for the Study of the Bible Bible teachers are often asked to designate the best commentaries or sets of commentaries available —I suppose because budding theo- logians often feel that a really good set of commentaries on his shelf (next to “1001 Snappy Sermon Illustrations" and Dr. Phew Pack- er’s “Pulpit Pearls”) will resolve those Saturday night homilepoeic frustrations. Ideally the adequate commentary should not only clarify the back- ground of a particular text in terms of geography, history, sociology, culture, comparative religions, lin- guistics, literary forms and the like —but once having done this only too often pedestrian and uninspir- ing historical and philological task, it should demonstrate the relev- ance of the text for the faith and life of the Christian community. Unfortunately there are no really satisfactory modern commentaries on the Old Testament books. The INTERPRETER’S BIBLE vol- umes are extremely, uneven in quality, with even the .better offer- ing a rather meagre diet. The much older INTERNATIONAL CRITIC- AL COMMENTARIES, although limited to philological - historical aspects, are on the whole more useful. Rumors are abroad that a new set of “post-liberal” “post- neo-orthodoxists” are preparing the mss. for a new series with a theo- logical orientation. As more infor- mation about this project becomes available it will be relayed on to you. For more specific references and evaluations of individual com- mentaries on particular O.T. books, I highly commend to your perusal the October 1959 issue of “Expos- itory Times” (available at the li- brary desk) which contains the considered judgement of several O.T. scholars of note on available commentaries. At the risk of appearing to be unorthodox, I would suggest that the buying of commentaries is not necessarily the best way to make available the fruits of modern Bib- lical scholarship, but rather the acquiring: (and using) ’of ‘books treating more specific areas of knowledge that relate to the inter- 24 Show less
nowhere in John. However, the word occurs very often in the letters of St. Paul and in the book of Revelation. As for the meaning, the writers of the New Testament use the word with dif- ferent connotations: (1) the house-churches, that is, groups of Christians gathered for worship in pri- vate... Show morenowhere in John. However, the word occurs very often in the letters of St. Paul and in the book of Revelation. As for the meaning, the writers of the New Testament use the word with dif- ferent connotations: (1) the house-churches, that is, groups of Christians gathered for worship in pri- vate houses. Hence, in his greetings to the Romans, Paul can say: “Greet Pris- cilia and Aquilla . . . and env “((1 (“non outmv t,;§:lnd|qvli.e., the church \VhiCh is in their house;1 (2) the congregation, or congregations, as the totality of Chris- tians living in one place, whether a na- tion,2 a province,3 a city,‘ or any place in general,5 (3) a Church meeting, that is. the actual and external gathering of Christians in one specific place;° (4) the Church universal, embracing all Chris- tian believers above and beyond the natural limitations and boundaries of language and nationality. In this sense the Church is metaphorically called by Paul a body in which Christ himself is the head and all Christians are mem- bers? Viewed from the standpoint of its universality, the gnulndlu of the New Covenant is sometimes spoken of by the writers of the New Testament in terms of a Church militant against the satanic powers of evil. and suffering because of opposition and persecution.8 Often, how- ever, the militant and suffering stage of the Universal Church on earth is associ- ated by the writers of the New Testa- ment with its triumphant eschatologic stage at the end of time, when she will be the pure and immaculate Bride of Christ, the heavenly and new Jerusalem, the great City of God, Victoriously ruling over all with Christ and the angels.9 1. Rom. 16:3, 5. Also I Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15: Philem. I. 2. I Cor. 16:19. 3.11 Cor. 8:1; Gal. 1:2: Acts 9:31. 4. Acts 8:1; 11:22; 13:1: I Cor. 1:2; I These. 1: 1; Rev. 2: 1, 8, 18; 3: 1, 'i. 14, etc. 5. Mt. 18: 17. 6. I Cor. 11:18. 'i. I Cor. 8:15; 10: 1'1: 12: 13, 27; mm. 1:23; 5:23-33; Col. 1: 18, 24; 3: 15. 8. Mt. 16: 18. 9 . Eph. 1: 10; 5:27: Col. 1: 20; Heb. 12: 22; 13:14; Rev. 2:10, 26, 27; 3:12; 4:4; 7:9; 21:2, 10. 4 2. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH AS THE MYSTICAL BODY OF THE ELECT At the time of the Reformation, the conflict between the Roman Catholic and the Protestant understanding of the Church in its universal connotation focused about the basic question, Who ought to be considered the actual mem- bers of this universal and mystical Body of Christ? The disagreement concerning this basic question led to aonther, on the question of whether the universal Church of the New Covenant ought to be consid- ered primarily and essentially a visible or invisible society. The Roman theologians insisted on identifying the mystical Body of Christ with the Church of Rome—the external, visible, and hierarchical structure under the leadership of the Pope. Hence, they claimed that all duly baptized Christians professing the same Christian faith un- der the supreme jurisdiction of the Pope of Rome ought to be considered actual members of the New Covenant Church, whether they be in the state of sanctify- ing grace or not. Rome's position on this point has re- mained unchanged since the sixteenth century in spite of the strong opposition of the theological leaders of the Refor— mation, who branded this doctrine as unscriptural.lo The Universal Church, they said, cannot be identified with the external structure of the Church nor does it include all those who would make only external or verbal profession of Christianity. Rather, the Reformers maintained, the Church is constituted 10. In his encyclical letter Mystici Corporls Christi cJune 29. 