Reformation Sunday

[Randy_Carson]

Today, Lutherans are celebrating Reformation Sunday. Why? What is there to celebrate about the rending of Christendom and the separation of millions of souls from the Church Jesus founded upon Peter, the rock?

Luther himself bemoaned the opening of the Pandora’s box known as the Reformation when he wrote on several occasions:

“This one will not hear of Baptism, and that one denies the sacrament [Real Presence], another puts a world between this and the last day: some teach that Christ is not God, some say this, some say that: there are as many sects and creeds as there are heads. No yokel is so rude but when he has dreams and fancies, he thinks himself inspired by the Holy Ghost and must be a prophet.” (De Wette III, 61. quoted in O’Hare, THE FACTS ABOUT LUTHER, 208.)

“Noblemen, townsmen, peasants, all classes understand the Evangelium better than I or St. Paul; they are now wise and think themselves more learned than all the ministers.” (Walch XIV, 1360. quoted in O’Hare, Ibid, 209.)

“If the world lasts, it will be necessary, on account of the differing interpretations of Scripture which now exist, that to preserve the unity of faith, we should receive the [Catholic] councils and decrees and fly to them for refuge.” (Letter to Urlich Zwingli.)

 

[gcnuss]

Randy,

There is quite a difference in celebrating the Reformation these days as compared to forty or fifty years ago (when I was growing up as a Lutheran – and I still am). There was a time when Reformation Sunday was the Lutheran equivalent of the Fourth of July – celebrating the break from the misguided Roman Catholic Church. While there are undoubtedly Lutherans who do still celebrate in that vein, there are many for whom the Reformation celebration is directed toward our relationship with God and our justification before God through his grace manifested in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Several years ago, I attended the Reformation service in Washington, DC, held in the National Cathedral. At the invitation of our bishop, the homilist was Cardinal McCarrick. When I was younger, that would have been unthinkable. For some of us, the Reformation celebration includes reflection on our Catholic heritage, even if it doesn’t go as far as leading us back to Rome.

 

[scottm]

Today, Lutherans are celebrating Reformation Sunday. Why? What is there to celebrate about the rending of Christendom and the separation of millions of souls from the Church Jesus founded upon Peter, the rock?

Look at it from their eyes, not your eyes. There is no point in asking the question unless you’ll look at it from their eyes. From their point of view, Martin Luther rescued the Church founded by Jesus from an evil papacy. We all know that, objectively speaking, many Popes had serious problems. Whether Martin Luther’s solution was a good solution is of course open to debate.

 

[Catholic_Dude]

Marcus Grodi pointed out the real problem in Protestantism today and that is that most Protestants today dont consider themselves to be in a reforming role but rather have settled down into their own autonomous religious groups (eg the various Lutheran Synods) and are generally content with the way things are now.

 

[angelusm]

Today, Lutherans are celebrating Reformation Sunday. Why? What is there to celebrate about the rending of Christendom and the separation of millions of souls from the Church Jesus founded upon Peter, the rock?
QUOTE]
Good question. I think it’s because their identity seems to be more important for them than the will of Jesus. The other reason may be “liberation” from the power of Roman “Whore of Babylon”, as they call us. It doesn’t matter that they went very far away from the Gospel (lutheran preachers took part in a gay parade in Stockholm), they just celebrate who they are (although they don’t want to know who they really are) without asking any unpleasant questions.

 

[peary]

Look at it from their eyes, not your eyes. There is no point in asking the question unless you’ll look at it from their eyes. From their point of view, Martin Luther rescued the Church founded by Jesus from an evil papacy. We all know that, objectively speaking, many Popes had serious problems. Whether Martin Luther’s solution was a good solution is of course open to debate.

Regardless of how ‘bad’ a pope was (there weren’t that many bad ones, actually; most were good and holy men), NOTHING changed during their papacy in a church teaching or doctrine. To me, that is further proof that the Holy Spirit guides the Church - the same as when there were three popes at the same time!