Caricatures are exaggerations with a hint of truth. Perhaps the most common false image of Lutherans is that they are the church that abandoned all biblical moorings years ago. The inner circles of church talk don’t consider them apostate, but other misconceptions are applied. What are the exaggerated features ascribed to Lutherans?
Jettisoned Orthodoxy
I’ve had to clarify that I go to the “conservative” branch of the Lutheran Church several times, as people looked at me with extreme skepticism when I told them where we attend. That image is a false caricature, as almost every major denomination has a spectrum of theological liberal to conservative. The Presbyterians have the PC-USA and the PCA. The Baptists have the SBC and the CBF. We Lutherans have the LCMS and the ECLA. Each denomination also has other branches with varying levels of “conservatism.” The trend toward jettisoning orthodoxy in the name of relevance is not unique to the Lutheran denomination. Nor can one universally link Lutheran with those who have abandoned orthodoxy. The terms liberal and conservative can also easily be confused and misapplied.
Mysterious Reasoning
Many accuse Lutherans of having more theological mystery than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The reality is that every theological tradition has some element of mystery. Human beings cannot wrap their minds around every aspect of who God is, how God works, and how He has revealed Himself through the Word. Reason is a valuable tool and gift God has given humanity, but we must not lord it over the text of scripture itself. It’s not a fair assessment of Lutherans to say that they too quickly appeal to mystery when the actual inclination is to rest in scripture’s authority, even when it appears contradictory to human reason.
Gospel Reductionism
Lutheran theology makes much of the gospel; however, critics of Lutheran theology say that it misses the rest of the story. That’s not accurate. Gospel focus and gospel reductionism are not the same. A gospel focus views the entirety of scripture through a Christ and law-gospel lens, while reductionism ignores scripture or significant themes. What critics would call gospel reductionism is actual gospel centrality.
Antinomianism
A law and gospel distinction is not antagonistic toward the law. Keeping the law and the gospel distinct ensures we avoid conflating justification and sanctification. Each Sunday, we hear the law in its crushing power and the gospel in its saving power. We also hear multiple texts read aloud emphasizing, highlighting, and commanding obedience. We often see the third use of the law to guide Christians daily; however, there is a different focus. The law itself is insufficient to lead us into obedience. Instead of being prodded by the law into compliance like herded cattle, we are reminded of our utter inadequacy and given the gospel’s good news, which leads us like calves leaping from the stall (Malachi 4:2).
Sanctification Light
Some accuse Lutherans of being “weak on sanctification,” which has warranted some in Lutheranism to embrace the phrase as a satirical badge of honor. The accusation of relegating sanctification relates to gospel reductionism and antinomianism; however, it has practical implications, specifically in Christian living. Sanctification isn’t bypassed or minimized in Lutheran theology but is kept separate from justification with the helpful distinction between active and passive righteousness.
The Context of Christ
What is the focus of the law and the prophets? What is the purpose of preaching? The answers to these questions point to the cross. Jesus’ revelation of Himself on the road to Emmaus and His opening of the disciples’ minds in interpreting the law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms (Luke 24:13-49) highlight the centrality of proclaiming Christ’s death and resurrection. It also serves as the basis for proclaiming repentance for the forgiveness of sins to all nations (verses 46-47).
At the beginning of John’s gospel, when Jesus called Phillip, Phillip’s description of Jesus to Nathaniel was, “him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John 1:45). The purpose of John’s gospel offers an underscore to focusing on Christ, His identity, and faith. “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:30-21). In the prologue to Revelation, John frames the book as a revelation of Jesus Christ through the angel “who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:1-3).
The apostle Paul decided to focus on Christ, and Him crucified in his ministry to the Corinthians. His emphasis on Christ was so that our boasting would be in the Lord and our faith would be in the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:31-2:5). Jesus rebuked the Jews’ lack of understanding who the scriptures bear witness to and reminded them that if they genuinely believed Moses, they’d believe Him because Moses wrote of Him (John 5:34-47).
Correcting the caricature should lead to the realization that scripture’s emphasis should be ours. Jesus’ interpretive lens should be our interpretive lens. Moses, the law, and all the prophets’ metanarrative should also be ours. Lutherans are not inherently “liberal,” lacking in logic, hostile toward the law, or weak on sanctification. We want to so herald Christ and Him crucified that what we proclaim is called foolishness and folly. “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25).