For the less informed, you may have gotten us mixed up with the ELCA - Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.
Keep reading, or you will never have any conservative Lutheran friends. Ever.
For the slightly more informed, you may have thought of us as a branch of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS).
A more forgivable mistake, if you missed "The Schism" of 1961. There are a lot of religious schisms to keep track of...
You may have heard some stereotypes about us. Love singing and standing up and down at random points, but are afraid to play anything in church but a pipe organ or speak during the service.
Change is forbidden.
In one word - Coffee. (And beer, for whom it may concern)
From the more direct opponents, you may hear we're offensive, narrow minded and stubborn, intolerant, exclusive, unloving, boring, etc...
I found a lovely article on how irrational Conservative Christians are:
"The More Conservative the Church, the Less Likely it is to be True.
The more conservative the church the less it accepts the results of science and reasoning.
The more conservative the church the less it accepts the virtue of tolerance.
The more conservative the church the less it accepts the separation of church and state.
The more conservative the church the less it is community-minded
The more conservative the church the less ecumenical it is by rejecting other churches.
The more conservative the church the more it claims to know the truth about everything"
http://debunkingchristianity.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-more-conservative-church-less.html
Sheep! Do they think that we're sheep?!!??! (Well, actually... Isaiah 53:6. But that's another topic.)
Is it really an oxymoron for a Conservative Lutheran to say that they are an independent thinker?
"The more conservative the church the less it accepts the results of science and reasoning."
Here's a thought.
You will never, ever be able to prove 100% for either Evolution or Creationism.
-On the one side, you are dealing with a theory that changes with every new fossil or particle uncovered. There's always a new way to explain something away. You're only limited by your imagination.
-On the other side, you have the omnipotent God. If you have an all-powerful God, who can and will do as he pleases, how could creation, a worldwide flood, or miracles be considered irrational? The rules of science are irrelevant. He created it. How can you disprove this?
Therefore, we can accept any facts they throw at us. Monkeys have a similar skeletal structure to humans? Oh, really? Were you expecting wheels?
Despite this, Creationism is not allowed to be taught in public schools
As Lenin would say, "Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted."
The Jesuit founder Ignacius of Loyola also said, "Give me a child for the first seven years, and I'll give you the man."
The principle is the same. Education at a young age will shape who you are for a lifetime. Therefore, how could Evolution be considered Independent Thinking if there's no independence in it at all anymore?
"The more conservative the church the less it accepts the virtue of tolerance.
The more conservative the church the less it accepts the separation of church and state."
The second case is quite simply not true. As Roger Williams said, "Enforced uniformity confounds civil and religious liberty and denies the principles of Christianity and civility. No man shall be required to worship or maintain a worship against his will."
As for tolerance... Tolerance is a major point of contention between the WELS and the ELCA and LCMS, especially with regards to the Sacrament of Communion. It isn't just a matter of opinion, in 1 Corinthians 11 it reads, "So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves."
Simply tolerating the sins of those around you shows a true disregard for their eternal welfare. We have a duty to speak, as fellow sinful human beings, to our brothers and neighbors who are following a path to destruction. God said to Ezekial in chapter 3 verse 18, "When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood."
"The more conservative the church the more it claims to know the truth about everything"
“What is truth?” retorted Pilate." John 18:38
" Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." John 17:17
Being a Conservative Lutheran isn't just about believing what you're told. It is a gathering place for those who search the scriptures for themselves. It's about believing the Bible in its entirety. It takes a very strong faith to disregard the "wisdom" of this world for the "foolishness" of God. Because, despite what you've been told, it really does make sense.
Well, that was a LOT longer than I was intending... Thoughts? Comments? Hate letters? Go ahead! :)
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