Divide and Conquer

A sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost - June 12, 2016 - Rev. Jeff Cottingham, STS
"The next Reformation must unite the orthodox denominations."  (Romans 14)

"I am a Lutheran because..."

At one time, most, if not all, could finish that statement in America.  You name it:  "right understanding of Law and Gospel;" "being simultaneously saint and sinner;" all summed up by Dr. Walter Sundberg:  "Luther got it right."  At one time, most Lutherans could indeed finish that statement.

No longer.  Today, what makes us distinctly "Lutheran" is lost on a great many people.  The same could be said of virtually any denomination today.   A brief look at the Lutheran bodies show vast, irreconcilable differences in what is claimed as doctrine or belief, or at least certainly in practice.  Why?  It is because the divisions that exist are no longer according to particular practice and application of Scripture.  Rather, they are purely political in nature:  Orthodox vs. Progressive, or Conservative vs. Liberal.  Those who are Orthodox generally hold to the authority and intent that the Declaration of Independence and the Charters of Freedom espouse, namely that God is the ultimate arbiter of truth and freedom, (and yes, we are talking the God of Christianity here).  On the other side, Progressives generally diminish or deny the authority of God altogether, thus seeking to put authority in our hands, ultimately.  It comes down to who is ultimately in charge:  God?  or Man?

So who falls into which category?  It isn't as clearly defined as I'm about to do, but in a broad sense, the Orthodox side includes some Lutherans, some Catholics, some Episcopalians/Anglicans, most non-denominationals, Pentecostals, handfuls of Methodists, some baptists, and so on.  The Progressive side includes the rest of the Lutherans, Catholics, Episcopalians, most of the UCC, and the like.  Now obviously there are exceptions to this rule, as this is more of a broad generalization of the political/theological divisions that exist today.  That said,  I would contend that you can’t be a Lutheran AND be Progressive if you can finish that opening statement with strong conviction and a proper understanding of Luther, as the supremacy of Christ and the ultimate authority of God, along with the complete subordination of man to these things were critical to his understanding of theology.

And now:  on both sides of the political (and now theological) spectrum, all of them are fighting amongst themselves now, instead of fighting the real enemy, which is that unholy trinity of Sin, Death, and the Devil.  Why?  Because of the old Adam.  From the beginning, it’s been about us being in control of God’s Word and in control of our destiny, which oddly enough is the end game for the liberal or progressive movement.   And so the church being divided up into denominations ended up being the very thing that is enabling us to be conquered.

Don't get me wrong:  the Reformation was a good thing - then.  The church had indeed gone progressive and needed to be reigned in.  However, I contend that it is not a good thing now.  Luther never intended to begin a new church, and had hoped for reunification with Rome, as all Lutherans today should also hope.  We will likely not ever reunify with Rome though that is still the intended goal, but even without that, the orthodox Christians must learn to stand together, and never make denominationalism (that which divides us) greater than Christ our head.

And what once was a good thing has now become how Satan defeats the church:  to Divide and conquer.  First, the church divided up into denominations.  The purpose was noble and good:  to recapture the original essence of what it meant to be Christian, even while understanding that such essence has evolved with the times to a degree. But then, within the denominations, the church divided again, but now according to Orthodox and Progressive (Political) divisions.  And thus the church, with its noble imperative and great commission, are now being rendered irrelevant.  We can no longer stand with one voice, and therefore are failing in our God-given task of being disciples and all that it entails.

Take a look at Romans 14 - yes, it is specifically about food and the pagan practices of the time, BUT it has broad application in this situation as well.  "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall."  (Romans 14:19-21).  The whole chapter is applicable here.

And yet division comes when we begin to believe we are in control - of the Word, the church, our lives, our society, etc. - and this comes both in the form of deep devotion to any set of beliefs that somehow creates in us a "holier than thou" attitude.  As soon as such an attitude sets in, it is no longer Christ who reigns supreme in our lives, but we ourselves.  Idolatry.  Sin.  That which yet again separates us from God, and demonstrates that there is indeed nothing new under the sun, as we've been doing it for thousands of years.

Now as I said, and it bears repeating, I'm not suggesting that we remove the word "Lutheran" from the church sign - far from it.  The reformation was a good thing. We will always be Lutheran.  We will always hold to the basic tenets set out by Martin Luther and the reformers, especially those found in the church's confessional writings, which we identify as valid witnesses of Scripture.  However, I challenge you all to understand and know just exactly what that means, and HOW we finish that statement:  "I am a Lutheran because..."  A great place to start is in the Holy Bible as we more fully understand the 6 habits of disciples in the early church, and the history that got them there to that point.  Then we move on to the Lutheran Confessions:  The Book of Concord or "Concordia," which Ties us to the great tradition of the church, but bids us also move into the future in witness to Christ.

But I also say that being Lutheran cannot ever rule the day when it comes to being Orthodox Christian.  If Christ is only penultimate to being Lutheran, Being Lutheran must go, because it contradicts the very end of that statement:  "I am a Lutheran because..."  Denominations may never reunite.  Lutherans may never once again join the Roman church.  But if we don’t work together with all orthodox churches, to seek to overthrow Satan, who divides us in order to conquer us as a Christian witness, our divisions will have allowed us to be conquered.  We will have waved the white flag in capitulation.

It was Julius Caesar who first coined the phrase "to divide and conquer," and put it to practice in an effort to control the Roman Empire.  Indeed, he was conquered eventually.  They too were conquered.   Jesus himself said "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall."   So I challenge us all to never define ourselves as Lutheran first or only, in order that the battle we’ve enjoined against Satan can be effectively waged, not wasting our energy in bickering with one another.  This applies not only to our denomination, but even within our very church or families, as the divisions we may allow to develop will divide us in the end as well.  Rather, remember the gift you've been given, and the price that was paid for your salvation, that Christ is the Lord of our lives not just in words but in practice.  Amen.