To our Reformed churches in their present discussions about the authority of the Bible it should be interesting to observe similar controversies in other circles. The big Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is being torn by one of them. This traditionally evangelical denomination has a remarkable history. Gaustad’s Historical Atlas of Religion in America summarizes it in this way (p. 72):
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod reached its present proportions not through dramatic mergers but through even more dramatic expansion. Organized in 1847 [the same year as our Christian Reformed denomination, incidentally] the Synod of 12 congregations broke the bounds of language (German) and of provincialism to become in little more than a century a Synod over 5,000 congregations. Through its rapid development of educational facilities, its energetic devotion to effective evangelism, and its unswerving loyalty to doctrinal purity. this Synod has established churches in every state of the Union, has extended itself well into Canada (where it has about 250,000 members) and has spilled over into Central America.
In view of this thrilling record of service to the gospel, it is the more regrettable that current news focuses attention on the way in which loyalty to that gospel is evidently being undermined in the seminary training being given its ministers. President Jacob Preus, a conservative, on being elected to his influential office as head of the denomination, in 1970 instituted an investigation of Concordia Seminary because of the liberal views of the Bible allegedly held and taught by members of its faculty. The board which had been tolerating the situation was finally prevailed upon last December to refuse to renew the contract of one of the professors, Arlis Ehlen. This professor, according to Christian News “contends that Moses may have used boats to cross the Red Sea but that in any case the Biblical account of the crossing simply does not correspond to the facts.” Other professors who hold similar views were rehired. Under pressure from most of the Seminary professors and many of the one thousand clergymen who according to the News “do not subscribe to the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy,” the Board on February 21 reversed its decision and did rehire Ehlen. Now President Preus, in view of his presidential duty to supervise practice and doctrine in all Synod institutions, has directed that Dr. Ehlen not be allowed to teach courses related to Synod doctrine. It will be interesting to see what will he the outcome of this conflict between the President of the Synod and the Seminary Board. In the meantime the News continues to tell of some fifty congregations separating or threatening to separate from the denomination.
A pointed editorial appeared in the February 7 issue of this Lutheran magazine (Christian News) entitled “A Call for Discipline.” It points out that although the Missouri Synod “has in everyone of its recent conventions adopted some thoroughly scriptural resolutions reaffirming such doctrines as the inerrancy of Holy Scripture, the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the flesh, the vicarious satisfaction of Christ, the historicity of Genesis, the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch, the unity of Isaiah, direct messianic prophecy, etc.,” and “elected a president who is thoroughly committed to the inerrancy of Holy Scripture,” such “‘victories’ are to a large extent rather meaningless as long as a church body refuses to discipline its liberal theologians.” For years the denomination has not been disciplining liberals who have been denying such basic doctrines. The News editorial goes on to cite the warning of Francis Schaeffer in his The Church Before (he Watching World. Dr. Schaeffer recalled how the conservatives in the Northern Presbyterian church in 1924 rejoiced at their victory in electing a conservative moderator while the undisciplined liberals “consolidated their power in the church bureaucracy. And because they were allowed to do so, the election of the conservative moderator proved to mean nothing.” As Schaeffer concludes, “We must practice truth, not just speak about it” (pp. 64–66). And we might add, that demands discipline of those who reject the truth.
Because the Word of God consistently and repeatedly warns us to turn away from “them that are causing divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which ye learned” (Rom. 16:17); to “put away the wicked men from among yourselves” (l Cor. 5:13); to “Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers” but “come out from among them and be . . . separate” (II Cor. 6:14, 17), the church that refuses to practice this biblical discipline is already at this important point sharing the apostasy of the unbelievers it is tolerating in its membership and leadership. And it is inviting the discipline which the Lord Himself has threatened to bring upon unfaithful churches (Rev. 2 and 3). Many churches in our time have lost the gospel because they would not work, and where necessary, fight to keep it. The alternative each church ultimately faces is: Fight for the truth or lose it!
