A FORMULA FOR PARISH PRACTICE BY TIMOTHY WENGERT pages 1-10 (I have omitted pages 11-15, which discusses the organization of the book, scholarly sources for the book, and discussion questions.) INTRODUCTION Since the past 15 years I have taught courses about the Book of Concord in an ELCA seminary. I feel that most Lutherans don't really understand their Lutheran Confessions. They don't use that book enough. Sometimes they use the Book of Concord the wrong ways. Some seminary teachers say, "This is an important book. But it is really old." Shrug. Other seminaries say. "Believe this, or get out!" Either way, we miss the real purpose for the Book of Concord, for helping Christian people in their every day life. The Formula of Concord as Practical Theology (p. 2) My goal for writing this book is what? I want to connect the Formula of Concord to questions that we face today. The Formula of Concord has 12 articles that analyze important questions almost broke apart the German Lutheran Church after Martin Luther died. Those men who wrote the Formula of Concord, we are like them. They inherited the Lutheran Reformation. They tried to connect that history, that doctrine, to the Christian people and their daily lives in that time. When we read the Formula of Concord for the first time, we get the feeling that those writers only want to give right answers. But really, they understood that their answer strongly impact church and faith life. The Lutheran Church in Sweden accepted the Formula of Concord about 100 years later. Churches in the other Scandinavian countries they never accepted the Formula of Concord. History of the Formula (p. 3) The history of the Formula of Concord began when Martin Luther died on February 18, 1546. Before that time, when questions popped up, and people had disagreements, they looked to Martin Luther and the other theology teachers at the University of Wittenberg for answers.
A short time after Martin Luther died, war hit Germany. The war was between Emperor Charles V (the 5 th ) and the Catholic princes against the Lutheran Princes, that included Martin Luther's prince, John Frederick. A few Lutheran princes joined the emperor. One of those was Duke. Moritz in Saxony. He was the cousin of John Frederick. The emperor quickly defeated the Lutheran princes. He put John Frederick in prison. And he gave that land to Moritz to control. Those princes had the title "Elector" because their duty was to elect the emperor. The emperor quickly established strict control over church life in Germany. He permitted Lutheran clergy to marry. And he permitted them to offer the Lord's Supper with both bread and wine. But he forced the Lutherans to follow all other Catholic traditions and theology. His laws became called "the Augsburg Interim." Moritz want to make those law more flexible. So he asked the Wittenberg University faculty to help him write something that they could offer as their compromise. Philip Melanchthon refused. His hot criticism against the emperor got him in deep trouble. Later, Philip Melanchthon and his other theologians offered to give up neutral issues -- adiaphora. But they refused to give up doctrine. They wrote their proposal, and offered it to the German princes that met in the city of Leipzig. The princes did not accept heir proposal. And their offer to give up anything, that upset people. who called themselves "True Lutherans" -- Gnesio-Lutherans. That first fight about adiaphora opened disagreements about other issues, like: sin. free will. salvation by faith alone. good works. law and gospel. and the third use of the law. While the pastors were arguing, the political situation changed dramatically.
