Some Traditions Must Be Handed Down, Others May

I've been writing about tradition, the Great Tradition, i.e. the Gospel and traditions in the Lutheran Church. Before proceeding I want to define again what I mean by the word tradition.

English dictionaries normally define tradition as a noun with several meanings.

1. An inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice or a social custom)
2. The handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth, by example or other methods, from one generation to another with or without written instruction
3. Cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions
4. Characteristic manner, method, or style.

I'm focusing on the second meaning, the one about handing down information, beliefs and customs from one generation to another by various methods. What I really want to do is to sort out the difference between what information and beliefs must be handed down and what may be handed down. While we're at it, let us also remember that in this matter of handing down information and beliefs, it isn't only what we say, it's alsohow we say it and even where.

We all have traditions. My wife taught our daughter to bake cookies by bringing her into the kitchen to play with the dough, cut out the cookies and bake when she was a little child. When she grew up, got married and gave birth to her own daughter, she passed on the same tradition to her daughter. Now every Christmas when grandmother, daughter and granddaughter get together it has become their tradition to go to the kitchen to create, bake and decorate Christmas cookies. Our family also has an equally significant tradition about decorating Easter eggs.

I've already written about the traditions to the Lutheran branch of the Christian Church, using the same definition. The church has some teachings she must pass down to the next generation. For instance, she must pass on the teachings of God's Word and she must pass on the practices based upon that Word of God. Examples include the teaching and practice of celebrating the Lord's Supper. Likewise the church must teach that Jesus is the Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from all eternity and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary who suffered on the cross under Pontius Pilate, died and rose again on the third day.

However, certain other customs, methods and styles of teaching and worship may and do vary from place to place and from one culture to another. They are in the may category of traditions. For instance, consider that we may celebrate the day of Jesus' birth on January 6 instead of December 25, because in truth we do not know for certain when he was born. Eastern branches of the church to this very day hold to January 6 as the day while western churches call that day Epiphany and recall the coming of the Wise Men on it.

Most wedding ceremonies fall into the same category. The wedding candle, for instance, is a very new tradition that arose sometime in the 20^th century. The exchanging of rings is older, but is also another may tradition—except for Roman Catholics. Wedding bands go on the third finger of the left hand because from ancient days people believed that the "vein of love" that runs directly to the heart is in the third finger of the left hand. After the days of the Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church called an ecumenical council that met for nearly all of the twenty years between 1545 and 1563 in the northern Italian city of Trent to deal with the issues raised in the Reformation. The Council of Trent decreed that wedding rings must be used in the sacrament of marriage. Non-Catholics do not consider marriage a sacrament. Consequently they continue to view the rings as an option, a may. A couple is married, rings or not.

There are other musts and other mays. Make up your own list. There are some traditions you must accept if you are a Christian. There are others you may or may not. We need to keep in mind the differences. I'll say more about this next time.

Biblical Meanings of Tradition

In my earlier discussions of traditions I pursued the origin of the word sacrament. I  used it to emphasize how important it is to use words correctly. We move back now to our original discussion of tradition and the Great Tradition.


The New Testament Greek word we've often translated into our Bibles with the English word tradition originally meant to betray or deliver up someone. For instance, Judas betrayed Jesus to the High Priests. Pilate delivered Jesus up to the will of the mob. Paul was delivered into the hands of Romans. And Jesus gave himself for you and for me.


The verb was also used as a technical term among the Jews, referring to customs handed down. However, their customs often went beyond the direct teachings of the Torah. For instance, when Jesus and his disciples were accused of not washing their hands according to the Jewish tradition of the elders, Jesus replied, "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions" (Mark 7:1-9). After Jesus' resurrection and return to heaven, the deacon Stephen was accused of changing the customs (traditions) Moses had supposedly handed down to them (Acts 6:9-15). That finally led to his being stoned to death for heresy and false teaching.


Speaking of traditions, did you know that the Hebrew text of the Old Testament has certain fixed traditional divisions, pronunciations and modes of public recitation that have been handed down to us. Hebrew was actually the first classical language to have that done to it. These punctuations and divisions are called the Masorah or traditions; from the Hebrew word Masar, 'to hand down.' Some Jewish scholars propose that the nounMasorah is really from the Hebrew verb Asar, 'to bind or fetter,' suggesting that these same detailed instructions about the text are bound to it. They are traditions that must be handed down.


Christians inherited the work done by these Masoretes, who were Aramaic speaking Jews of Babylon and Palestine, living between 700 and 900 A.D.  The work they produced is called the Masoretic text. We have retained these traditional chapters and verses also in our English translations, but they are traditions, not revelation.


