From Pastor Biar’s PenÂ
Not to brag, but we have the best theology around. I am, of course, referring to the LC-MS and not trying to overly inflate my own ego. We are the Church of the Reformation, we have the most solid, Biblical doctrine without abandoning the traditions and histories of the Church Fathers. We have the proper distinction between Law and Gospel and thus avoid the myriad of problems that come about when you confuse the two – fully understanding the free gift that is God’s grace while still understanding the role that good works play in our lives. We recognize the truth of the promises and assurances given within the sacraments as instituted by Christ – not turning them into ordinances which remove certainty and lead one to despair. Yet, due to a variety of historical and cultural issues, the fact remains that most people – especially in our geographic region – don’t really know much of anything about the Lutherans. And as we saw in our study of Has American Christianity Failed?, that lack of understanding is to their own detriment.Â
           I bring all this up because we are getting ready to observe Reformation Day at the end of the month. While most other Protestants may not know much about the Lutherans, they’ll at least recognize the day and have some kind of recognition of it – many of them will try to claim Luther and his theology for their own as well. And as much as the practice of sheep stealing[1] is generally frowned upon, it seems to me that Reformation Day would be a good opportunity to invite your evangibapticostal friends to come check us out and see what we have to offer. Will it open their eyes to our superior theology and cause them to convert? Probably not, but it would at least be some exposure to what we have here. This is by no means a mandate, just my own personal thoughts on the matter, but I do think you’d have better luck inviting someone to try the Lutheran church on what they probably know as Luther’s Day when there’s the promise of free bratwurst after the service than on just a random Sunday in September.
God’s Blessings, Pastor Biar