Lutherna View of Church and State

LESSON FIVE

A LUTHERAN VIEW OF CHURCH AND STATE

I. Introduction

A. Begin 2nd major division of course.

B. How Lutherans have interpreted relationship between church and state.

C. Also will see controversy and debate among American Lutherans in this century.

II. Interpretive Models of Church and State

A. Generalizations and search for constants based on interpretive models.

B. Values lie in that simplify what is in fact complex by omitting elements of reality to enhance understanding of reality.

C. Must look at underlying assumptions.

D. H. Richard Niebuhr, Christ and Culture, New York, N.Y., Harper & Row, 1951)”:

1. “Christ against Culture”

a. An uncompromising defense of Christ’s authority for the Christian.

b. Most vociferous advocate was Tertullian, who urged Christians to shun political life.

c. Some Amish and Mennonite groups.

d. Overemphasizes purity of Christian community.

e. Underemphasizes the honorable, God-designed functions of civil government.

2. “Christ of Culture”

a. Presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the hopes and aspirations of society.

b. No tension between Christ and culture.

c. Replaces tension with “Christianized” processes of civilization itself.

d. Appealed to:

(1) Many in each church who interpreted Christ in terms of Graeco-Roman culture.

(2) Abelard during Middle Ages.

(3) Liberal Protestants in 19th century.

e. Strength: the God-designed role that culture plays in mediating Christian faith, primarily through language.

f. Profound weakness: the loss of any tension (really, any distinction) between society and church.

3. First two are the extremes; remaining three (3) lie between.

4. “Christ above Culture”

a. Synthesizes Christ and culture.

b. While Christ “neither arises out of culture nor contributes directly to it,” He is “the fulfillment of cultural aspirations and the restorer of the institutions of true society” (quoted by CTCR on page 32)

c. The Christian Commonwealth of Thomas Aquinas and medieval church.

d. Strength: both Christ and culture are made to serve one unified divine purpose.

e. Weakness: the extent to which this unity often must be imposed forcefully on a resistant culture, with Gospel as prime casualty.

5. “Christ and Culture in Paradox”

a. Best preserves and safeguards the Biblical tension.

b. Acknowledges that humans do not encounter in God

a simple unity.

c. God of grace and mercy is also a God of judgment and wrath.

(1) Is 45:7.

(2) major theme of Paul and Martin Luther’s writings

d. Strength: realistic portrayal Christian’s struggles to “render to Caesar...and render to God....”

e. Most pronounced weakness: a persistent passivity toward government.

(1) government acknowledged as God’s servant in its own right.

(2) government not expected to perform any Gospel-based church functions.

6. “Christ the transformer of Culture”

a. Also has hopeful attitude toward the potential of human culture to serve Christ.

b. Where 4th model (II. D 5 above) tends to maintain largely negative view of role of civil government, “conversionists” see potential that can be developed only under redeeming Lordship of Christ and sanctifying work of the Spirit.

c. Emphasizes overcoming the consequences of fall into sin and judgment.

d. Draws from themes in John’s gospel.

e. Found in work of Augustine and Calvin, looking for “the present permeation of all life by the gospel” (quoted by CTCR on page 33).

f. Strength: Unity of God’s purpose.

g. Weakness: Unity must often be imposed.

E. Models

1. “Partly artificial”

2. Show great motifs that emerge in the long struggle.

3. Serve to highlight the different interpretations.

4. Tempting to try to synthesize models, culling only the best of each.

5. Fact: Choices have to be made.

NOTE TO CLASS LEADER:

At this point, I used copies of articles from newspapers about matters such as churches being asked to not hand out voter’s guides and other debates concerning separation of church and state. There never seems to be a lull in that discussion, so more recent newspaper or magazine articles should be available.