Some have considered that some of those traditions may be mistaken and thus lead to a change in the way one might understand a given Bible passage. To get into that, however, will take us far afield in our discussion. Let us rather talk about the Greek New Testament and where the Greek noun for our English word tradition refers to the content of what is transmitted, not merely to the letters, punctuation and acts of transmitting the content.
For instance, Paul starts his letter to the Galatians by saying that he was once extremely zealous for the traditions of his fathers, but that all changed when God called him by his grace and revealed Jesus to him so that he might preach the gospel among the Gentiles (Galatians 1:14). In this context the Apostle is speaking about the things he used to do, like tithing, washing his hands, observing Sabbath, certain festivals and so forth. However, after his conversion, when he got into the mission field, he was concerned not about the outward acts and words themselves, but rather what they conveyed, namely the teachings.


In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul commends them for holding to the teachings, just as he had passed them on (1 Corinthians 11:2). His word for teachings is the same Greek word translated in his other letters as traditions. In this same verse the verb for pass on is the verbal form of the noun translated as either teaching or tradition. In the same chapter Paul says he is handing down or passing on to them what he received from the Lord about the Lord's Supper. A little later Paul uses the same verb when he speaks about how he handed down to them what he received about Christ's death and resurrection. Again, Paul warns the Colossians to beware lest they be cheated through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, rather than the gospel (Colossians 2:8).


The gospel is the good news about Jesus, and that is what is to be handed down. It is the Great Tradition. As we hand down the teachings (traditions) about Jesus, his life, death and resurrection and all that he taught us, the Holy Spirit teaches us to believe in Jesus. Jesus himself promised to send the Spirit of truth, who goes out from the Father. This Spirit, Jesus said, would bring glory to him by taking what is his and making it known to his disciples (John 14-16). Next time I'll tie together all these teachings about tradition and traditions in the Church.

Changing Traditions Among Lutherans

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.

The Gospel - God's Great Tradition

In my previous blog I pointed to the tension we Christians have over the topic of traditions. Today I want to explore what the Bible says about them, especially since we Christians of most traditions hold the Bible as the revealed Word of God.  


Traditions are statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc. that are handed down from generation to generation. For instance, many in my family went to college at Texas A&M University. TAMU is an institution rich in traditions. One of the very first thing incoming students learn are the Aggie traditions. One such is the 12th Man tradition. Every student attending a home football game remains standing throughout, because this is their way of saying we're ready to suit up and play. In other words, "Hey team, we're with you all the way!" 


Does the Bible talk about traditions like this? Yes indeed. Look whom God has handed down to us. Start with Romans 8:32-34. 

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

God the Father gave up His Son Christ Jesus to die. The giving up in NT Greek is the verb form of the noun we translate as tradition. Our heavenly Father gave up or handed down Jesus for us. This is the Good News that we now hand down from generation to generation. Here's the proof that God loves us. Its there in Jesus, God's Son, who died and was raised from the dead by the Father and sits at God's right hand to intercede for us. This is the prime tradition, the Great Tradition, the Gospel! All other traditions must be measured against this one. This is God's way of saying to us down here on the playing field of this world, "Hey, I'm with you all the way!" (cf. also Hebrews 12:1-2)

The Apostle Paul writes about this giving up again and again. Not only did the Father give up His Son; Jesus gave up himself for us. He and His Father are One in the great act of giving up.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20). 

And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2). 

 As I said, this giving up is the Great Tradition, God's tradition, the Gospel. There are, however, human traditions that can deceive us. Paul warns of such in his letter to the Colossians.

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority (Colossians 2:6-10). 

Like the 12th man tradition, human traditions are handed down and have the power to deceive and capture your imagination and thoughts. They can sound so very appealing. They have the power to hook you and modify your beliefs. But, asks Paul, do they strengthen your faith in Jesus? He and He alone is the One who cancelled the record of debt you and I owe to God. Human traditions can and often do lead people away from this Great Tradition. This is why he warns us about human wisdom and philosophy.

As we examine the traditions passed on, whether in the world or in the Church, we must always measure them against this Great Tradition, the Gospel of God's giving up Jesus Christ for us all. More on this next time.

How We Christians Define And Argue About Tradition

We Christians all have traditions. For instance, I wrote about the tradition of celebrating Christ's birth on December 25. I'd like to explore the meaning of traditions among us Christians. I'm especially concerned about this because our brothers and sisters in both the Western and Eastern branches of Christendom claim tradition as a source of teaching authority, equal to the Bible.

For example, The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second edition, paragraph 83, reads

Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium.

Note that the Catechism speaks of traditions and the great Tradition. The Catholic Catechism continues:

1. "The apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them their own position of teaching authority.'" (Par. 77).
2. "This living transmission, accomplished through the Holy Spirit, is called tradition..." (Par. 78).
3. "Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence." (Par. 82).

Let me give you an example. In addition to what is revealed in the Bible, Tradition tells us that the Holy Spirit revealed over the centuries that Mary, Jesus' mother, was conceived immaculately and later assumed into heaven. There are many other examples, but lets focus upon Mary as a good way to grasp what this means.

