Father Theophilus has shared a paper by Pr. Wallace Schulz which raises some interesting questions and even soul searching. This may be a place to carry on the discussion. How much are we willing to lose in order to gain numbers or the “respect” of non-Lutherans?
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I remember Oliver Olson having a pointed discussion at Marquette University with an LCMS graduate student (Fort Wayne grad). Prof. Olson insisted that LCMS had become Baptist because of the influence of Fuller Seminary. That was in the late to mid-80s. I’m not sure Oliver was a prophet, but I do think he was on to something. One of the problems with Fundamentalism is that is actually based on philosophical presuppositions. Lutheran theology is intrinsically Biblical. Philosophy for us is an intellectual or apologetic tool, but does not bear the weight of supporting theology as is the case in both Roman Catholic and Reformed theology.
We Lutherans sometimes have a way of living up to the caricatures and slanders hurled at us. Pr. Schulz is very courageous in stepping up to point that out. There is much to be discussed in this paper.
I read this paper after our early afternoon Good Friday service, and I was absolutely astounded by some of the things that Pr. Schulz brings out. He completely devastates the LCMS’s missiological theology and practice of the last several decades, especially its most recent incarnation in ABLAZE! And he offers true Lutheran solutions to our missiological malaise.
Will we listen or will we continue down our self-destructive path, acting like a drug addict fiending for the next fix thinking it is his salvation, when in reality it is the very thing that is killing him? We are addicted to methodobapticostal worship and theology and fads, and it is doing us in.
Some of Schulz’s observations on Seminex and some of the personalities involved is also very interesting.