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WHY DOES EVERYTHING IN OUR CHURCH SEEM UPSIDE DOWN TODAY?

 We are adrift in a confessional crisis.

Why are we forming the Augsburg Lutheran District as a lifeboat for confessing Lutherans? 

We are forming the Augsburg Lutheran District because we find ourselves in a state of confession. We believe the time has come to stand and deliver as "good soldiers of Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:3).

Christianity as we know it is under attack. Sin, death, the devil, this evil world, and our sinful selves are the perpetrators. Some things never change. What has changed, however, is that the shelter of western Christendom, i.e., living in a predominantly "Christian culture," can no longer be taken for granted. Americans, in particular, live in a chaotic social culture referred to by some as the post-modern world. The situation has deteriorated to the point that churches from Third World countries are establishing mission dioceses in America, deploying missionaries to our shores to evangelize American denominations on the brink of apostasy. At the same time, mainline Protestantism scurries to adjust to the demands of an irreversibly secularized society so as to become "relevant" to the world, all the while shrinking in size and influence. Renewal groups arise within these denominations, much to their scorn, and stand like John the Baptist-alone-crying in the wilderness. Is there any hope?

Our Sure Hope in Christ

As bad as things look now, the good news is that the battle is over and Christ has won. The perpetrators have been defeated and found guilty. The sentence has been announced: "Your sins are forgiven. You are free in Christ. You have died and your life is hid with Christ in God." As such, you are free to proclaim his good news and serve your neighbor. You are free to be a voice crying in the wilderness. You can be a fool for Christ in the world's eyes, for in God's eyes it is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you (Gal 2:20), fulfilling his law (Gal 5:14) and the purpose for which he created you--to glorify him (Is 43:7).

The Cross Alone is Our Theology

The Augsburg Lutheran District is being formed by creatures of God set free by faith in Christ. It seeks to proclaim his good news and serve our fellow creatures--our neighbor in need. We may be a candle in the wind, but we are his candle--created by God himself and called by his Spirit through his gospel to be his harbinger of truth. We only know God through the self-revelation of his Son who died on the cross for us. This is why we say that the cross alone is our theology (1 Cor 2:2). There is no other way to the Father and salvation than through faith in Jesus Christ. We point to the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, and no other. We proclaim that sinners are put right with God by faith alone, by grace alone, and no other way. We seek to spread this good news to all the nations and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. For this, we have been called.

Onward From Elk Horn

Though we treasure our rich history of Lutheranism in North America, and in particular our friends and fellowship formed in Elk Horn, we know that we cannot live in the past. Christ is calling us to go “onward from Elk Horn” and spread the gospel in new and different places, as well as old, familiar places that some have forgotten. While many of us are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), we realize that the need to proclaim the freedom of the gospel and to preach the gospel in its purity is universal. The ELCA is not the only denomination falling away from what used to be its own teaching and beliefs. Many people feel like everything in their church is “upside down” today, and many have given up on church altogether. We sincerely desire to reach out to the unchurched, inactive members who feel alienated or discarded by a church that seems to have left them behind, and all who seek to hear the good news that Jesus has become incarnate to justify the ungodly. We invite all Christians who share our confession of faith, mission, and objectives to join us in this fellowship.

Learn more about the Augsburg Lutheran District by checking out our website at: www.augsburgdistrict.org

For more information about the Augsburg Lutheran District please contact:

Lenae Rasmussen       (808) 624-4464 728 
A Fernander Avenue     (800) 301-0442 
Wahiawa, HI 96786 
E-mail: lrasmussen@augsburgchurches.org

Please send subscription forms, donations, and other correspondence to ALD in care of:

Paul Hansen (712) 764-4808 
Box 373 
Elk Horn, IA 51531 
E-mail:  hansens@metc.net

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