Fr. Yves Congar in his book The Meaning of Tradition defines tradition as a real, living self-communication of God. This means there are teachings God has made implicit in the Scripture, but the prophets and apostles were not led to explicitly spell out at the time they wrote. However, the Spirit continues to work in the Church. As the Church's teachers, the Magisterium, led by the Vicar of Christ, (Christ's living representative on the earth, the Pope) meditate upon those Scriptures, they gain new insights into what was inferred, even though they were not specifically spelled out in the Scriptures. The Magisterium continues to supervise this whole process and stigmatizes, condemns and disapproves of errors. This is the living work of the Holy Spirit at work in Christ's Body, the Church. 


The teaching about the Virgin Mary's conception and assumption is a prime example of such a teaching implied, but not explicitly spelled out in the Scripture. Meditation upon the inspired Scriptures eventually led the Magisterium to conclude that Mary was born without sin and taken bodily up to heaven as was Elijah in the Old Testament times. Read How to Argue for Mary's Assumption to get a better understanding of how Catholics think about this. 


Today Catholics both of the Western and Eastern branches of the Church believe in the bodily, corporeal Assumption of Mary, the Blessed Virgin. Her feast is celebrated on August 15 and at various other times in many places. Mary is venerated and adored as the prime example of motherhood. Women around the world pray to her. Family life is enriched and celebrated in the light of her example and God's revelation. 


Why do Lutherans and protestants in general not follow this example? What's our problem with accepting and honoring tradition "with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence"? And is there something to learn from tradition? I'll pursue this in later blogs. 

Fifteen Ways The World Has Changed

The Day of Rest
Biblical Teaching About Time
— An online book about rest and worship—
By Dr. Al Franzmeier

__________________________________________

Below are fifteen ways life in the United States—and the world—changed in the the twentieth century. It is a brief summary of the first and second chapters of this book. I do not want to suggest that it is all there is to say. The changes are only suggestive and intended to point toward where life has gone and is going. Your comments are welcome.

1. Advances in technology have changed our way of life - Our ability to communicate, share, store and retrieve data is increasing at exponential rates. Computers and the Internet are prime. Every aspect of life is now touched by them. We now have ability to communicate with one another and share data of all sorts and kinds never before known or imagined in all of human history.     
2. Communication technology has changed everything  - Our ability to communicate, share, store and retrieve data is increasing at exponential rates. Computers and the Internet are prime. Every aspect of life is now touched by them. We now have ability to communicate with one another and share data of all sorts and kinds never before known or imagined in all of human history.
   
3. We are empowered and engulfed by information - People who understand how to use and manipulate this information have power. They are able to influence and control others. However, so much information easily engulfs most people. They are left with uncertainty about what to believe and whom to trust.
4. Technological changes have increased the rich-poor gap - The new super-rich are those who provide and control the use of information technology. Examples abound. Meanwhile, those who do not understand the technology are less and less able to thrive or even survive in such a culture. The gap increases between the rich and the poor.
5. Pop-art replaced classical and folk-art - Classical and folk art, including music and graphic arts, are becoming far less significant than the ever-changing scene of pop-art, pop-music, movies and TV.
6. Clothing styles changed - Clothing reflects the emphasis upon novelty and change. People of all ages are influenced by a desire to be a part of the modern scene, to own and to wear what is new, to be accepted by the in-group.
   
7. Novelty is valued, even worshiped - Such an emphasis upon novelty presents a danger of becoming all important. Whatever is first in one’s life is that which is worshiped. Many are the new American Idols.
8. Old people, old ways are no longer trusted - Whereas other cultures, including that of the United States, formerly trusted seniors and the experience they bring, the emphasis now is upon the future. Those of the past with its outmoded thinking and ways must be rejected. Hope, promise and true value rest with young, innovative and experimental men and women who understand the new world. 
9. Traditional norms and principles are rejected - As a consequence of the emphasis upon novelty and experimentation, norms and principles handed down from the past are no longer trusted. New circumstances, new understandings, new discoveries and new ways of communicating require new norms.
10. Sexual and family mores have also changed - Changes in family and sexual mores are prime examples of the changes demanded. The definition of marriage has changed. There is now a strong push toward redefining marriage as a loving relationship between two humans, regardless of sex. Some suggest that the definition of marriage will eventually change even more than that. There are no longer any objective standards by which to decide what is right or wrong in human relationships.
11. Everything is now relative, constantly changing - In matters of right and wrong everything is open now to change, even as the world around us is constantly changing.  The emphasis upon evolution and the survival of the fittest seems to suggest that the weak, sick and feeble who have nothing more to contribute should be terminated, regardless of age.
12. Everything is now subjective; objective standards are gone - Since there are no objective standards like the Ten Commandments, etc. and since evrything is relative, we may argue that what is right for you may not be right for me. As long as you allow me to do what I want, I will not attempt to interfere with you doing what you want.
13. The supernatural origins of the Bible are rejected - Christians who once believed in the Divine authority of the Bible are left with uncertainty. The book once seen as the inspired Word of God is now viewed as a collection of writings by men influenced by the thinking and culture of their time. Little, if anything, can now be declared to be of Divine origin.
14. At the same time human intuition is lifted up as trustworthy - Since scholars have only scattered pieces of past Biblical writings—so it is claimed—they must rely upon educated guesses about what was and what was not given by God. Judgments about theological truths are now subjected to human intuitions.
15. The United States no longer has a master narrative - Since the United States is now a multi-cultural and multi-religious nation, there is no longer one story or one set of myths that unite and guide us. This is to say we have great difficulty looking back at our history in order to define ourselves as we move into the future.

