Return to ALD Home Page

Viewpoint                                                    

HERE WE STAND 
by Lenae Rasmussen

In the midst of a nation-wide confessional crisis and cultural battle, the Augsburg Lutheran District has taken a clear stand to be a church home for confessional Lutherans. Like, Barth who once gave a lecture, "Why I'm Not A Barthian!" I doubt Luther would claim the ELCA as his church home either. Dr. Schmutzler has shared with us that after bringing Dr. Herman Sasse to America, the LC-MS shuffled him off to Australia in a few years–his Lutheran theology didn't fit in their Lutheran weltanschauung (paradigm). I think "Augsburg" is the first synod formed in America by and for Theologians of the Cross. History has been made! While this may not rank along side Luther's burning of the papal bull, Exsurge Domine, on December 11, 1520, or Abraham Lincoln's 1863 proclamation of Thanksgiving as a national holiday, the creation of the Augsburg Lutheran District in Elk Horn, Iowa, on July 18, 2001, is significant for us because it marks the beginning of our fellowship in the cross of Christ and our life together.

Last July, Bill Spaulding wrote a great article about his joint Episcopal-Lutheran congregation, "LET US BREAK BREAD TOGETHER ON OUR KNEES ... CAN WE?" It is an intriguing question, and as Bill explained, it was tempting to answer too simply and quickly, "Yes!" The experience of the Messiah-Trinity Lutheran-Episcopal Congregation has demonstrated that we cannot blend Lutheran and Episcopal churches together and simply hope for the best. The uniformity in liturgy and worship rites demanded by the Anglican Communion means that eventually the Lutheran Divine Service is lost. Worship is then no longer the union of God's Word and his people as Lutherans teach and practice but rather "the mass," i.e., the work of the people and the priest's representation of the sacrifice of Christ in the Eucharistic Prayer.

As we seek to have friendly relationships with other confessional Lutheran bodies, our Doctrine and Church Relations chairs warn that we not be too eager to simply "make friends." As we sort through the "alphabet soup" of Lutheran church bodies in America, we're discussing the differences and the things in common. Ultimately, Christians are never far from the circumcision argument Paul addressed in his letter to the Galatians. It simply gets a new face every now and then!

We hope to have friendly connections with the Evangelical Lutheran Conference and Ministerium of North America (ELCM) in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and the Churches of the Lutheran Brethren in America (CLBA) in Fergus Falls, MN. They are very close to us in their reading of Holy Scripture and their emphasis upon Luther's Small Catechism and the Augsburg Confession. Using the seminary in Fergus Falls, and developing a Lutheran House of Studies in Chicago with satellite locations seems like a reasonable way to educate and train our pastors and lay leaders at this juncture. Rather than spend money on bricks and mortar, we can use existing facilities and libraries to focus on our objective to produce sound pastors and teachers for our churches.

Having to answer the question, "Why don't we join the .... (LC-MS, WELS, ELS, AFLC, AALC, etc.) has helped us lay out what unifies us within the Augsburg Lutheran District and Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ. It comes down to our emphasis on Christ and his cross as the center of scripture and the Lutheran confessional writings. In this we are embracing Luther's way of reading scripture. We distinguish law and gospel in our proclamation of God's Word. That means we believe in the forgiveness of sins for Christ's sake, and the gospel that God became man to justify the ungodly. So, here we stand. In Christ. On the Living Word of God. We can do no other.

Lenae Rasmussen is the Executive Chair of the Augsburg Lutheran District, and a member of Peace Lutheran Church in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

To top of page

Home  |  Mission  | Library  |  Resources  | Discussions  
Constitution  |  Teaching Documents  |  Contacts

© 2001 Augsburg Lutheran District.  All rights reserved.
Website Comments:  webmaster@augsburgchurches.org