1943!. Pope Pius XII writes: “It is the Saviour's infinite mercy that allows place in His Mystical Body here for those whom He did not exclude from the banquet of old. For not every sin, however grave and enormous it be. is such as to sever a men automatically (tom the Body of the Church. as does schism or heresy or apostnsy.... Let everyone then abhor sin, which deflles the members 01' our Redeemer; but if anyone unhappin fails and his obstinacy has not made him unworthy of communion with the faithful, let him be re- ceived with affection and let eager charity see in him a weak member of Jesus Christ." G. Van Noort, Donn-tic Theology, Vol. 2. pp. 243:. Show less
notes, indexes, and bibliography, but also in his succint definitions of technical liturgical terms as well as his tracing of the development of these three liturgical traditions. It may be that few of our pastors will find it possible to procure the book. It may also be true that we will not agree... Show morenotes, indexes, and bibliography, but also in his succint definitions of technical liturgical terms as well as his tracing of the development of these three liturgical traditions. It may be that few of our pastors will find it possible to procure the book. It may also be true that we will not agree with many of the presuppositions of the work (e.g., p. xiii, that with the spreading of Christianity into Gentile areas “alien ideas changed the original kernal” so that an actual separa- tion between Judaism and Christ- ianity was inevitable). But it is certainly true that he who does make the effort to study this mo- mentous treatise will acquire a pro- found understanding of the origin of Christian worship as well as of our inheritance from the Jewish, Byzantine, and Roman traditions. —Marshall D. Johnson BOOK CENTER an agency of the LUTHERAN EVANGELISTIC MOVEMENT 904 Hennepin Avenue Minneapolis 3, Minnesota Your Christ-centered Book Store staffed with Christian workers—ready to supply your needs in Christian Literature—Bibles and Testaments Sunday School Items—Teaching Aids SUNDAY SCHOOL AND VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL SUPPLIES Concordia—Augsburg—Scripture Press Gospel Light Press Visual Aids — Arts and Crafts -— Activity Projects Make this your Church and Sunday School Supply Center Dagny Sorkness, Manager Show less
hierarchical organism which involved not only the religious, but also the polit- ical and social life of the Israelites. However, they argued that in the Old Covenant the true worshippers of God, and hence the true members of the Abrahamitic Covenant, were only those who were circumcised both... Show morehierarchical organism which involved not only the religious, but also the polit- ical and social life of the Israelites. However, they argued that in the Old Covenant the true worshippers of God, and hence the true members of the Abrahamitic Covenant, were only those who were circumcised both outwardly and inwardly,x and who as such were known to God alone. Therefore, they maintained that the matter concerning the visibility and invisibility of the Church could be applied to Old Covenant as well as to New. As Johann Gerhard, the most out- standing Lutheran theologian of the sixteenth century, remarks, “In the Old Testament. not less than in the New Testament, it is not obvious to human eyes who in the assembly of the vocati are the electi."2 4. THE MARKS OF THE NEW COV- ENANT CHURCH In perfect agreement with the third article of the Nicene Creed which reads "I believe in One, Holy, Catholic, Apo- stolic Church,” the theologians of the Reformation acknowledged Unity, Holi- ness, Catholicity and Apostolicity as the essential and characteristic attributes or marks of the Christian Church. These marks were interpreted as fol- lows: a. One. The unity of the Church is to be found primarily in its inward, invis- ible reality for three basic reasons which are ultimately the same reasons produced by the conservative wing of modern Protestant theologians ecumen- ically minded: first, because it has one supreme and divine Head in Jesus Christ; second, because all its true members are connected with the same invisible Head, with and under whom they constitute one single unit and, to some extent, one person;3 third, because 1. Ron. 2: as. 1.1. Gerhardt, op. cit. Tomue V. p. 310. ‘3. Gal. 3:21: Ier you all are one in Christ Jeane. For "one" in Greek reada which is naaculine and therefore points at the unity into one peraon. that ia, Christ. ~ 7 ‘ all its true members are united among themselves by the same faith and love towards the same Christ and the same love among themselves. As for the outward or visible expres- sion of the Christian Church, the Re- formers maintained that its unity should be sought not in