Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church school, near Karaikal/Pondicherry, India.
Going back, of course, isn’t an
politics and violence. During the event we pondered
how the doctrine of justification lays a foundation for interreligious dialogue. We didn’t shy away from how Luther’s diatribes against the Jews may relate to narrow exclusion- ist nationalistic tendencies in India and elsewhere today. Nor did we avoid asking how his ideas on liberty and some Reformation-era views applauding the state as secular sav- ior may be interpreted in a variety of ways within contemporary political movements. All of these issues and questions
were examined from a global per- spective, inviting fresh questions and resulting in new insights. Such fresh thinking about the Reformation’s ongoing import is a sign of what the church is growing into in the future.
Largen responds Speaking of U.S. Lutheranism in particular, there is much that calls for repentance: our continuing lack of diversity is only the most glar- ing example in light of all that has occurred in our country this past year. But there also is much to cel- ebrate: the push forward into a vari- ety of ecumenical agreements, and an ongoing openness to interreligious engagement. We would venture to say that we have not forgotten our roots, but neither have we become “root bound.” Instead, we have grown into new soil—spreading deeper and wider at the same time. We have been transformed by these ecumenical and interfaith relationships, and we
‘Walking together in God’s mission implies mutuality and interdependence.
We journey together side by side, with neither companion ahead or
behind, above or below, the other.’
are a richer church for it. Given the fact Lutheranism has
become a global phenomenon, it’s incumbent upon those of us in the West to turn our gaze South and East. As we do so, it becomes evident that we are in the midst of a global “growth spurt.” Just as a teenager experiences both joy and pain as a body matures, so these global changes in the body of Christ are experienced differently in each context. Even as many churches in Asia,
Africa and Latin America are experi- encing amazing growth, in our con- text we lament shrinking member- ship and fewer candidates for public ministry. For many then, it feels like the overriding characteristic of this moment in the church’s life is loss and diminishment. Many look rear- ward with longing, wishing we could turn back the clock and return to the time when both pews and offering plates were full. We understand this impulse, and we imagine that many in Luther’s time understood it, too, as they were struggling to learn how to be church in new ways, in the face of hostility and scorn.
option—and we shouldn’t want to even if it were possible since God’s Spirit beckons, “Come” (Revelation 22:17). Instead, we must be guided by theologian Karl Barth’s pointing to ecclesia semper reformanda est (“the church is ever-reforming”) and con- tinue to move forward, responding to the Spirit’s call into the church of the future—a church we can’t yet fully see or imagine. The church is and always has been
about more than numbers—it’s not defined either by membership or dol- lars. If we have eyes to see, surely we can identify many signs of new life around us: exciting emerging minis- tries, nontraditional candidates for public ministry, a growing online presence in a multitude of venues and new global partnerships. Another Latin phrase might guide
us as well: ecclesia plantanda (“let the church be planted”), which was the motto of Henry Melchior Muhlen- berg, the father of American Luther- anism. He believed the “old” church could thrive on the “new” soil of the territory that would become the U.S., and encouraged such adaptations of the church that would enable it to thrive in frontier conditions. All true reformations are hard-
won, but the fruits they produce are both lasting and surprising. Here’s to another 500 years.
Author bios: Largen is interim dean and associate professor of systematic theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (Pa.). Sebastian is dean and the H. George Anderson Professor of Mission and Cultures at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.
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