Confronted by that choice what will the great Missouri Synod do? What will we and our sister churches do as we face the same alternatives?
Peter De Jong is pastor of the Christian Reformed Church of Dutton, Michigan.
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod reached its present proportions not through dramatic mergers but through even more dramatic expansion. Organized in 1847 [the same year as our Christian Reformed denomination, incidentally] the Synod of 12 congregations broke the bounds of language (German) and of provincialism to become in little more than a century a Synod over 5,000 congregations. Through its rapid development of educational facilities, its energetic devotion to effective evangelism, and its unswerving loyalty to doctrinal purity. this Synod has established churches in every state of the Union, has extended itself well into Canada (where it has about 250,000 members) and has spilled over into Central America.
In view of this thrilling record of service to the gospel, it is the more regrettable that current news focuses attention on the way in which loyalty to that gospel is evidently being undermined in the seminary training being given its ministers. President Jacob Preus, a conservative, on being elected to his influential office as head of the denomination, in 1970 instituted an investigation of Concordia Seminary because of the liberal views of the Bible allegedly held and taught by members of its faculty. The board which had been tolerating the situation was finally prevailed upon last December to refuse to renew the contract of one of the professors, Arlis Ehlen. This professor, according to Christian News “contends that Moses may have used boats to cross the Red Sea but that in any case the Biblical account of the crossing simply does not correspond to the facts.” Other professors who hold similar views were rehired. Under pressure from most of the Seminary professors and many of the one thousand clergymen who according to the News “do not subscribe to the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy,” the Board on February 21 reversed its decision and did rehire Ehlen. Now President Preus, in view of his presidential duty to supervise practice and doctrine in all Synod institutions, has directed that Dr. Ehlen not be allowed to teach courses related to Synod doctrine. It will be interesting to see what will he the outcome of this conflict between the President of the Synod and the Seminary Board. In the meantime the News continues to tell of some fifty congregations separating or threatening to separate from the denomination.
A pointed editorial appeared in the February 7 issue of this Lutheran magazine (Christian News) entitled “A Call for Discipline.” It points out that although the Missouri Synod “has in everyone of its recent conventions adopted some thoroughly scriptural resolutions reaffirming such doctrines as the inerrancy of Holy Scripture, the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the flesh, the vicarious satisfaction of Christ, the historicity of Genesis, the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch, the unity of Isaiah, direct messianic prophecy, etc.,” and “elected a president who is thoroughly committed to the inerrancy of Holy Scripture,” such “‘victories’ are to a large extent rather meaningless as long as a church body refuses to discipline its liberal theologians.” For years the denomination has not been disciplining liberals who have been denying such basic doctrines. The News editorial goes on to cite the warning of Francis Schaeffer in his The Church Before (he Watching World. Dr. Schaeffer recalled how the conservatives in the Northern Presbyterian church in 1924 rejoiced at their victory in electing a conservative moderator while the undisciplined liberals “consolidated their power in the church bureaucracy. And because they were allowed to do so, the election of the conservative moderator proved to mean nothing.” As Schaeffer concludes, “We must practice truth, not just speak about it” (pp. 64–66). And we might add, that demands discipline of those who reject the truth.
Because the Word of God consistently and repeatedly warns us to turn away from “them that are causing divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which ye learned” (Rom. 16:17); to “put away the wicked men from among yourselves” (l Cor. 5:13); to “Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers” but “come out from among them and be . . . separate” (II Cor. 6:14, 17), the church that refuses to practice this biblical discipline is already at this important point sharing the apostasy of the unbelievers it is tolerating in its membership and leadership. And it is inviting the discipline which the Lord Himself has threatened to bring upon unfaithful churches (Rev. 2 and 3). Many churches in our time have lost the gospel because they would not work, and where necessary, fight to keep it. The alternative each church ultimately faces is: Fight for the truth or lose it!
Confronted by that choice what will the great Missouri Synod do? What will we and our sister churches do as we face the same alternatives?
Peter De Jong is pastor of the Christian Reformed Church of Dutton, Michigan.