perfect conform- ity to rites and ceremonies but in the profession of the basic doctrines of the Church as formulated in the Apostles, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds, and in the administration of the New Testament Sacraments. In the words of the Augs- burg Confession, “To the true unity of Church, it is enough to agree concen- ing the doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments. Nor is it necessary that human traditions, rites, or ceremonies, instituted l‘y men, should be everywhere alike." Hence, the six- teenth century Lutheran theologians, however striving to correct the un- scriptural doctrines and practices which through the centuries had crept into the teaching and practice of the Church, they never intended to break with the Church of Rome and, after the break was consummated because of the stub- bornness of the Romanist theologians, they never in their protest went so far as to teach that the Church of Rome was not an integral part of the one Christian Church of the New Covenant. The conciliatory attitude of the early Reformers is clearly expressed in the Preface to the Augsburg Confession. Ad- dressing Emperor Charles V, who had summoned a diet of the Empire at Augs- burg for the purpose of reuniting the Church for a more effective campaign against the Turks, they express their satisfaciton for the meeting which will allow the opinions and judgments of both parties to be heard and weighed in char- ity, leniency and mutual kindness in each other's presence. And all this “to the end that the things in Scriptures which on either side have been difi'erent- 1y interpreted or misunderstood, being Show less
Liturgy Is Life by Edgar S. Brown In the all too short period in which this writer has had opportunity to be intim- ately observant of the Church’s operation, there has never been a time when, to his knowledge, the Church has been satisfied with herself. As student, chaplain in the armed forces,... Show moreLiturgy Is Life by Edgar S. Brown In the all too short period in which this writer has had opportunity to be intim- ately observant of the Church’s operation, there has never been a time when, to his knowledge, the Church has been satisfied with herself. As student, chaplain in the armed forces, parish pastor, and more re- cently, bearer of the euphemistic title “general man” he has witnessed the con- stant parade of “new” banners under which the Church has been urged to march. Almost each year brings with it the carefully planned, zealously propa- gandized, yet frantically demanding pro- grams of men and women who, while undoubtedly sincere, are nontheless pro- fessional promoters. With a fervor that would make the preachers of the great crusades tremble at their own inadequac- ies—and faint when brought up against the Church's use of modern advertising techniques—the cry goes out to the faith- ful. “Follow the plan—don’t deviate!" MULTIPLICITY 0F PARISH LIFE Certainly there is an urgency to the Church’s mission, and, when confronted by the compelling voices of the world, we who cherish the most noble cause of all ought to expect that the Church’s per- sistent cry would reduce all other voices to a whisper. But what is the effect at all this on the one who is a work-horse of the Church—the parish pastor? IS it any wonder that his is a ministry directed from a desk with nought to confront him save the pigeon-holed cabinet on the wall overhead, each little cubbyhole stuffed to overflowing with an accumulation of guides, manuals, brochures, news-letters, and catalogs, and each persistently de- manding that it be given prior attention? Small wonder then that the parish past- or who by his oflice is required to funnel the expanding operational procedures out across the length and breadth of his par- ish soon begins to feel like a frustrated bottleneck. What is the answer? Will some genius in the ecclesiastical bureau- cracy aided by mechanical brains and psychological tests devise a “parochial- master-operational-time-schedule" re- plete with “scientifically determined" and “psychologically-adjusted" time slots so that evangelism, stewardship, education, the missions sisters three, fund—raising, geriatrics, counselling, sick-calls, the aux- iliaries, and worship all receive their due? Or is it just possible that under the direct- ion of the Holy Ghost we shall discover that which is properly the unitive factor of the Church’s very existence? It may seem from what has been said so far that all we are concerned with is the easing of the ministerial work-load. On the contrary, the majority of our pastors are diligently devoted to their vocations. The forty-hour week for most of them fits comfortably at least twice into every sev- en days, more than fifty times a year. Theirs is not an earnest expectation for the “fool's gold” of security and relax- ation. Rather, it is a restless resistance to regimentation, a plaintive plea for pur- posive planning. If the parish pastor writhes under the volley of bureaucratic salvos what must be the attitude of the layman? Confronted by the confusion of a theological jargon which accompanies the plethora of sector projects, evangelism missions, education- al workshops, not to mention the host of "advances" commonly and inaccurately called “retreats” he throws up his hands in despair. “If our company were run 11 Show less