Gottesdienst St. Louis

Coming up this May, in anticipation of the 2016 LCMS Synodical Convention

Gottesdienst St. Louis

A one-day conference –

Removing the Asterisk:

Restoring an Unconditional Subscription to AC XIV in the LCMS 

Featuring

Rev. Matthew C. Harrison, MDiv, LLD, DD, LCMS President

Rev. Heath R. Curtis, MA, MDiv, Gottesdienst Online Editor and LCMS Coordinator for Stewardship

Rev. D. Richard Stuckwisch, MDiv, PhD, Gottesdienst Online Editor

Rev. David H. Petersen, MDiv, STM, Gottesdienst Departmental Editor

Rev. Jason M. Braaten, MDiv, Gottesdienst Online Editor and Development Officer

Rev. Burnell F. Eckardt Jr., MDiv, STM, PhD, Gottesdienst Editor-in-chief

Rev. Benjamin T. Ball, MDiv, Pastor loci at St. PaulTuesday, May 17^th                 

Tuesday, May 17th, 2016

St. Paul Lutheran Church (Hamel)

6969 W. Frontage Rd.

Worden, IL 62097                  (about a half-hour drive up I-55 from the city)

Schedule:

8:30–9:00 am  Registration/coffee, donuts/

Holy Absolution available

9:00 am  Matins

9:40 am  Welcome

9:45–10:30 am

“How AC XIV Came to Be, and What Has Become of It in the LCMS”

Pr. Braaten

10:45 am  Divine Service

12:00 pm  Lunch

1:00-1:20

      Remarks from the Synodical President

            Pr. Harrison

1:20–2:05 pm

“In Favor of the Synod Task Force’s Recommendations to the Convention for July”

Pr. Curtis

2:05  Break

2:15–3:00 pm

“The Christological Character of the Ministry”

         Pr. Eckardt

3:00 pm  Break

3:10–3:45 pm

Panel Discussion: Quo vadis?: Our Challenge

          The Gottesdienst editors

4:15 pm  Vespers

5:00 pm  Gemütlichkeit

Lodging on your own.  Recommended: The Innkeeper Motel. 401 E. State St., Hamel, IL 62046. (618) 633-2111. www.innkeeperinn.com

Registration: $25.  BUT FREE FOR SYNODICAL DELEGATES. (Payable to Gottesdienst. Mail us this form or email it to us with “Gottesdienst” in the subject line).  You may pay the registration fee in advance or when you arrive. 

Registration form (if by email, please provide all this information):

Title: ______      Name:  _________________________

Parish: _______________________________

Email: _____________________________

Address:__________________________________

City:________________  State:______ZIP:_______

Phone:______________________ 

Will you be staying for the Gemütlichkeit? Yes__No__

For planning purposes, please register by May 10^th.

On repentance and faith

An interLutheran/interWebs debate continues to rage on the topic of the antinomianism, or Law and Gospel, or Repentance and Faith, or the Third Use, or...whatever you want to call it. As with most debates in our Instant/Lite Culture, there is often more heat than light generated.

For example, how would you answer this question: "You don't even have to be sorry for your sins, you don't have to confess them, you don't have to do anything is that really what we are talking about with the Gospel of Jesus Christ?"

Precision of language is very important in any theological debate. What is sin? What is repentance? What is faith?

I submit that even most Lutheran pastors these days have an inadequate exposure to and memory of Lutheran theological terms. Ad fontes, fratres. Here is a standard Lutheran way of talking about repentance and faith from John Gerhard. It is from section 107 of his Theological Commonplaces volume On Justification. I'm currently editing the volume for CPH, and it's due for publication in 2018.

The article on the forgiveness of sins must be believed according to the interpretation of Scripture. But this shows that sins are forgiven to no one specifically unless he repents sincerely and embraces Christ in true faith. Therefore this precedes in the Creed: “I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, etc., suffered and died,” etc. But now, people who sin willingly do not repent sincerely nor do they embrace Christ in true faith. They should not promise themselves remission of sins. Therefore they should be called not heretics but unbelievers and wicked persons.. For a heretic is a person who does not believe what he should believe, but someone who sins willingly should not believe that his sins are forgiven him so long as he is and remains the sort of person he is.

Now, what does it mean to "sin willingly?" Gerhard is talking about mortal sin as opposed to venial sin. Faith cannot exist with willful, mortal sin. Faith does not subsist without repentance.

If this way of speaking sounds odd to you, I would submit that it is because in our day and age we settle for slogans and not good, historic, careful, Lutheran theology.

Here is a sure way to get yourself on the right track in regard to this entire set of topics regarding Law and Gospel, Repentance and Faith: Chemnitz' Enchiridion. Clergy or lay, this is a must read, and an easy read, from the chief author of the Formula of Concord.

+HRC