Prince Moritz saw that the emperor's goal was to take full control, leaving nothing for the German government. So Moritz led a rebellion against the emperor. Eventually, the emperor gave up and let Lutherans have official permission. The emperor let the Lutherans proceed freely in their faith. And he no more bothered them about religion. Finally, they had political peace with the Catholic rulers. But now, they had war with each other for the next 20 years, during the 1550s and the 1560s -- conflict between the followers of Philip Melanchthon, called, the Philippists, and the Gnesio- Lutherans. Another topic for quarrelling was the Lord's Supper. In the year 1560, one student of Philip Melanchthon wrote in defense of the Lutheran teaching, that Christ's body and blood are really present in the Lord's Supper. Philip Melanchthon wrote criticizing his student. A short time later, Philip Melanchthon died. But that debate became hot. Theology professors in the University of Wittenberg began teaching that Christ is not physically in the Lord's Supper, only spiritual. Some historians called them, crypto-calvinists, meaning, secret followers of John Calvin. Really, I think we should call them, secret Philippists. They taught their ideas quietly, so their prince, named Duke. August did not know. When he found out, He blew his top and fired many of them. Some of them, he arrested. Others, he kicked them out of Saxony. Now that those theological leaders were gone, the Lutheran Pastors struggled to find ways for making peace and agreement. Some pastors received their training under Philip Melanchthon, and his writings. Other pastors focused their study in Martin Luther and the Augsburg Confession. One theologian named Jakob Andreae lived in southern Germany, and taught theology at the University of Tubingen. He had a Gnesio-Lutheran perspective. But his writing style was more peaceful. His prince, Duke Christopher, asked Jakob Andreae to write about the Lutheran conflict. So Jakob Andreae wrote a book called, "Six Sermons about disputes that divide the theologians of the Augsburg Confession." Jakob Andreae sent that to several other Lutheran theologians.
One, named Martin Chemnitz, lived in central Germany. And another theologian, named David Chytraeus live in northern Germany. He was one of Philip Melanchthon's favorite students, but his person viewpoint was Gnesio- Lutheran. They asked Jakob Andreae for a more formal theological document. So he wrote the Swabian Concord in 1574. Martin Chemnitz and David Chytraeus revised his document a little bit. That made the document that they called the Saxon-Swabian Concord in 1575. Then Jakob Andreae's prince, Christopher, was gone, and his son Ludwig replaced him. Ludwig asked Jakob Andreae for a new document that explains Lutheran doctrine for his land. Those three theologians: Jakob Andreae. Martin Chemnitz. and David Chytraeus. they met together, and they wrote the Maulbronn Formula in 1576. Then a fourth theologian joined the team. His name was Nicholas Selnecker. He taught at the University of Wittenberg. Previously, he support Philip Melanchthon's teaching. But now he worked with Jakob Andreae for establishing Lutheran teaching again in Wittenberg. Then Prince August wanted to help them make peace and agreement in Germany's Lutheran churches. Two more theologians joined the team; they were from Brandenburg. They combined their two previous documents, the Swabian-Saxon Concord and the Maulbronn Formula, into one document, called the Torgau Book. They printed and sent copies to Lutheran churches all over the empire. They received feedback, made changes, and then printed the document, that they called the Bergen Book in 1577. Later, that document became called, the Solid Declaration. Some of the princes complained that the articles were long and complicated. So Jakob Andreae wrote a shortened abbreviation, that they called, the Epitome. Those two documents, the long Solid Declaration and the short Epitome, together they make the Formula of Concord. Jakob Andreae and the other theologians worked hard, trying to convince other Lutheran leaders to agree with their Formula of Concord. They traveled, discussed, and had meetings.
Theologians from about two-thirds of all the Lutheran areas signed the Formula of Concord. Then they combined the Formula of Concord with previous Lutheran Reformation documents: the Augsburg Confession. The Apology. Martin Luther's two catechisms. His Smalcald Articles. Philip Melanchthon's Treatise on the power and primacy of the Pope. And they added the three ancient creeds. Those all together make the Book of Concord. Many German government rulers signed the Book of Concord. and they published it 50 years after the First reformers presented the Augsburg Confession to Emperor Charles V. Lutheran Questions and an Outline of This Work (p. 7) Now, jump ahead to today. Christians in America represent many various denominations. How do we describe those various denominations? We can look at their teachings, their various answers. Or we can look at their history, and examine their various questions. What are their previous questions and debates? What are their current questions and debates? It is true that all Christians agree on several basic questions. The two natures of Christ. the Trinity. Jesus' death and resurrection. But Roman Catholics have debates among themselves about the relationships between bishops and the pope, and the relationship between church councils and the pope. Greek Orthodox theologians discuss questions about theosis, their teaching that God makes people holy. Presbyterians and Episcopalians may debate church organization structure. Churches that teach about the Millennium -- Christ reigning on earth for 1000 years -- they debate when the rapture happens: before or after the great tribulation. Methodist Christians debate living holy.
