Last week I wrote about tensions among Christians over the question of traditions. We obviously disagree about definitions. Roman Catholics have what they call the Great Tradition about authority in the Church handed down through the Apostles. We Lutherans speak rather of the Gospel as the Great Tradition, based upon our own careful examination of Holy Scripture.
We Lutherans—following the lead of Dr. Martin Luther and other 16th century reformers—view ourselves as part of the one, holy, universal and apostolic church, traced back across the centuries to Christ Himself. This is why in our written, public confessions, we also affirm the ancient ecumenical creeds and the doctrinal positions that prevailed in most ancient gatherings of church leaders, e.g. the Council of Chalcedon as it carefully taught about the nature of Christ. This is the traditional Lutheran viewpoint.
We have other traditions as well. We retain many of the worship practices of the pre-Reformation Church. Martin Luther and many of the other reformers felt that these practices reflected the teaching of Holy Scripture and should therefore be used to strengthen the faith of the worshippers. Thus the order of the ancient Mass (reformed according to Reformation principles) has been retained by us. We also celebrate and follow the practice of vesting clergy as they lead worship, building churches in a way that lifts up the importance of the Lord's Supper and Baptism and teaching or confirming our children in their faith through a two or three year program of instruction.
Of course, there have been many developments among Christians since the Reformation. The eighteenth century Enlightenment or Age of Reason led many Lutherans to abandon those traditions. The Pietistic Movement's emphasis upon the inner experience of the Holy Spirit and the sanctified life brought its own traditions. These movements continue to influence and change Lutheran traditions to this very day.
Some Lutheran congregations work very hard to recover the traditions and practices of the Reformation era. They celebrate the Eucharist or the Lord's Supper every week at every Service, follow carefully the church year, vest their clergy in traditional garments and encourage the remembrance of Baptism through the use of the sign of the cross. Others seek a more general, much less confessional and even non-denominational or Protestant identity. Their clergy are not vested and they worship in auditoriums.
So among us Lutherans there are many traditions. How do these line up against what I have called the Great Tradition, the Gospel? What must be passed on and what may be passed on? Which traditions must be retained and which may be? And what does all this say about the source of authority in the Church? I'll look at that next time.
We Lutherans—following the lead of Dr. Martin Luther and other 16th century reformers—view ourselves as part of the one, holy, universal and apostolic church, traced back across the centuries to Christ Himself. This is why in our written, public confessions, we also affirm the ancient ecumenical creeds and the doctrinal positions that prevailed in most ancient gatherings of church leaders, e.g. the Council of Chalcedon as it carefully taught about the nature of Christ. This is the traditional Lutheran viewpoint.
We have other traditions as well. We retain many of the worship practices of the pre-Reformation Church. Martin Luther and many of the other reformers felt that these practices reflected the teaching of Holy Scripture and should therefore be used to strengthen the faith of the worshippers. Thus the order of the ancient Mass (reformed according to Reformation principles) has been retained by us. We also celebrate and follow the practice of vesting clergy as they lead worship, building churches in a way that lifts up the importance of the Lord's Supper and Baptism and teaching or confirming our children in their faith through a two or three year program of instruction.
Of course, there have been many developments among Christians since the Reformation. The eighteenth century Enlightenment or Age of Reason led many Lutherans to abandon those traditions. The Pietistic Movement's emphasis upon the inner experience of the Holy Spirit and the sanctified life brought its own traditions. These movements continue to influence and change Lutheran traditions to this very day.
Some Lutheran congregations work very hard to recover the traditions and practices of the Reformation era. They celebrate the Eucharist or the Lord's Supper every week at every Service, follow carefully the church year, vest their clergy in traditional garments and encourage the remembrance of Baptism through the use of the sign of the cross. Others seek a more general, much less confessional and even non-denominational or Protestant identity. Their clergy are not vested and they worship in auditoriums.
So among us Lutherans there are many traditions. How do these line up against what I have called the Great Tradition, the Gospel? What must be passed on and what may be passed on? Which traditions must be retained and which may be? And what does all this say about the source of authority in the Church? I'll look at that next time.
How might language, culture, average income of a group, geographical location, indigenous music of a tribe or language group, and other factors affect "tradition" within the worshiping Christian community which holds to the "Great Tradition", the handed-down Gospel of our lord Jesus Christ??
ReplyDelete. . . h.a.h.