As the 20th century began, advances in science, communication and transportation moved the people of the United States from a rural to an urban culture. We will never be able to return to a simpler way of life, even though many long for it.

So the question remains. Where do we go from here? The preposterous claim of this Blog and of this online book is that the Bible remains the inspired Word of God and the one and only, yes also infallible, guide to the future of life on this planet, of hope for eternity and for daily life. Readers are invited to draw their own conclusions. Watch for the next chapter.

As I said above, your comments are invited.

Married At The Seminary

This past weekend my wife and I attended a wedding at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo. A cousin of Sylvia is studying to become a deaconess there and she had met a seminarian in a Greek class a year ago. A year later they had invited their families to join them as they were joined together in marriage during a Saturday evening worship service.

Ellee and Kyle exchanging vows

The interesting thing about this wedding was the way it was conducted. Very little of the usual modern day traditions were observed. There was no procession of bride's maids, no groom's men, no large bouquets of flowers, no ushers, no separate bride's procession on her father's arm. Bride and groom followed the congregation accompanied by clergy and sat in the front row until it was time to exchange their vows. What both Sylvia and I appreciated was that the newly married couple acted as ushers for the congregation, greeting everyone personally as they left the church.

Up to and during the Middle Ages, weddings were always considered family and community affairs. The only thing needed to create a marriage was for both partners to state their consent to take one another as spouses. Witnesses were not always necessary, nor were the presence of the clergy. The role of the clergy at a medieval wedding was simply to bless the couple.

It wasn't official Roman Catholic church policy until the Council of Trent (A.D. 1545) that a third party (i.e., a priest), as opposed to the couple themselves, was responsible for performing the wedding. Trent called marriage a sacrament and sacraments, they taught, can only be administered by clergy.

The term sacrament is a Latin translation of the original Greek term mystery, from the Greek verb myein, to shut the mouth and then to instruct. Mystery, by its very nature, points to something beyond our limited intelligence. The term was used in the early church to describe many kinds of religous ceremonies and practices.

By the twelfth century Hugh of St. Victor listed some thirty sacraments. This was probably the result of Augustine's definition of sacraments as signs pertaining to things divine, or visible forms of an invisible grace. Since there is no limit to the number of ways God's grace can be expressed, the number of sacraments increased with Christian sensitivity and imagination, but this made it very difficult to administer and to control the sacraments. Therefore the Council of Trent decreed that not all signs of sacred things had sacramental value. Visible signs become sacraments only if they represent an invisible grace and become its channels.

Roman Catholic teaching realizes that marriage existed as an institution prior to Christ's founding of the Church, and accepts the validity of marriage in various traditions. Nevertheless, it holds that the marriage of two baptized persons has a special role in the building up of the Church. This tradition also holds that marriage imparts a grace and character which strengthens love, enabling the married couple to imitate and reflect the love of Christ for the Church. Because of such an understanding of marriage as a sacrament, the Catholics in marriage promise to share their faith through baptism and the proper instruction of children in the Roman Catholic understanding of that faith.

In the Reformation Lutherans defined the sacrament as a sacred act instituted by God. In such a sacred act God joins His Word of promise to a visible element. By doing this He offers, gives and seals the forgiveness of sins earned for all men by the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ. By this definition there are only two sacraments, namely Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Sometimes Holy Absolution is counted as a third sacrament, even though it has no divinely instituted visible element such as water, bread or wine. Likewise, by this definition marriage is not a sacrament since there is no divinely commanded visible element nor is the forgiveness of sins offered.

In the style of the later medieval period, Ellee and Kyle walked hand in hand from her house to the church. The family and friends met the couple outside the chapel where we heard the pastor explain what was about to happen and pray God's blessings upon the couple. Then we processed inside where the two of them exchanged their vows. After the Divine Service of the Word, we processed to the seminary dining hall for a feast. Music filled the air as we ate and talked.