Reformation Day 2001

The Washington Times ^ | October 31, 2001 | Julia Duin

[FormerLib]

Today is Reformation Day

[FormerLib]

Fascinating stories!

[FormerLib]

I'm sure you'll want to see this!

[FormerLib]

Some of these stories should quite familiar.

[FormerLib]

Ahem! I meant that some of these stories sound familiar!

[FormerLib]

Ping.

[patent]

Thanks for the bump. I'll add a few, and add a wager that this should produce a lively discussion.

patent

[workerbee]

More discussion going on here: Reformation Day!

[egarvue]

"But not the Church," she says. "The Lutheran Church is in a moral and theological abyss."

"Rome has mixed human error with divine truth. We dare never rest our hope for salvation on any human agency, human leader or on any human effort. We look to Christ alone, for He alone is our hope and salvation."

Please note that there are major differences in Lutheran church bodies - the first quote was referring to the ELCA, not the more conservative Missouri Synod. While I respect our Catholic brothers and sisters as fellow Christians, I as a Lutheran could not stomach a church where Mary is venerated almost (almost, mind you) as a goddess, some prayers are offered to a pantheon of mortal "saints" rather than God, and good works are emphasized rather than the saving grace of Christ.

We Protestants should thank God for the Catholic Church as the formost defender of Christianity for well over a thousand years (my good Catholic friend jokes with me that we Protestants have only had 500 years or so to try to get it right). The Catholic Church is not given enough credit for what it does, especially when it comes to taking stands on social issues - Protestants are always curiously silent on the sidelines while letting the Catholic Church take the heat.

One day, when we're in Heaven, we'll look back on the divisions in the Church and laugh and wonder "what the heck was all that about." But for now, we're stuck in this sinful world, and we'll have to get along the best we can without compromising our beliefs.

For those interested in discovering more about what Lutheranism is all about at its core, I highly recommend Dr. Gene Edward Veith's book, Spirituality of the Cross: Way of the First Evangelicals. It is a gentle, non-in-your-face account of what it means to be a Lutheran. Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia.

[Romulus]

I as a Lutheran could not stomach a church where Mary is venerated almost (almost, mind you) as a goddess...

Watch that first step; it's steep.

[LibertyGirl77]

"Usually it boils down to the question of authority; where is your authority for your doctrinal basis?" says Mr. Anderson, himself a Lutheran who converted to Catholicism in 1981. "And which authority can be traced back to Christ?

"Sola Scriptura" pretty much says it all.

[FormerLib]

...a church where Mary is venerated almost (almost, mind you) as a goddess, some prayers are offered to a pantheon of mortal "saints" rather than God, and good works are emphasized rather than the saving grace of Christ.

I respect your proclaimed faith in Christ. Having said that, there are some points that I must address in the above statement even though I am not a Roman Catholic.

First, Mary is venerated while only God is worshipped. Mary is the perfect example of someone dedicated to Jesus Christ.

Although the phrase "praying to the Saints" has become accepted, the fact of the matter is that the "prayers" offered to the Saints actually acknowledge the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit who worked through the Saint.

For example, the following is read in commemoration of St. Moses the Ethiopian:
Thou didst prove to be a citizen of the desert, an angel in the flesh, and a wonderworker, O Moses, our God-bearing Father. By fasting, vigil, and prayer thou didst obtain heavenly gifts, and thou healest the sick and the souls of them that have recourse to thee with faith. Glory to Him that hath given thee strength. Glory to Him that hath crowned thee. Glory to Him that workest healings for all through thee.

You'll notice that, while St. Moses life is being remembered and commemorated here, glory is only being offered to the One Who worked through the Saint.

Finally, the "works" are designed to promote faith in Christ, not replace it.

Trust me, these are important distinctions.

[FormerLib]

"Sola Scriptura" pretty much says it all.

So long as one remembers that Sola Scriptura is a man-made tradition that sprang from the Reformation, some 15 centuries after the founding of the Christian Church.

Saint Paul did admonish his follows to keep the traditions passed by word as well. Sola Scriptura actually ignores that part of Scripture.

[wildandcrazyrussian]

Interesting, but one common note is that some of the people left Protestantism because of deeper historical researhc like the writings of St. Ignatius, which given other circumstances might have led them (and still might leda them to) the Eastern Orthodox Church. One notable person recently who did convert from the Lutheran Church to Orthodoxy is Dr. Jaroslav Pelikan, whose writings I have enjoyed for over 30 years.

(I believe another was Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt, who converted in 1894 just before she married Nicholas Romanov, although those were other circumatances. I believe that I read in "Nicholas and Alexandra" that Queen Victoria took pains to point out to her granddaughter that Lutheranism and Orthodoxy aren't all THAT different. Amusing if true.)

[Notwithstanding]

Today there are roughly one billion breathing Catholics on the earth. Your comments - as a non-Catholic - are more apt and accurate than most of my fellow Catholics could muster. Amen.

[Charles Henrickson]

In honor of Reformation Day, I'm posting a hymn stanza I wrote back in 1996 for the 450th anniversary of Luther's death (February 18, 1546). It is to be used as the second stanza of "By All Your Saints in Warfare" (Lutheran Worship, Hymn 193/194).

MARTIN LUTHER, DOCTOR AND CONFESSOR
(Tune: "King's Lynn," LW 193/194)

All praise for blessed Martin,
Our teacher in the faith,
Confessor of the gospel
That saves from sin and death.
You were his mighty fortress,
Though devils filled the land.
Now may we say with Luther,
"God help me. Here I stand."

© Charles M. Henrickson, 1996

[LibertyGirl77]

"Keeping the tradition" is not the same as making tradition your authority.

[No Truce With Kings]

Queen Victoria took pains to point out to her granddaughter that Lutheranism and Orthodoxy aren't all THAT different.

That is true if you are considering the original version of Lutheranism. At one point Luther considered joining the Orthodox church. A collection of letters exchanged between the Patriarch of Constantinople and Luther has been translated into English, and printed in a book. I get the feeling that the talks collapsed because Luther, having rid himself of one Patriarch (Rome) decided it would not be as much fun if he put himself under another.

[Notwithstanding]

Some Protestants would -- if a Catholic were to post lyrics that stated "All praise for blessed Mary" (or Peter or John or Paul or some other blessed saint)-- claim that such lyrics were an abomination, for only God is due praise and Chrisitains reserve praise for the Almighty.

[american colleen]

I as a Lutheran could not stomach a church where Mary is venerated almost (almost, mind you) as a goddess, some prayers are offered to a pantheon of mortal "saints" rather than God, and good works are emphasized rather than the saving grace of Christ. Wrong about Mary. We love her as a loving mother, not as a goddess. I think that is one of the biggest pieces of misinformation non-Catholics hold. Also we DO NOT worship statues! Another piece of misinformation. Catholics emphasize both the saving grace of God and good works; one cannot exist without the other. There are so many bible stories supporting this issue. I as a Catholic could not stomach a church that is built on the teachings of a man who hated so many different groups of people.

[JoeSchem]

It is spooky that Martin Luther chose October 31, of all days.