Lutherans focus their discussions on the questions about salvation by faith alone. How deep is our sin? When we receive faith, what part involves human activity? How do faith and works relate? What does God's Word do in our salvation? If God alone saves us, does that mean God decides in advance who He will save? Other Lutheran questions that we discuss include Christ's Body and blood in the Lord's Supper Those were the questions that the Formula of Concord writers discussed, and our churches still discuss. Their topics, they arranged into 12 articles, that summarize the heart of our Lutheran questions. Those questions will not fade away. Why? Because we hold tightly that Gospel that says, God forgives sinners by grace that we receive by faith. The more we know those questions and their connection to the Gospel, they will increase our faith. The introductory article for the Formula of Concord is titled Rule and Norm. Rule means what? Rules? no. Controlling? no. Measure, like a ruler. Norm means comparing, same / same -- match. This article explains that Lutheran teaching comes only from the Bible. Other Reformation documents in the Book of Concord explain the Bible's doctrine. Articles numbered 1 to 6 focus on issues related to salvation by faith alone, without works. Number 1 topic is inherited sin. How deep is that sin? That issue relates to baptism. Article number 2 asks how much of our salvation is our choice? Answer: None. The Gospel gives us faith. That idea is opposed today in American Protestant theology, that says: You must decide. Will you accept Christ? or will you reject Him? That is your choice. The Bible says that we are in bondage to sin, and that we cannot free ourselves. God must free us. That is a great relief.
Article number 2 asks about the topic that is the heart of the Lutheran gospel: God's grace, that we faith receive, because of Christ's death and resurrection for us. That is the most important article. Article 4 discusses good works. That article explains that good works don't save us. No. Good works are like fruit that grow from living trees. Too many Lutheran preachers miss that point, and they beat up their people with more law. Article numbers 5 and 6 discuss Law and Gospel, and the third use for the law. Lutheran Preachers must remember this issue. Do they emphasize good news? or bad news? Article numbers 7, 8, and 9 ask about the Lord's Supper, and questions about Christ. In Christ, God became human, and came to earth. He suffered and died for our salvation. In the Lord's Supper, Christ comes to us in bread and wine, bringing us forgiveness. Article 7 is about the Lord's Supper. That is really important. So I divide that into two topics. The first part discusses about Christ's body and blood, in, with, and under, bread and wine. The second part examines questions about the Lord's Supper that bothered the Formula of Concord writers: How long does Christ's body and blood remain in the bread and wine? And who is worthy for receiving the Lord's Supper? Article 8 connects the Lord's Supper with Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection. Article 9 discusses about one sentence in the Apostle's Creed: "Jesus descended into hell." That question permitted the Formula of Concord writers to examine our limits for theological questions. Some topics we can't understand, so we should trust, and worship, and not analyze. The last three articles really hit every day life for Christians and the church. Article number 10 discusses issues about adiaphora. Really, it was that topic that first opened debates among Lutherans about the topics in articles 1 through 6. This article gives us guide lines for our discussions today for our disagreements about neutral issues. If this article helps a congregation resolve their quarrel about doing things in the church, then the Formula of Concord again proves its value. Article number 11 discusses the same issue of article 2, viewed from God's perspective. Article 2 is about our bondage to sin. Article 11 is about His grace and mercy, that we don't earn. The topic for that article is PREDESTINATION. We don't choose God. He chooses us, and He gives us faith.
Both of those two articles -- number 2, and number 11 -- they avoid dangerous guessing about what God thinks and does. and they change our focus to what God has clearly shown in Christ Jesus, and that He has engraved our names on His heart. The last article rejects teachings from several Anabaptist groups in their time, and other religions that reject Christian teaching about the Trinity. This article shows that Lutherans and Anabaptists are not the same. Our questions, and their questions, are different. This article discusses issues that touch every day Christian life. They answer questions about, how Christians relate to the real world. That discussion is important for us today.